Could the X Factor be the most popular TV programme this year? It certainly seems that way.

Saturday night’s second show saw the X Factor beat all the other terrestrial TV combined as it attracted 10 million viewers at its highest point.

The ratings were up by more than 1.5 million on last year’s figures.

The hour-long show trounced BBC1 rival Dance X, which averaged just 3.6 million viewers, compared to X Factor’s average of 8.5 million.