December 10, 2012 10:34

James Arthur's 'Impossible' tops iTunes Chart but 'X Factor' figures fall to six-year low

Charity single 'Impossible' tops charts following victory

Photo: PA

James Arthur has won the 2012 series of The X Factor, and his debut single 'Impossible' has already hit Number One in the iTunes Chart.

Arthur, from Middlesbrough, beat competition from both Jahmene Douglas and Christopher Maloney in the final weekend, which ran for four hours of television across Saturday and Sunday night (December 8, 9), earning a contract with Simon Cowell's SyCo in the process. Maloney was eliminated following the Saturday show with Arthur and Douglas going head to head on Sunday's live finale.

A host of big name artists also performed across the two live shows, held at Manchester Arena, including Rihanna, One Direction, Kelly Clarkson, Emeli Sande, Kylie Minogue and Rita Ora. However, this was not enough for viewing figures to rise above 11 million, the lowest figure for ITV have seen for The X Factor Final since 2006. The figure pales into comparison when put alongside the 17 million viewers who tuned in to see Matt Cardle win the competition in 2010.

Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Christopher Maloney was barred from returning for the Sunday show after turning up drunk and insulting former contestant Carolynne Poole. Maloney has since denied the reports on Twitter, claiming he is being "bullied".

James Arthur's debut single, a cover of Shontelle's 'Impossible', was available from midnight last night (December 9). 100% of the proceeds from the single will go to the children's charity Together For Short Lives.

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