Mark Borkowski

Publicist, author and agency head

If I could have one Christmas wish, it would be for our politicians to stop being too embarrassed to stand by culture and support it for fear of being branded 'elitist'. The Arts are for everyone, and nothing embodies this better than the volunteers who worked tirelessly to create the opening ceremony this summer.

Lewis Shepherd

Freelance journalist and writer

It appears that the days of meeting and dating are gone and the generation of dating auditions has begun, well it probably begun quite some time ago to be fair. The internet does play a large part in this with the huge rise in internet dating websites that now means it's easier to find a date.

Ronnie Joice

Idiot.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the British Comedy Awards. Having missed my opportunity to do so two years in a row previously, I was naturally excited to be in a room surrounded by my favourite British comics

Toby Earle

TV critic

It's been a rum year for ITV's rendered pop factory due to dwindling audiences, an uninspiring line-up of contestants, and North Korea's ruling elite slamming Louis Walsh's decision to not take Poisonous Twin into the live shows.

Dean Midas Maynard

Reality TV Reviewer and Talent Agent

It began on Saturday 18 August. We enjoyed tears, tantrums and some blooming awful singing, but after 16 weeks, we made it to the end and Dermot O'Leary announced the winner of the X Factor 2012. Congratulations... (pause for the tension) ...James Arthur.

Wendy Wason

Writer, comedian and world class procrastinator

I don't know why people bully others. The sense of power leaving someone shaking with fear must be a real high to people with very little going on in their lives. It saddens me and I really try to treat the spats my children have at school with the utmost gravity when they come to me.

Pips Taylor

Presenter for TV entertainment and documentaries

Maloney has never graced the bottom two, as each week Liverpool pick up the phone. It's nuts. Christopher Maloney has just over 100,000 followers on Twitter and Union J had over six times that amount - perhaps this goes to show that the youngsters don't pick up the phone and vote.

Dean Midas Maynard

Reality TV Reviewer and Talent Agent

Well, I hope you've finished hanging the baubles, stuffed in another mince pie and poured another glass of mulled wine, it's time for the X Factor sem...

Paul Carey

Artist, Band Manager and Founder of The Music Management

Sadly another 12 months has gone by and the reality tv route and the 'half a slim chance in hell's' option of getting a slot on Later are still the only outlets for music artists on TV.

Dean Midas Maynard

Reality TV Reviewer and Talent Agent

Rylan got the show off to an energetic, bouncy start and, Mama Mia, Gary Barlow was even complimentary. Wow. Love or hate him Rylan is memorable, whether that's for the right reasons is up to you at home.

Alex Perry

Trying to unravel the world of brands. On the hunt for new products, the latest ideas and The Next Big Thing.

Dan Howell is a London-based, 21-year-old YouTube vlogger. When watching his videos, you can't help but like him. And it seems like lots of people feel this way; Dan has 115,000 Facebook likes and 211,000 Twitter followers

Jon Connell

TV presenter and writer

Excluding the criticism he has received from the judges, press, Twitter users, internet forums, Facebook groups, bloggers, Simon Cowell, production crew, studio audience, past winners and his fellow contestants, Christopher has been this year's most universally popular X Factor hopeful

Brendan Flattery

CEO, UK and Ireland, for FTSE 100 business software provider, Sage

Mr. Cowell, if you are reading this, we all love music, but even The Beatles didn't have the impact that the Internet has. I

Caroline Frost

Entertainment Editor, Huffington Post UK

This week's nonsense on X Factor is only the latest evidence that this show has X-pired its sell-by date. It's bubble gum pop and the bubble has popped. But I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! is actually an increasingly necessary cultural phenomenon.

Pips Taylor

Presenter for TV entertainment and documentaries

My job involves a lot of waiting for the busy finalists to spare a few minutes to chat each week - their schedules are insane. Each week they are groomed, pampered, spray-tanned, their nails, hair, even eyebrows have to be 'done'. Is this the life of a musician/celebrity?! Yikes.

Alex Perry

Trying to unravel the world of brands. On the hunt for new products, the latest ideas and The Next Big Thing.

"This ain't the last you've seen of me!" shrieked Kemal Shahin at the cameras, the ninth person to leave the Big Brother House in 2005. Apart from a couple of random cameos, that really was the last we saw of him.