X FACTOR COMPLAINTS TO OFCOM REACH 1,000 MARK

US singer Aguilera attended the London premiere of her movie Burlesque this week

Complaints to Ofcom about the raunchy performances of Rihanna and Christina Aguilera on Saturday's X Factor final have reached the 1,000 mark.

Both performances featured the scantily-clad artists and female dancers gyrating on stage.

ITV has also received around the same number of complaints.

“We are confident that the performances given by our guest artistes on Saturday were appropriate for the show,” an ITV1 spokeswoman said.

The first part of the X Factor final was aired at 1900 GMT on Saturday.

An Ofcom spokesman said: “We are assessing the complaints but are not currently investigating the show.”

'Phenomenal achievement'
It is not the highest number of complaints the media watchdog has received about the entertainment show.

In 2009, the talent search attracted 4,000 complaints relating to remarks made by Dannii Minogue about contestant Danyl Johnson.

Minogue made a reference to Johnson's sexuality but was found not to be in breach of broadcasting rules by Ofcom.

Matt Cardle was mentored by Dannii Minogue
In 2007, more than 1,500 viewers complained to Ofcom that they were unable to vote by phone for contestant Rhydian Roberts in that year's X Factor final.

More than 17.2 million viewers saw former painter and decorator Matt Cardle win this year's competition on Sunday night's show.

“An audience of almost 20 million is a phenomenal achievement for any channel in the modern digital age,” said Peter Fincham, ITV's director of television.

Cardle's debut single – a cover of Biffy Clyro's Many of Horror, to be released as When We Collide – will now be a strong contender for Christmas number one.

According to figures released by ITV, 15.4 million votes were cast during the 10-week series.

Cardle scored the most votes every week, apart from the first week when supermarket worker Mary Byrne came top.