New 'X Factor' draws 10 million viewers

LONDON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The opening show of the sixth season of Britain's "X Factor" drew just under 10 million viewers, easily beating its competition, ratings indicate.

ITV1's talent search show easily bested BBC One's "The National Lottery: Guesstimation," which drew 2.3 million viewers on Saturday, the BBC reported.

The British show features a change this year in which contestants -- a mix of talented troupers and self-deluded amateurs -- must audition before a live audience rather than solely in front of four celebrity judges.

The judges included Simon Cowell, Danni Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole. The BBC said they were most impressed with 19-year-old single mother Stacey Solomon of Dagenham, England, who sang "What a Wonderful World" -- composed by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, and popularized in a hit record by Louis Armstrong.