The voice of The X Factor, Peter Dickson, is leaving after 11 years of providing voice-overs for the show – and that leaves a position to be filled.

Luckily for ITV’s recruiters, we’ve compiled a handy list of potential candidates.

1. David Attenborough

David Attenborough
David Attenborough (David Parry/PA)

Though the 89-year-old naturalist is more used to narrating the lives of lions and zebras, he could definitely have a go at The X Factor.

“Surrounded by whooping and excited humans who have gathered to watch the annual ritual, the young adult male makes his way across the stage, preparing to impress the audience with his song. He is nervous, though he puts on a display of confidence. This performance will establish his status within the herd.”

2. Shaggy

Shaggy
Shaggy (Scott Roth/Invision)

The X Factor judges, it seems, already have someone in mind to fill the void left by Peter’s departure.

Speaking to ITV’s Lorraine, Nick Grimshaw said: “I thought Shaggy could replace him, I thought that’d be nice, don’t you think?”

Fellow judge Rita Ora was on board, adding: “Shaggy would be great”, while Cheryl Fernandez-Versini called it, “a great idea!” No word from Simon Cowell.

3. James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (Rick Rycroft/AP)

James Earl Jones has one of the most frequently imitated voices in the world: most of us have tried a Darth Vader or a Mufasa impression at some point in our lives (right…?).

Hopefully he’d bring some of the magic of his previous roles to The X Factor, telling Simon: “There’s more to being a king than getting your way all the time.”

4. Louis Walsh

Louis Walsh
Louis Walsh (Niall Carson/PA)

Speaking of the judges, how about ex-judge Louis Walsh? He may not have been re-hired for this year’s series, but he has indicated there are no hard feelings. Having joined the show at the very beginning, over a decade ago, the Irishman is a big part of The X Factor brand and could bring some much-needed continuity after the shock of Peter quitting.

5. Dave Lamb from Come Dine With Me

The voice-overs are really what makes Come Dine With Me so funny, with Dave Lamb adding sarcastic comments about the contestants and their food. Since he joined the reality show, he’s excelled at getting the tone sufficiently over-the-top.

6. Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

We hear Jeremy is looking for a new job, after being fired from the BBC for a “fracas” with a Top Gear producer earlier this year. Perhaps he would do well on ITV’s The X Factor: just don’t deny him a hot meal when he wants it, and don’t get too close in case he throws a punch.

7. Siri

siri
Siri is the voice of the iPhone (John Stillwell/PA)

Apple’s Siri, is one of the most iconic automated voices ever. Though it’s hard to get her to say exactly what you want – if you ask her to “repeat after me”, she replies: “I’m an intelligent assistant, not a parrot with beautiful plumage.” But she’ll never quit the show in a huff or demand a raise. Robots are the future of the workforce: let’s embrace it.

8. Kristen Bell, from Gossip Girl

Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell (Chris Pizzello/Invision)

With the famous sign-off “XOXO, Gossip Girl”, Kristen was the voice of Gossip Girl for the whole six seasons, as an unseen narrator. With all the intrigue which usually grows around X Factor contestants, and the potential for tension within the judging panel, perhaps a dose of Gossip Girl would go down well. Having a female voice would also be an interesting change of gear for the show.

9. Jedward

Jedward
Jedward (Arthur Mola/Invision)

Bear with us: the identical Irish pop twins could make excellent voice-over artists. They’re constantly upbeat and peppy, and best of all, they have the same voice as each other. If one of them gets a cold and their voice goes husky, the other one can step in! If you need to get the voice-overs done quickly, they can both record different bits at the same time!

They’ve also gone down well with X Factor audiences before, finishing sixth on the show in 2009.

10. Marcus Bentley from Big Brother

Marcus’ Geordie accent has been a constant throughout all sixteen series of Big Brother. That level of dedication means that if The X Factor gave him the job, he’d stick with it until the bitter end – rather than quitting after a mere 11 years like Peter.

11. Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The 78-year-old is widely recognised for his smooth, deep voice. He has plenty of narrating experience, and his heavenly voice helped to make him so believable in the role of God in the film Bruce Almighty. What better person could there be to do the booming introductions on The X Factor?