Middle Age Hollywood

Speaking to Variety, the show's new executive producer outlined his plans for the reality program, saying that he would have Abdul back "in a heartbeat".

He admitted: "I still love Paula. She's signed to CBS, probably exclusively, but I'd recommend we have her in a heartbeat."

Lythgoe hinted that he will not be appearing as a judge himself, saying: "You do not follow Sean Connery in the role of James Bond. You follow George Lazenby. Simon Cowell is brilliant. He's as honest as one is possible to be. But we have to move on. They would want me to play that part."

The music mogul also expressed concern about the interaction between the judges in the last season. "It's not because I disliked any of them, but the chemistry wasn't there. It almost felt like Simon Cowell turned his back on Ellen [DeGeneres]. It felt uncomfortable," he said.

"I do like the fact that among the names being discussed at the moment, they've been through the process of being discovered and becoming a star."

He added: "My concerns were over the last couple of years, we've lost sight of the fact that the most important people on the show are the young artists. It revolved around Kara [DioGuardi] coming in to make four judges, which often left no time for them to talk. Then it was about Paula leaving, and then about Ellen joining."