The X Factor: the Final, part one, review Douglas was his usual self, all polite self-effacement and soulful vocal gymnastics, He opened with Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield, looking slightly uncomfortable as a religious virgin among sexy backing dancers. During Douglas" duet with judge Nicole Scherzinger on Whitney Houston hit The Greatest Love Of All, there was a fault with Scherzinger's microphone but without skipping a beat, the two ended up sharing a mic. This gave the performance an endearing "the show must go on" quality, yet Scherzinger's furious face didn't augur well for some poor sound technician backstage. Translating a studio-based show to a stadium can be tricky, as previous X Factor finals and Strictly Come Dancing's Wembley specials have proved. It too often results in echoey sound, missed cues and a cavernous atmosphere. Thankfully, that wasn't the case tonight. Staging was slick, laser lighting and pyrotechnics provided a sense of spectacle, plus the whole space was cleverly utilised, with several performances starting in far-fling corners of the arena, before moving through the crowd and onto the stage. However, there were awkward interludes when host Dermot O'Leary - on top form tonight, from his opening dance number onwards - handed over to Xtra Factor presenter Caroline Flack, flitting between the final three's friends and family. The usual mix of hometown mayors and saddos with novelty pizzas were joined by Douglas" local church pastor. Flack's shouty, patronising interviews were jarringly amateurish amid an otherwise impressive production. Other downsides? Well, there was some clangingly clumsy product placement for Virgin Trains and the judging panel weren't so much providing critiques as giving cliché-ridden speeches. Proceedings were punctuated not only by copious commercial breaks but guest performances. Relative veteran Kylie Minogue was the classiest, showing Rita Ora and Kelly Clarkson how it's done with an understated, slowed-down, supper-clubby string-soaked take on her hit Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Of all the popstrels on show in this all-male final, though, Scherzinger stole the show. She was granted a lot of screen time, thanks to mentoring and duetting with two acts out of three, but her domination didn't stop there. She was endearingly enthusiastic, seemed to have a sweet bond with her boys, and looked equally at home accompanying Douglas round his old working place of Asda in Swindon or comforting the tearful Arthur. She supped pints, danced around like a loon and right at the show's climax, snatched the microphone from O'Leary's hands to exhort viewers to vote. She enjoyed tonight's show as much as anyone - and is now guaranteed to see one of her acts win tomorrow. Jah-mazing indeed.