X Factor down 1.7m viewers

The X Factor’s first live show of the series was 1.7m viewers down on last year, while Strictly Come Dancing was more than a million up, figures show.

The ongoing ratings woes will be an unwanted present for X Factor boss Simon Cowell, who celebrated his 53rd birthday yesterday.

Although X Factor proved a bigger draw than arch rival Strictly, its 9.2m average audience was down markedly on the first show of the live stages in 2011, which pulled in 10.9m.

Strictly, which screened its first live Saturday night show, enjoyed an audience of 8.7m, compared to 7.5m last year.