Susan Boyle inspired 'X Factor' changes

Simon Cowell has revealed that Susan Boyle's recent success inspired his decision to change The X Factor's audition format.

It was recently announced that for the first time in the show's history hopefuls will sing in front of a live audience when they try out for the sixth series this year.

The news followed the worldwide hype surrounding Scottish singer Boyle, who wowed judges and audience members alike when she auditioned for Britain's Got Talent with a performance of 'I Dreamed A Dream' earlier this year.

Discussing the change, Cowell told GMTV: "I thought in my mind: 'What would happen if Susan Boyle, as an example, came on X Factor under the current way we do the auditions?' Four people sitting behind a desk, no audience, no music, just singing acapella, what would have happened in that environment?

"The answer is, I don't think anything would have happened. I think it would have been quite a boring audition. I think [because of] the way that audition has been shown around the world, it's unfair now to do auditions without an audience to support them when they're good or when they need a bit of help."

The music mogul also predicted that the presence of spectators would influence the panel's decisions on the forthcoming series.

He commented: "I've kind of got over this [idea that] we should be the only ones in judgement. I don't feel that way anymore. I like the idea that I've got a couple of thousand people behind me, and you can take a lead from them."

The X Factor returns to ITV1 in August.