ITV have announced that a celebrity version of the hit talent show The X Factor will be starting later this spring.

The show is likely to start at the end of May and run for a number of consectutive nights, during which the celebrity contestants will be judged by our famous 3 judges (Louis Walsh, Simon Cowell and Sharon Osbourne) and evicted one by one.

“The X Factor was a runaway success and united the nation in debates over the rights and wrongs of who got voted out each week,” said Paul Jackson, ITV’s newly-appointed director of entertainment and comedy. “We are in discussions with celebrities right now but are keeping some of the elements of the show under wraps.”

The show will follow the same format and have the same categories as the non-celebrity version….

“The judges won’t know who they are mentoring until the shows start – and then the gloves are off,” added Jackson. “It will be a huge treat for viewers to see the celebrities under pressure from Simon Cowell who, as we know, is honest and direct – he certainly doesn’t mince his words.”

The scheduling of the show is another effort by ITV to entice viewers away from the big summer series of Big Brother, and by airing this X Factor show and Celebrity Love Island during May and June they may hit Channel 4 right where it hurts!