Cheryl Cole and Mel B Bickering on X Factor Set

Cheryl Cole and Mel B at each other's throats on the X Factor set.

BICKERING, battles and boiling rivalries are set to make this year’s X Factor the most explosive ever — and that’s just on the judging panel.

Simmering tensions between Mel B, Cheryl Cole and Louis Walsh are already threatening to explode — just one week into auditions.

Show insiders reckon Simon Cowell is ENCOURAGING clashes among the team he put together to pull in viewers.

Girls Aloud star Cheryl, 30, won the first battle, bagging the seat next to Simon by refusing to sit next to old enemy Louis.

Spice Girl Mel, 39, retaliated by wearing shorter skirts to each audition.

But Cheryl — back after leaving the show in 2010 — has upped the fashion stakes by ensuring she can “borrow” designer labels. Mel has to buy her own clobber.

Earlier this week Simon stoked tensions by keeping the panel waiting for two hours after they had put in six hours’ extra work on a night shoot for an X Factor commercial. He was also late for the second day of filming in Manchester.

A production team member on the ITV reality show said: “So far the atmosphere has not been great to say the least.

"The only person who gets on with everyone is Simon but it’s as if he is deliberately letting the fires build by being late and making everyone grumpy.

“Pretty much every single member of the panel — apart from Simon — clearly didn’t want the other judges chosen for this year’s show.

“The theory is that his plan is to create havoc on the judging panel.

“He’s the first to admit the show has started to run its course and it’s harder to get viewers to engage with the acts. However, what does work are fights between the judges.

“He knows what he is doing. He loves being the master puppeteer.”

Simon, 54, has also held back on his flirtatious relationship with Cheryl because of his commitment to the mum of baby son Eric — American beauty Lauren Silverman, 36.

The source added: “Cheryl always had so much power over him but he’s made it clear he’s not willing to be played these days.

“He turns up late and goes home as soon as he can so there is no hanging around drinking champagne in his dressing room. It’s all very different this time around.”

Extrovert Mel’s last-minute appointment came as a shock to Cheryl, whose plans to return as X Factor’s First Lady were scuppered.

The source said: “Cheryl did not want Mel B. She is just so loud and out there — she makes it very hard to compete. Cheryl is the queen of X Factor fashion but Mel has been getting a lot of attention.

“She is completely outrageous. She flirts with Simon, and flirts with the crew and the contestants. Cheryl is not amused.”

X Factor stalwart Louis — who fell out with Cheryl more than a decade ago after she complained he let Girls Aloud down as a manager — has been busy stirring up trouble between the two girls.

Louis, 61, is asking girl group hopefuls if they prefer Girls Aloud or the Spice Girls and has made jokey references to Cheryl’s miming.

After one row days ago, Simon ordered the pair to stop bickering.

Cheryl confirmed things were still “frosty” during last night’s Graham Norton TV chat show. When asked whether things were off with Louis, she said: “They were never on!”

Another source confirmed Cheryl tried to force Simon to axe Louis as a condition of her return.

The source added: “Simon said he would think about it but then Cheryl heard he was coming back and was livid.

Louis knew Cheryl tried to oust him which has made tensions worse.

“He was delighted at Mel’s appointment because he knew it meant Cheryl would be gutted. “It’s all one big unhappy family.”

X Factor returns to our screens in August.

Jacked from The Sun