The X Factor 2018: what did viewers make of the new judges?
How did Robbie Williams, Ayda Field and Louis Tomlinson go down on the first show of the series?
The X Factor 2018 is up and running, and viewers have had a first look at Simon Cowell's rebooted judging panel in action.
Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and Ayda Field joined Simon for the first show on Saturday night, and while Robbie had an early chance to strut his stuff when one of the acts decided to sing one of his songs, all three judges had their moment.
But what did viewers think of the new line-up? Check out some of the best responses below. The X Factor continues this Sunday at 8pm on ITV.
- The X Factor hits peak Robbie Williams on day one – but can the new judges keep viewers coming back?
- 8 things you need to know about the new X Factor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKwfRyCom_o
Louis Tomlinson fans out in force
If The X Factor wanted to lure in a younger generation, it could only go in One Direction. Louis Tomlinson is a reminder of the show's biggest success story, and fans were cheering his debut judging appearance from the off.
https://twitter.com/kats_camera/status/1036020425241907201
https://twitter.com/HQlouies/status/1035995565975396353
Although 1D fans were slightly miffed when Louis admitted he thought the band name One Direction was "corny".
https://twitter.com/tomlinsmarvel/status/1035967666664681472
It's early days, but Louis Tomlinson may be just the replacement X Factor needs for the *other* Louis.
https://twitter.com/lynsey_mack/status/1035975849449861122
Although some people still miss the original...
https://twitter.com/chrisjhack/status/1035973502992572419
Robbie Williams gets a lot of love and affection
"One episode in and we’ve already hit peak Robbie: Angels is his best-loved hit and the ‘unexpected’ duet has now happened," RadioTimes.com reviewer Paul Jones wrote after the opening episode, and he's not wrong. Where does the show go next?
Maybe it doesn't matter – at least his not-so-impromptu performance had the nation singing from the same hymn sheet.
https://twitter.com/idkwhtvr/status/1035983227905814530
https://twitter.com/RebekkaMary/status/1035982966009286658
https://twitter.com/SophBold/status/1035982777353682944
But what about the third member of the band, Ayda Field?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKW5dYrH3LI
She was easily the most controversial choice ahead of the series, and viewers weren't exactly sold on the idea when she was introduced simply as "Robbie's wife" in the first episode.
https://twitter.com/hannah_jl27/status/1035969898059583488
And when she and Robbie starting dancing to one of the acts, many people found it, well... a bit much.
https://twitter.com/_SimplyKhloe/status/1035969196071546880
https://twitter.com/SnowAndBeach/status/1035969036889276423
Ayda's already said that she knows she'll have to win people over. Will Sunday's episode give her more of a chance to prove herself?
https://twitter.com/RioOfficial1989/status/1035981288505782273
Simon's selections did come in for one major criticism though, with one viewer pointing out the lack of diversity on the panel compared to previous years.
https://twitter.com/TheLondonHughes/status/1035977633031483398
For more reaction to the new panel and The X Factor's return, click here.