Jonathan Ross criticises "dark lord" Simon Cowell: "What good is he doing for music?"

Jonathan Ross has described Simon Cowell as "the dark lord", stating that he does no good for the music industry.

In an interview with The Guardian, the chatshow host praised Cowell and his new home ITV for their entertainment output, but suggested that shows such as The X Factor have a negative impact on the lives of contestants.

"The BBC hasn't got anything in that league on Saturday night," he said. "Most of their output on Saturday night is tired or emulates ITV. Strictly was all right, but I found it twee. Say what you want about Cowell - and he obviously is in some ways the dark lord - but at the same time he knows how to make those shows work."

He continued: "Ultimately, what good is he doing for music? None. These kids come on, are given what seems like a huge chance, they have to deal with this huge level of expectation and almost without exception a year later they are forgotten. And that's not good for their lives and not good for music."

Speaking of the aftermath of Sachsgate, the scandal in which he and Russell Brand left lewd comments on Andrew Sachs's voicemail about his granddaughter, Ross said: "I immediately got offers to go elsewhere. Someone from C4 got in touch and said, 'Come over here, we love a f**kin' row', and I thought, maybe I will, and then they came back and said, 'We can't sign you right now, we haven't got any money'."

On the subject of his £18 million three-year deal at the BBC, he added: "I knew that was my worth to them. We took the Friday night slot, which didn't exist, and made it upwards of four million people a week. The radio show was a big hit and helped change the face of Radio 2."

Ross also described fellow presenter Chris Evans as "someone I don't like" and admitted that he doesn't "really admire his talent".

The Jonathan Ross Show starts tonight at 9.45pm on ITV1, with guests Sarah Jessica Parker, Lewis Hamilton and Adele.

Watch a trailer for The Jonathan Ross Show below: