Simon Cowell’s  brother has told the Mirror that his brother rejected scripted put downs on the set of American Idol.

Tony Cowell told the newspaper that his brother threw the scripts in the bin as he is naturally quick witted and had no need for them.

"American producers tried to script his put-downs but Simon put them in the bin," Tony explained. "They assumed he rehearsed everything but that’s not the case. He’s a very confident, naturally witty guy."

When asked about the future of Simon’s career Tony added: "He says people will tire of him on the television and he won’t let it get to that level. He’s very self-deprecating.

"He’s very tongue in cheek. When he’s off camera, he does take the p*** out of himself. And he will admit he gets some things wrong when he’s watching the programmes back."