X Factor 2018: All the action from the final auditions plus the judges' categories are revealed as Six Chair Challenge looms

So this is it. After nearly a month of auditions, the curtain is coming down on the first stage in the search for the next singing superstar.

Last night, Wembley Arena was alight with the hottest talent in the country performing for judges Simon Cowell, Louis Tomlinson, Ayda Field and Robbie Williams.

And now, in the final audition show, a handful of remaining hopefuls take to the stage before the powerful four decide the acts to take through with them, revealing their own categories.

Here’s all the action from episode eight of The X Factor…

Thomas Pound

The 20-year-old cleaner took the stage with a belting rendition of Tina Turner classic Simply The Best.

With aspirations to be an entertainer and Cowell’s blessing to make an “impact”, Thomas revisited his charity sideline as being a Drag Queen when he walked back onto the stage as Lady Freida Wylde.

Thomas reappeared in part three, the last audition for this year, as Lady Freida with Tina Turner’s Proud Mary ready to shake up the competition.

Four yeses.

Chloe Jane McAllister

Chloe, from Northern Ireland, gave her all with a spine-tingling performance of Jessie Ware’s Say You Love Me, playing the piano and not just a backing track.

Cowell confessed that he had “got bored” during the performance – but his fellow judges disagreed, with Field calling her “incredible” and Williams paying a gushing tribute to his five-year-old daughter Theodora, who he takes to piano lessons, saying that he wants her to be just like the 18-year-old.

Cowell does a U-turn and we have four yeses.

Blaise Duncan

The Derby student’s audition of Enrique Iglesias’ Baliando had everybody on their feet and moved Blaise to the next round.

The spirited 16-year-old received the dreaded “hands up” finish for his performance but it didn’t go the way it normally does – in fact, the judges were tripping over themselves to praise Blaise. Cowell said he would like to work with him while Tomlinson hailed his personality.

Jon Guelas

Bringing your own instrument was very much the theme of the final few auditions as Jon, 18, appeared with his guitar in hand.

Singing raspy Lukas Graham hit 7 Years, Jon was rewarded with four yeses and a thumbs up from Cowell himself.

Elliot Horne

Elliot, 18, had the room on side from the moment he walked on stage, full of confidence and knowing how to work a crowd.

The Oxfordshire student gave his unique style to Shawn Mendes' Lost In Japan and got four yeses for his efforts, being told by Tomlinson that he "looks great but needs developing".

ATTY

The four-strong group, a family gospel group, chose Shawn Mendes’ Mercy for their audition, perfectly suited to their similar-yet-different voices.

The grinning judges on their feet and the cheering audience pretty much said it all but, for formalities sake, four very big yeses.

Six Chair Challenge deliberation

Boot Camp has been given the, um, boot this year and so the chosen contestants go straight through to the Six Chair Challenge, hoping to get the Golden X rather than sustain what always looks like the cruellest competition on talent show Earth.

Everybody who got a yes in the auditions trekked back to London for the all-important decisions, as the judges sat back through every tape and decided the acts to take forward.

As ever, there was a lot of “I don’t know what I could do with them” and “one trick pony” lines as they tried to whittle down over 130 acts to just 60.

Instead of batches of yes and no decisions, the contestants were split into two rooms – Room A getting a no and Room B with the success stories, who immediately ran to hug the judges and anybody they could find.

Then, the last bit, the judges found out their categories – they were kept in the dark this year as well – with the four walking into rooms to meet their mentees.

Cowell has the Girls, Tomlinson has the Boys, Field has the Overs and Williams has the Groups.