Winning the coveted record deal with SyCo, James Arthur has beaten Jahmene Douglas (pictured far left) in this year's X Factor.

Nicole Scherzinger was the winning judge of the year, even though the result would not have mattered either way as she was the mentor for both acts.

James and Jahmene kicked things off by singing their favourite songs of the series, with the former taking on Robbie Williams' 'Angels' and the latter singing 'Let's Get it On'.

Their second performances were their potential Winner's single, with James taking on Shontelle's 'Impossible' and Jahmene singing The Beatles classic 'Let it Be'.

The X Factor Final featured performances by One Direction, Rihanna, Emeli Sande, and a big Christmas medley featuring the series’ contestants, with notable absences from both Lucy Spraggan and Christopher Maloney. 

Watch James Arthur sing his winner's single and perform his duet with Nicole, below: