By Jason Chester
Published: 19:40 EST, 8 April 2014 | Updated: 04:10 EST, 9 April 2014
Simon Cowell has publicly slammed former X Factor head judge Gary Barlow, blaming him for a huge slump in the TV show's ratings.
Simon was replaced by the Take That frontman as head judge when he left in 2010 to work on the US version of the show - and he thinks he and the Greatest Day hitmaker have very different ways of approaching their work.
He told The Sun newspaper: 'Gary was seen as the head judge - and so am I. I do believe I am the best person at spotting a potential star and making them work well on the show.
Incoming: Simon Cowell returns to The X Factor later this year
'That is what I am good at doing, not being a big-mouth on the show. It is making the show I am on better.'
While Gary's forthright attitude served as an adequate transition from the equally forthright Cowell, ratings faltered during his three series tenure – with last year's final, won by former prison officer Sam Bailey, watched by 9.7 million, its lowest viewing figure since 2005.
Simon is confident his return is exactly what the show needs to turn it around, and the 54-year-old record label owner thinks pop stars don't always work on the judging panel as they worry finding a talented artist would overshadow their own careers.
He said: 'I think all these shows have become so celebrity driven, you are hiring someone based on how famous they are and I am not sure that is a good thing in the long term.
Outgoing: Gary Barlow has left The X Factor after replacing Cowell as 'head judge' in 2011
'A record executive is more likely to want to find the next big star than another artist who may be thinking, "I have found a star who could sell more records than me". I run a record label so I couldn't care less.'
Simon further added in an interview with The Mirror: 'The truth is -- and I am not being rude -- I wouldn't hire Gary to run my record label.
'Essentially that is what you are doing with The X Factor judging panel. But if Gary and I were running a record label we would do it in a different way.'
Out with the old: Barlow and Kelly Rowland were part of a major upheaval on The X Factor judging panel
Cowell announced his return with much fanfare after a three year absence, and his first act was to welcome former judge Cheryl Cole back into the fold – and with good reason.
'You have got to be wide-eyed and Cheryl, one of the main reasons she is coming back is she is good at that,' he told The Sun. 'She is the one who really spotted Cher Lloyd.'
The mogul is also confident of clinging onto long-term judge Louis Walsh – widely thought to be departing with Barlow at the end of series ten.
'Wouldn't you miss him if he wasn't there?' he said. 'I tried it without him once and it didn't work. He does make a long day fun and when he is on his game, he can do a really good job.'
A welcome return: Cowell has brought Cheryl Cole back into the fold
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