Simon who? It's the return of the X Factor - and no-one seems to miss Mr Cowell as Gary Barlow steps into the role of Mr Nasty

By JODY THOMPSON



X Factor debut: The new-look panel didn't disappoint on the brand new series of the X Factor tonight



It was arguably the most anticipated return of a TV show in years - and the all-new X Factor didn't disappoint tonight.



Cynics had argued beforehand that the departure of head honcho and show mastermind Simon Cowell, along with former judges Dannii Minogue and Cheryl Cole, would damage the show.



But the new recruits stepped up to the plate - with Gary Barlow surprisingly stepping into Cowell's shoes as the new Mr Nasty.





The new Mr Nasty? Gary Barlow is most definitely the Mr Grumpy of the panel and doesn't hide his displeasure at sub-standard auditions





As the show began, with a montage of all the press over what the show mightily called 'the next generation' and a 'new chapter' of the X Factor, Gary pledged: 'I'm going to be tough, I'm going to be brutal. I think people's perception of me is about to change.'



He certainly seemed to live up to his promise too - to show there's no more Mr Nice Guy from the Take That veteran.



Interestingly, the show also seemed to focus more on the talent than the judges, arguably taking the show back to its roots with what is now the eighth series.





Patience: Gary showed on tonight's show that he certainly doesn't suffer fools gladly - as fellow judge Kelly observed, he is very 'black and white'





First up was cheeky chappie Frankie Cocozza, 18, from Brighton - who said he'd entered 'to get lots of girls' to screams of laughter from the audience.



Talking beforehand, he elaborated: 'I want to try and sleep with as many women as possible. To sum up my life, I’d probably use the word mental. If you came out on a night with me, you’d probably wake up the next morning wondering what happened last night.



'I see myself as a bit of a liability, but I can admit that. I just want to be famous. I want to be huge. I look forward to all the money, and the cars, and showing off, but more than anything I’m looking forward to the girls.'





Cheeky: Frankie Cocozza was one of the early hits with judges on tonight's show





Debut: N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos, wearing an off-the-shoulder leopard print top, was impressed by Frankie's audition





As he took to the stage and introduced himself, he boasted that he'd just come back from Malia and had got seven girls' names tattooed onto his bottom.



He was then challenged by Tulisa to prove it - and he obliged by dropping his trousers and baring cheeks inscribed with seven names in a quite elaborate script.

He said he'd Kelly and Tulisa's names tattooed in his bum too - but only if they paid for it.



He sang a characterful version The Zuton's Valerie - and got the crowd clapping and singing along, before a standing ovation at the end.





Mellow yellow: Kelly Rowland and her new fellow female judge Tulisa seem to get on like a house on fire





Quirky: Tulisa rightly pointed out that Kitty may be a bit of a 'Marmite' contestant





Talking for the first time as an X Factor judge, Tulisa was the first of the panel to comment.



Smiling broadly, she said: 'It's quite clear that the girls seem to already love you and I think after that audition it's about to get a whole lot worse.'



Kelly was next to make her debut on the show, gushing: 'I like you. You know what, I usually like that bad boys. I like your whole vibe, I like the fact you've got eight girls' names tattooed on your bum.'





Up close and personal: Tulisa and Louis got a good view of Goldie's act





Leg over: ....as did Gary....





Gasps: Despite Goldie's antics, Gary just wanted to bring the panel back down to earth and focus on her lack of singing skills





Gary was then next to make his first judgement on the show, and with authority, said: 'I love your stage presence, your Rod Stewart vocals, people are going to love youI really enjoyed every bit of it. The stage presence, the Rod Stewart vocals, I think people are going to love you. Well done.'



A delighted Frankie then gets four yesses and afterwards, said that he would get Kelly and Tulisa's names tattooed onto his bottom and they would be there for the rest of his life.



Next up was Kitty Brucknell, 26, from Gloucestershire, who boasted: 'I know I can sing. I've invented my own brand -it's diva glam pop.'





Nervous: A dressed down Janet Devlin was shaking with nerves when she took to the stage





Big chance: The wannabes are auditioning before hundreds of X Factor fans





You're through: The star was told Tulisa and Kelly wanted to fight over who would mentor her at boot camp





Boot camp bound: The girls had told Kelly that they were huge Destiny's Child fans





Big talent: Heshima Thompson was also through after showing he could sing as well as dance





Aggressive: George fronted up Tulisa, who afterwards slated him for being an 'angry' person



Still swearing, George was then dragged off stage by security, before he proceeded then call Tulisa a dog backstage in front of show host Dermot O'Leary who told him to 'watch his mouth.'



Unsurprisingly, George did not go through to bootcamp...



The new series of the X Factor returns next Saturday on ITV1 at 8pm.





Mariah Carey on X Factor







source: dailymail