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.