The X Factor final sees the culmination of months of competition and frenzied tabloid gossip, with the winner set to seal a contract with Simon Cowell and a shot at the Christmas top spot.

Finalists for the show, which is aired on ITV1, are Stacey Solomon, Olly Murs and Joe McElderry. They hope to follow in the footsteps of last years' winner Alexandra Burke, who went on to secure the Christmas number one with Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, selling 1.16m copies ...