How I Fear the X-Factor will End

Between 1983 and 1986, Noel Edmonds (He of 'Deal or no Deal' fame) hosted a Saturday evening BBC programme called 'The Late Late Breakfast Show'.

It was very popular.

On one part of the show, members of the public were invited/cajoled into performing dangerous stunts for the entertainment of the masses. In 1986, a man tragically died whilst rehearsing one such stunt.

This marked the end of 'The Late Late Breakfast Show' and with it any idea of similar programming on the BBC.

Having watched 'The X-Factor' tonight, having seen how vulnerable young people are belittled and lampooned (more so by the post-production decisions taken than by the judges who seem to be generally sensitive). Having watched all this I experienced a strong sense of deja-vu.

Here is a programme, like that one from the Eighties, which will go just as far as it can go... until somebody dies.

Tonight, an unsuitably dressed, somewhat bulky young girl came in and sang her song. She was rejected and she left somewhat tearfully. The judges were tough but they were not unkind.

The girls bulky family were allowed in to the judges afterward to make representations on her behalf then they too left.

All not-too-bad.

But then the post-production team got hold of the material.

Elephantile, 'comical' music was added to the introduction of the girl and her family, camera angles which emphasised their physical deficiences were employed and the meeting between the family and the judges was interspersed with doom-laden Wagnerian music which strongly suggested a repressed-violence from the family which the undoctored recording would surely not have confirmed.

In short, these people were 'uglied-up' shamelessly for our entertainment.

This pratice will go on until one such vulnerable candidate comes to see their dreams and aspirations publicly shat-on all over national television and they will go off and they will harm themselves.

There, I fear, the carousel will grind to a halt.

A pity it would just not do so sooner...

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