Mick OShea - One Direction: No Limits

I wake up so many mornings feeling so lucky and so grateful to be where we are.

Harry

L ove it or loathe it, The X Factor has given countless hopefuls the chance to stand in front of a panel of judges and reveal their talents or lack thereof. Once upon a time the only hope an unknown singer had of getting a recording contract was to send off a professionally made demo to record companies often at great personal expense and pray that one of the A&R departments might actually give it a listen rather than use it as a doorstop. And again, love him or loathe him, its thanks to Simon Cowell that the power has been taken away from the record companies and given back to the aspiring artist. Because while not everyone will make it to the televised stages of the competition, each and every applicant is assured of a three-minute shot at the title regardless of whether theyve been educated at prestigious theatre schools, singing for their supper in clubland, or have yet to sing anywhere outside of their bedroom or bathroom with a hairbrush serving as a microphone.

However, where the X Factor format differs from how a record company would treat any newly-signed act is that, while a record company would groom and nurture the artist, gaining them gradual exposure through press interviews and various TV shows, the more talented of the X Factor hopefuls go straight from auditioning in a nondescript room in front of Simon and the rest of that years judging panel, to singing in front of a highly-charged studio audience within a matter of weeks, during which time, of course, the minutiae of their lives will have been painstakingly dissected by the media.

The majority of those who apply to TheX Factor will have undoubtedly watched the previous series and cheered on their respective favourites, all the while believing that they could do better. But, of course, watching from the safety of ones armchair isnt quite the same as walking out onto a stage especially The X Factors glitzy, gladiatorial Live Show stage. Comparing the X Factor studio to the amphitheatres of Ancient Rome may seem extreme, but the analogy isnt all that far-fetched, because while the finalists dont actually physically compete against each other, they are expected to cope with incredibly stressful televised trials and tribulations, during which time some will lose the fight to conquer their nerves.

Then, having given their all, they have to stand on stage with the cameras flitting from face to face as the shows host, Dermot OLeary, lingers over announcing which acts are going through to next weeks show, cranking up the tension levels to the max. And for those acts with the fewest votes, who then have to go head-to-head in the shows Final Showdown, it really must seem like a matter of life and death.

The reason why the fans are so dedicated is because I think they feel like they can really relate to us, like were the kind of boys that you go to school with and we are.

Harry

Some critics, of course, will argue that The X Factor is far more concerned with weekly viewing figures, and claiming the Christmas Number One, than it is with taking care of the eventual winner. Yet, while previous winners have enjoyed varying degrees of success, theres never a shortage of aspiring contestants all anxious to step up to plate, because while it may be a well-worn clich, hope springs eternal for those who dare to dream.

And oh, how the dream came true for five young hopefuls who entered the 2010 series of The X Factor as random individuals, and left it together, ready to forge a path as One Direction.

As the world now knows, despite the quintet falling at the final hurdle, Simon Cowell was waiting in the wings to pick them up again and launch them into the stratosphere, but if you thought you knew everything there was to know about Niall, Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry, then think again

Louis William Tomlinson

Place of Birth: Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Date of Birth: 24 December 1991

Star Sign: Capricorn

I talked a lot from a really young age. Ive always been a little bit gobby and not lacking in confidence. Apparently I used to sit in my pushchair and talk to random people and get annoyed when they wouldnt reply. I wasnt a shy boy.

I f as X Factor judge Louis Walsh has claimed One Direction are the new Take That, then his being the self-confessed joker in the pack makes Louis the Robbie Williams of the band. However, whereas Robbies green-eyed envy over Gary Barlow receiving more of the spotlight ultimately led to him quitting the band to go it alone, Louis doesnt appear to have a jealous bone in his body, and is totally committed to the One Direction cause. His being a couple of years older than the other boys also allows him to act as their unspoken leader.

While Louiss being born close to Christmas certainly made it a holiday season to remember for his doting parents, Mark and Johannah, it can prove a double-edged sword for most kids, for while they enjoy two bumper paydays in quick succession, the general consensus is that they receive fewer presents than they might have had they been born at any other time of year. Louis, however, looked upon this happenstance as an opportunity to have a full year to focus on what presents he really wanted. And like many boys his age he was fascinated with all things Power Rangers or Mighty MorphinPowerRangers, as the Super Sentai cartoon characters were originally known. He even admits having actually wanted to be a Power Ranger at one point.

Having watched the latest weekly instalment, he would use his ever-growing collection of Power Rangers action figures to re-enact the shows plotline. I was obsessed with Power Rangers, he revealed in Dare To Dream. Whenever I was asked what I wanted for Christmas or my birthday I always chose a new Power Rangers toy. The Red Ranger was my favourite. When I met Zayn, I discovered he was mad about them too, and we used to swap notes.

As Mark and Johannahs family gradually grew, and Louis gained four younger siblings Charlotte, Flicit, and twins, Daisy and Phoebe all of them girls, these colour-coded, space-age action men served as a male bastion to protect him from their giggling, girly ways. For though his dad helped to even up the numbers within the Tomlinson household at least until his parents separation in 2011 the pair were at a serious disadvantage. When I was growing up there were five women running around [the house], so dad and I had to stick together, he later joked. I suppose in some ways it did teach me about women. Im certainly not intimidated by them because Im used to them.