THE next Leona Lewis could have been discovered in Oxford yesterday.

Hopefuls queued inside the Clarendon Shopping Centre to see if they had what it takes to get through the first round of the X Factor and meet the famous judges.

This year’s ITV hit show could see two new hosts in Olly Murs and Caroline Flack after the departure of Dermot O’Leary.

Contestants performed in front of two researchers in the X Factor pod, who recorded them before sending their audition tapes off to London.

Charlotte Mayo, from Blackbird Leys, was the first person to register at the pod, which was open from 9am to 6pm.

Before her performance she said: “I auditioned three years ago but I think the nerves got the better of me then, but I have a positive feeling this year.”

And after the 24-year-old performed A Woman’s Worth by Alicia Keys she said her performance this year was better than the last. She added: “Your stomach just turns when you go in there, but hopefully I did enough.”

Abigail Sketcher, 23, from Rose Hill, sang Nothing Stops Another Day and stunned onlookers as she filled the centre with her voice.

She said: “It’s my dream to do this. Any chance I get to sing or perform I do.”

And even tourists joined in the fun with Tonia Scaglione from Bologna, Italy singing Wonderful, an Italian song.

She said she was on holiday and her friend convinced her to have a go to see if she had the X Factor.

Organisers said that each singer would wait 10 weeks to see if they had a chance of performing in the company of Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole, Mel B and Louis Walsh.

The talent show has a history of producing Christmas number ones and successful artists like Murs, Lewis, One Direction and Little Mix.

Donna Butler, 37, from Abingdon, performed Promise Me by Beverley Craven and said she had no nerves and had never auditioned for the show before.

She added: “I’m alone today but I’ve got two children at home being looked after my fiancé. He wished me good luck before I left this morning.”

Alex James, who lives in Abingdon Road, belted out a classical version of It Ain’t Necessarily So by George and Ira Gershwin.

The 24-year-old said: “My background is classical music. I was trained before I went to university.”