Pop Idol’s Mr Nasty, Simon Cowell, defended reality television today as he admitted being a big fan of other fly-on-the-wall shows including this year’s Big Brother and Wife Swap.

The millionaire music mogul, whose new talent show The X Factor begins next week, said the story of Michelle’s infatuation with Stuart on in Big Brother 5 was “every guy’s nightmare” and had made “compelling” viewing.

Cowell, speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, also defended his own shows’ format, saying viewers would not watch a “sanitised” version of auditions, where only good singers were shown.

The same industry gathering yesterday heard veteran broadcaster John Humphrys attack the “mind-numbing, witless vulgarity” of reality shows.

The presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme accused TV bosses of being motivated by money without regard for the welfare of audiences or participants.

But Cowell, who has a highly successful record label and recently set up his own television company, insisted Big Brother 5 had been “great TV” – a year after the show’s producers had “got it all wrong” with boring housemates.

“I have to say, that as a viewer, they got it right this year, because it was fascinating TV and I’m not ashamed to admit that” he told the industry audience.

He added: “People, thank God, in this country have a choice what they want to watch.

“It’s quite obvious they want to watch more interesting things, as was shown this year, than they did last year.

“There are 150 channels you can watch now. If you want to watch the History Channel, good luck to you.

“If you want to watch stalker, like I did, watch Big Brother – who cares? I wish I’d made it.”

Cowell, who is reported to be worth around £45 million, said some people would inevitably be left unhappy in pop music auditions but to remove that from a programme about the industry would be to sanitise the truth.

A reality show like The X Factor was about “letting the cameras roll”, the 44-year-old told the audience of media executives attending the annual Edinburgh gathering.

“The whole idea to me about making a reality show like (Pop) Idol or X Factor is very simple. You let the viewers look through the keyhole. That’s all you do.”

Cowell’s new TV music talent contest, unlike Pop Idol, is open to all ages and he predicted that the eventual X Factor winner would be from the older generation since “they’ve got a better story to tell”.

He was also typically blunt when asked about his fellow X Factor judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh.

He said: “Sharon’s like one of those fish at the bottom of the ocean who don’t do anything till you swim near them and then they bite you from no-where.

“She’s like a lioness because one minute she is incredibly coarse, and then as you’ll see in the first episode she’s a mum at heart.

“But she’s dangerous and that’s what I like about her.

“Louis is useless, but Sharon is fantastic television.”