The 54-year-old star was forced to delay filming of the judges' houses stage due to extreme weather in California which even saw some of the wannabes fall ill.

According to reports, local weather TV channels had advised people to stay inside as temperatures hit up to 108 degrees in Los Angeles, and the local authorities put out a weather warning and advised locals to "avoid outdoor activities".

Of course, X Fcator fans will know that the lukcy contestants normally have to audition outisde in the luxurious surroundings, but this time Simon had to delay filming until late afternoon.

Then to make matters worse, several of the auditions were interrupted by sound problems caused by a neighbour's dog, police helicopters flying overhead and even a flock of crows

"Simon and the production team take safety seriously so they had to delay things and then had more disruptions," a show source told the Daily Mirror.

"Filming went on late into the night which wasn't ideal but it was the only way to get things done.

"Viewers will see on screen Cowell and Sinitta discussing the singers in darkness, they needed huge lights beamed on them to continue filming outside."

Several contestants had to re-do sections of their songs, which no doubt made the whole experience even more daunting.

The scenes will be seen in two weeks on ITV1 at the judges' houses stage.