Cowell admits to faking X-Factor bust-up with Louis Walsh

The first episode of the fourth series, which airs on Saturday, shows Cowell telling producers something is not right with the line up and he wants to bring Walsh back.

But at today's unveiling bosses admitted they had to re-stage some scenes involving the judges deciding what to do about bringing Walsh back but denied they were misleading viewers.

Cowell said: "What you see is what happened. We don't try and censor this show.

"I've always said we will allow viewers to look through the keyhole and that's what we do.

"It's raw and we don't censor. It's not a sanitised, make-believe show."

Walsh returned after being sensationally sacked as a judge by show supremo Cowell.

Originally, the former manager of Westlife was replaced by choreographer and Grease is the Word judge Brian Friedman, who has since been moved over to the role of 'creative director'.

A record 150,000 people have applied for the fourth series, to show off their talent in front of Cowell, Sharon Osbourne, Louis Walsh, and new recruit Dannii Minogue.

Among them a 14-year-old who is lucky to be alive, a dinner lady, and a mother-of-two whose father sent off for her application just before he died.

Asked whether any of the delusional wannabes who were convinced they were the next big pop star although they could not sing a note could have been actors duping the judges, he said: "I'm very, very careful that the people that come on for these auditions are not the people that dress up as a banana because they want to be on TV.

"I'm pretty much 100 per cent certain that they are all genuine."

This year the minimum age for contestants has been reduced from 16 to 14. The sections are now 14-24 girls, 14-24 boys, the 25 and overs, and groups.

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Those that have got through the initial stage in their bid to win a £1 million recording contract include Emily, 14, originally from London, the youngest person to audition for the show in four years.

She is lucky to be alive as her organs shut down when her appendix burst last year.

The youngster said: "I died and the doctors had to bring me back to life. "They gave me a lifeline. That's why I'm here. I've been singing since I was in my mother's belly."

Other contestants in the running to make a Christmas number one include Jules, 32, from Manchester, who works as a dinner lady in a primary school.

She told the show: "I eat, sleep and dream singing and if I could fulfil that dream and hang my pinny up that would be great."

Cowell told her that she walked into the audition like a "loser" and sang like a "whipped dog" but there was "something incredibly likeable" about her and she got through.