COWELL CLAIMS BBC WANTS TO SABOTAGE HIS X FACTOR

Simon Cowell, who will return as a judge to the British version of The X Factor for the first time since 2010, has accused the BBC of attempting to sabotage the show by scheduling Strictly Come Dancing, the British version of Dancing with the Stars opposite it. The X Factor airs on ITV. "They didn’t have to put it on at the same time as us," Cowell, who created and produced the talent show, told a news conference. "They don’t want this show [X-Factor] to do well, they don’t want people to watch it, and our job is to do the best job we can so people prefer X Factor to them. They are two of the most popular shows of the year, it doesn’t make sense to make viewers choose." Ratings for X-Factor have steadily declined in the U.K. since Cowell left it. He acknowledged that fall in speaking of the coming competition with Dancing. "When we were on the back foot and had to really concentrate on the show, that’s when we did better," he said. "I feel we are in that position at the moment. We are not necessarily expecting to win although we would like to. We are going all out to make a better show." Fox has canceled the U.S. version of the show.