The summer is drawing to a close, the kids are heading back to school and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini's face is on every magazine cover. It can only mean one thing - the annual X Factor juggernaut is rolling back into town.
It's back for a twelfth - yes twelfth! - series this Saturday night and there's a whole new panel, new presenters and a few more innovations to keep things fresh and give it an edge in the ongoing ratings battle with Strictly Come Dancing.
So what can viewers expect? Well first off, for the first time in the show's history there is no Louis Walsh. No more frosty stares from Cheryl, no more bitching with Simon and no more "You remind me of a young [insert name of irrelevant act]". It just won't be the same.
As Simon joked this week "The good thing for Louis is he's going to be able to go to bed a bit earlier and he can watch the show in bed in his PJs and he can call me after the show....". Mind you, don't rule out Louis making an appearance at a later stage in the show, especially if the hints dropped in that Cadburys' ad are anything to go by.
This year the new line-up of judges includes BBC Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw and pop siren Rita Ora alongside Simon Cowell and Cheryl, in a shake-up clearly designed to appeal to a younger audience.
Gone too is the lovely Dermot O'Leary who is replaced by Xtra Factor presenters Olly Murs and Caroline Flack. Apparently the 41-year-old decided to jump ship before he was sacked after the show's bosses (ok Simon) announced they were looking for new presenting talent.
And as if all that wasn't enough, the 'voice' of X Factor - announcer Peter Dickson - also announced that he was hanging up his microphone and wouldn't be returning.
There's also a few other changes viewers can expect when the show returns to our screens. This year the public will decide which category the judges will mentor, but best of all Judges' Houses will now be live, meaning live tears and live pauses from Cheryl as she struggles to make a decision.
Of course the contrived bitching and sob stories will still be there. And as for the ratings war with Strictly, Simon doesn't seem too bothered. The two shows will go head to head again this year and despite getting trounced last year, he reckons this year X Factor is going to come out on top.
“This show does feel better, the talent’s great, they’re interesting, so if it’s us versus Peter Andre, I’m going to put my money on us", he said.
The X Factor is back at 8.00pm on Saturday, August 29 on UTV and TV3.
