Gary Barlow has been in talks to return to the X Factor for months, it has been reported.

The discussion of X Factor judges has been something of a hot topic recently after supremo Simon Cowell admitted he hadn't decided on the line-up yet.

Over the pond of course X Factor USA has endured a near complete overhaul, with judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul leaving alongside host Steve Jones.

But Barlow told The Sun that he has been discussing a return to the X Factor UK's judging panel for a while. He said:

"I started talks two weeks before the last one finished. We are talking."

Gary Barlow has been pretty busy since the end of the 2011 series of X Factor, co-organising a massive concert in London to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.