Simon Cowell is going to lift the lid on The X Factor in a new documentary

Simon Cowell is going to lift the lid on The X Factor in a new documentary.

The music mogul is going to be taking part in a new project being made for Sky which will take an in-depth look at the highs and lows of his TV talent show, which ran from 2004 until 2018 in the UK and between 2011 and 2013 in the US.

The Sun newspaper's TV column reports Cowell has started filming interviews with the production company, 72 Films. According to the publication, a statement from Sky revealed his involvement. It read: "[This will be a] premium, definitive documentary series exploring the era-defining entertainment juggernaut, The X Factor.

"The documentary will speak to those closest to The X Factor story, both in front of and behind the camera, including Simon Cowell."

A source added to the publication: "Getting Simon on board is a huge coup in its own right as he is, after all, the man who was always at the heart of the show during the 15 years that X Factor was on our screens.

"But it has wider significance because it means that other famous names who appeared on the series have effectively been given Simon’s blessing to be involved in the documentary too.

"Plus the producers are likely to get access to the extensive archive of footage, some of it unseen, from over the many years that the show was being made.

"This documentary isn’t a ‘soft’ look at the TV phenomenon, it is an in-depth exploration of its success and its controversies."