For all of you who have been on a parallel universe for the last month, the X Factor auditions began last week!

The Unreality TV team were lucky enough to be invited along to watch some of the X Factor audition excitement when the show came down to our nation’s capital yesterday.  The audience were treated to a fantastic day at the hands of the acts and the judges, including guest stand in judge, Rita Ora.

Still without a permanent fourth judge, the try-outs began on Wednesday in Liverpool, with former Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell, in the hot seat to yay or nay the wannabe stars.  Halliwell had considered the job hers, and had even mouthed off about her plans to draft in George Michael and her mum to help her in the judge’s houses stage of the competition.  However, after being booed by the Liverpool audience, and given a vote of no confidence by the three full time judges, it would seem that the job is very much still available.

That considered, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that Rita, who provided the vocals for DJ Fresh’s single Hot Right Now, which has been the fastest selling single in the UK of 2012, was only there for a day as she slipped right into the X Factor atmosphere, showing compassion, humour and above all taste!

The other judges, Gary Barlow, Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh, remained as loveable ever (and once again Gary Barlow was wearing grey and brown, you will be shocked to hear!) and made a lot of audience interaction, with each of them taking it in turn to have a picture taken with a fan between each act.

You will all be very pleased to know that at the side of the stage, dancing like there was no tomorrow, was a very healthy looking Caroline Flack.  Caroline was recently in the news after being rushed to hospital following a severe allergic reaction to something, just hours before the first set of auditions were due to begin.  Flack was released from the hospital in time to take her Xtra Factor hot seat, which she is running solo until the live shows as co-host Olly Murs is currently touring with One Direction, and could be seen yesterday in great spirits as she encouraged the packed arena to get off out of their seats to clap and support the acts taking part.

From what we saw of the auditions, the UK is in for a real treat with this year’s competition.  Obviously we don’t want to spoil it for our readers, so we won’t tell you too much , but we can reveal that from just yesterdays tryouts alone, you can look forward to two sensational acts (Gary’s words, not ours) who, in our opinion will make it to the Judges House stage at least, if not the live finals.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the X Factor if all the acts were good, or could sing even, and this year is no exception. You can be prepared to cringe and cry with laughter at some of the acts taking part who actually believe they can sing and perform (not helped by the fact that Louis made the truly awful ones sing twice for funsies), as well as a surprise YouTube star who will have you gawping open mouthed whilst humming his song for the rest of the day!

One of the really nice things we noticed from this year’s auditions were the amount of acts singing and performing their own songs, we can’t guarantee they are any good, but keep an eye out for a  spectacular guitarist, who sounds a little bit like a Prince and Michael Jackson smoothie!

So, X Factor fans, begin the countdown to this year’s series, it is going to be an absolute corker!

Watch a clip from last years X Factor auditions below:

The X Factor auditions started last week in Liverpool, and are currently taking place in London at the O2 arena which viewers can see on their screens later in the year.