Simon Cowell congratulates One Direction on milestone Simon Cowell is set to revolutionise auditions for his new boyband, aiming to surpass the success of One Direction , with a format that will be starkly different from X Factor - he's stripping back the entire production. The 64 year old music tycoon, who earlier this year launched his latest campaign with the slogan "Simon Needs You", is kicking off his fresh talent hunt in Liverpool this weekend, after cancelling his first two originally scheduled dates in Gateshead. Insiders working closely with him have hinted that contestants are in for a surprise when they finally see the audition set-up.
One insider revealed: "These auditions will not look like The X Factor in the slightest - no shiny desks, big productions or celebrity guests. It will be incredibly stripped back. Simon has assembled a team of real experts - songwriters, producers and AandR people - who he really trusts.
Together they'll be chatting to the talent and trying to work out who should go through." The docu-series, which is yet to be associated with a channel or streaming giant, is being produced by Box 2 Box Productions. The company's most recent hit was Netflix 's Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
The source further explained that Simon's show will follow a similar format, reports the Mirror . READ MORE: The Great British Sewing Bee sends fans into meltdown as show taken off air [LATEST] Simon's search will be like nothing we've seen from him before (Image: I.