Former Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman, has hit out at ITV’s X Factor saying that it has nothing to do with music or talent.

In an interview with NME.com Waterman was asked if he minded not being a judge on the show. He replied:

“No! No, because I was offered it and turned it down. People see these talent shows as ‘the way to do it’. But they’re not.”

He added: “Don’t get fooled by ‘The X Factor’. The fundamental question is this: What do you know about music? Are you in this for music or fame? And the musical genre – pop, rock, whatever – is irrelevant here.”

“I’m still a cheerleader [for reality music shows] but what you’ve got now is not the show I was on ['Pop Idol'], which was why I walked off series two,” he said.

He concluded: “The cheating has taken over! It’s irrelevant that there’s even music on these shows.”