While we now live in the era of Love Island, it was only a few years ago that the reigning reality TV show on our screens was The X Factor. Since the show ended in 2018, there have been various allegations levelled against the show, with ex contestants claiming it could be exploitative.
According to the Mail On Sunday, a former aide of top judge Simon Cowell has agreed to take part in a new documentary, along with several past contestants. While a network for the documentary is yet to be decided, it’s reportedly set to be explosive. A source told the paper: ‘There are currently some former contestants telling their stories for the programme. There are some out there who believe they were mistreated by the X Factor machine. They are now going to get their chance to have a say.’
It isn’t the first time the show has been the subject of controversy. Jedward, one of the show’s most popular ‘novelty acts’, have, in the past, posted tirades about Cowell on Twitter.
Katie Waisell, an ex-contestant, alleged last year that she was sexually assaulted by a former employee of Cowell's entertainment company Syco (the unidentified man denies the allegations). Rebecca Ferguson, another ex contestant, has previously said that she was a target of harassment after her time on the show in 2010. In June 2020, series eight semi-finalist Misha B took to social media to open up about accounts of alleged racism she experienced on the show, as she was apparently called a bully by judges Tulisa and Gary Barlow (though the claims of racism were denied).
‘Duty of care to our contestants is of the utmost importance to us,’ a spokesperson for The X Factor previously told Metro.co.uk. ‘We take welfare very seriously and have measures in place to ensure that they are supported.’
To be honest, we can’t say we’re surprised that it might be The X Factor’s time under the spotlight. The novelty acts, the sneering, the contestants who were set up to fail - from a huge height - feel a world away from what we consider to be acceptable on TV now. Also, the age for contestants to enter the competition on a few of the series was only 14, which seems far, far too young to be on what was the UK’s most popular show.
If The X Factor was ever to come back - within the past year, there have been rumours that it could make a potential return - we’d hope some serious lessons have been learnt by now, especially if any claims in the documentary turn out to be true.