He's the creative director synonymous with The X Factor in its glory days, and Brian Friedman will be returning to the show to inject a bit of razzle-dazzle into the live shows this year.

The Mirror reports that Simon Cowell has re-hired the 37-year-old choreographer to work alongside himself, Cheryl Fernandez-Versini and Louis Walsh again - reuniting most of the "dream team" from the show's standout years of 2009 and 2010.

A source told the paper: "Simon wants Brian to bring back some madness.

"They've worked together for a long time now and Simon loves that Brian gets that the show works best when it's flamboyant, camp and full of drama.

"Brian's been working with Britney and other big musicians since he's been back in the US, so he's used to dealing with huge OTT shows and the diva behaviour that goes with it.

"Simon wants performances and stylings that everyone will be talking about at work on Monday. He's briefed him to work with the contestants to create some iconic moments for this year's live shows."

SiCo has this week been moaning about the BBC's approach to a scheduling clash between X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.