X Factor: Times Red, Union J for judges' houses

Two groups who thought they had been dropped from The X Factor have found themselves through to the judges' houses round. As the 24 acts were revealed on Sunday night's show, groups Times Red and Union J - who had been known as Triple J (pictured) earlier in the competition - were put through after Rough Copy had to be eliminated from the show. Along with five other groups and six acts from each of the girls, boys and the older "overs" categories, they were put through to the next stage amid tears of joy and heartache. It emerged last month that Rough Copy were withdrawn from the contest after getting through boot camp because group member Kazeem Ajobo had a visa application which was being considered by the UK Border Agency. There had been fears that if he travelled abroad during the judges' houses stage, the Nigerian-born 23-year-old from south London, may struggle to re-enter the UK. He said: "We are gutted that we have had to leave the competition as we were having such a great time. Hopefully, if everything is ok with my visa, we can apply again next year." The successful acts will be hoping to be among the three acts which each of the judges - Gary Barlow, Nicole Scherzinger, Tulisa Contostavlos and Louis Walsh - take through to the live finals.

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.