[Scarlett.]

X FACTOR is launching a marathon TWO-HOUR show as it steps up its ratings war with Strictly Come Dancing.

The move is a blow for BBC1's ballroom hit - which had announced its own epic-length shows in a bid to KO its rival.

The two-hour live X Factor - with judge Cheryl Cole - will run from 8pm on Saturday October 10, to showcase the 12 finalists.

Strictly will air from 7.10pm to 9.15pm.

The dancing contest's first super-episode airs this Saturday, blocking all but the last 15 minutes of the X Factor.

But ITV says its own two-hour episode is designed to lure viewers FED UP by the length of the ad-free BBC1 show.

A source said: "Two hours and fifteen minutes without a break is a sore backside at the least."

Strictly was 1.4 million viewers shy of its rival's 10.1 million haul on Saturday.

The Sun