X-Factor judges Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh managed to put their differences behind them on a night out, but the threat of a fan boycott of the show remains, as the public reels after the fixing scandal, The Sun reports.

Barlow stormed off stage after Louis Walsh sent his vote to deadlock on the show but now the pair have met up for the first time since their public bust up to clear the air. A close friend of Gary’s said: “A general meeting had been in the diary for months, but Gary used it to speak to Louis for the first time and to hold his own mini crisis meeting to make sure he got the show back on track.” The source went on to say: “He wants The X Factor to be all about the music. It was a pretty frank discussion and at the beginning he could barely mention Louis’ name. “But they have made some agreements and Gary is confident that nothing like what happened on Sunday will happen again.”

The X Factor was plunged into a fixing scandal when Louis was seen to have a stern conversation with one of the show’s staff, now known to be head producer, Richard Holloway. This sparked concerns that the show was predetermined, with many fans stating their intention to not watch the show any more. Not quite a world changing, socially important protest, but a protest nonetheless.