IT has certainly been worth the wait.

X Factor powers back on to ITV tonight, bigger and better than ever.

As Simon Cowell & Co fly into shot in matching X Factor choppers, you can feel the extra cash splashed about.

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The X Factor Show One Auditions - Ant and Seb

A record 180,000 auditioned this year, and thankfully the wackos return in spades.

Welsh duo Ant and Seb’s excruciating version of Mysterious Girl is a candidate for TV comedy moment of the year.

And ex-crack addict Rachel Hytlon will have you reaching for the tissues with her sob story and beautiful voice.

Then of course there is the fragrant Cheryl Cole.

Yes she cries all the time and takes a while to warm up. But she’s no shrinking violet.

She’s definitely got the X Factor.