Following initial auditions, the "bootcamp" stage took place in August 2009, where the number of contestants was narrowed down to 24.

[5] In June 2009, however, it was confirmed that Minogue, Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh would all return as judges for series 6.

Auditions were held during June and July 2009 across five cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow.

[6][7][8] In a change to previous series, auditions were held in front of a live audience due to the success of a similar system on Britain's Got Talent.

Boys: Groups: Over 25s: Girls: Key: The live shows began on 10 October 2009, and continued through to the finale on 12 December 2009.

In another change to the format of previous years, the remaining finalists performed a song as a group at the start of each results show.

Series 5 winner Alexandra Burke and Robbie Williams performed on the first live results show,[16][17] with Whitney Houston[18] and judge Cole on the second.

The choice of musical guests on The X Factor live shows had a significant impact on the UK Singles Chart.

Of the seven singles that made number one from 18 October to 19 December, six of them had done so after having been performed on an X Factor live show the previous weekend.

After "Bad Romance" became the sixth song to reach Number One off the back of a performance on The X Factor, James Masterton of Yahoo!

[26] Gennaro Castaldo of HMV remarked: "In an age when there are very few truly mass-audience platforms left, the X Factor has become pivotal for those labels and artists seeking to reach a family-based audience.

This statement was released: "Due to recent tragic events, Louis Walsh will not be appearing on either the Saturday or Sunday live The X Factor shows this weekend as he is attending Stephen Gately's funeral.

"[44] For the first time in the show's history, a contestant sang a cover version of a new song that had not yet even been sung live by the original recording artist.

The quarter-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Lloyd Daniels, was automatically eliminated.

The semi-final did not feature a final showdown and instead the act with the fewest public votes, Danyl Johnson, was automatically eliminated.

13 December This series of The X Factor was sponsored by TalkTalk and featured break bumpers pioneered by CHI & Partners, showing light graffiti set against night-time backdrops across the United Kingdom.

[59] Part of the deal, which applied to ITV, ITV2 and the programme's website, saw TalkTalk customers having the chance to design the break bumpers and download exclusive content.

[68] On 2 August 2009, The People reported that some bootcamp contestants felt they had been poorly treated by the show's producers; one compared the experience with that of a concentration camp and another claimed that those competing were only allowed to use the toilet twice a day.

These included Alexandra Burke, who branded it "too intimidating", and the members of JLS who stated it detracted from the intimacy of the auditions.

[94] The show was criticised in September 2009 for "recycling" contestants, as three singers from the final 24 acts had already been in pop bands, two had auditioned for The X Factor in previous years and one had appeared on Britain's Got Talent.

[95] Controversy began after the first live show on 10 October, after Minogue commented on press reports regarding Danyl Johnson's sexuality, sparking an online backlash.

[96] Minogue released a statement on her comments: "I want to clear up exactly what happened on last night's X Factor show and post my sincere apologies to anyone who took offense [sic].

I spoke to Danyl straight after the show last night and he wasn't offended or upset by my comments, and knew exactly what I was saying.