The fifteenth and final series of the British television music competition The X Factor began airing on ITV on 1 September 2018, presented by Dermot O'Leary.
On 2 December, Jamaican-born singer Dalton Harris won the series making him the first and only foreign contender to win the UK show.
On 6 June 2018, it was announced that Sharon Osbourne would return to judge the fifteenth series, but only for the live shows, due to her ongoing work commitments in the United States.
The next day, long-serving judge Louis Walsh announced that after thirteen years on the show, he would leave to focus on other projects.
[6] On 23 August 2018, it was announced that Xtra Bites would return after a first series, presented by Becca Dudley again, and she would be joined by a co-host named Tinea Taylor.
In a statement, Rodgers stated: "I had such a great time with Louis at the Judge's House in Ibiza a couple of weeks ago that when the opportunity came to step in for Robbie I could not say ('no')", "From Chic and Sister Sledge to Duran Duran and Daft Punk, I've had great experiences with Groups in my career, so I look forward to giving them as much support as I can while Rob is away!".
The guest judges were announced to be including American Idol alumnus Adam Lambert and Series 3 winner Leona Lewis in assisting Field, David Walliams with Williams, and Cowell's American Idol colleagues Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Ryan Seacrest along with Diane Warren, Babyface, Lewis and Sinitta to assist Cowell, who hosted a house party consisting of various singers, songwriters and record producers for the Girls to perform in front of.
[11] Maria Laroco was not able to secure the correct visa in time to travel to Malibu with the remaining Girls for this stage of the competition.
Unlike similar instances where the affected contestants withdrew from the competition, Laroco sang to Cowell via video link from a London studio.
This last-minute change was lobbied by Cowell who was unable to narrow his Girls down to just three; the other judges were then allowed one more act each for their own categories as well.
James Arthur and Jonas Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella performed on the third live results show.
Michael Bublé, Olly Murs and Lady Leshurr performed on the fourth live results show.
[19] The winners single was the winning contestant's duet from the Sunday (2 December 2018) result show with all proceeds going to the children's charities Together for Short Lives and Shooting Star Chase.
Lines were frozen on Sunday at 7:30 pm, 30 minutes before the results show, and Janice Robinson was eliminated after the special guest performance from Little Mix after receiving the fewest votes.
The live show was pre-recorded during Saturday afternoon to allow Williams to be present before flying to South America for touring commitments.
However, due to a technical issue that affected the sound during Danny Tetley and Anthony Russell's performances, Saturday's public vote was cancelled and lines instead opened in the results show on Sunday.
Lines were frozen on Sunday at 7:30 pm, 60 minutes before the results show, and Misunderstood were eliminated after the special guest performance from Bublé after receiving the fewest votes.
During the audition stage, 20-year-old transgender man Felix Shepherd impressed the judges with his rendition of "All I Want" by Kodaline, and received a standing ovation from the crowd.
[37][38] On 5 September 2018, whilst on Howard Stern's radio show, Osbourne accused Cowell of underpaying her for the new series.
She used some offensive language to criticise Cowell and the show's auditionees, which led to a backlash from fans who suggested that Osbourne should be replaced.