The X Factor made great telly – but at what human cost?

Long before vulnerability contracts, X Factor contestants signed NDAs instead. It’s only as these start to expire that we are offered the truth behind the production, writes Amy Nickell

‘Countless successful contestants have since accused the show of maltreatment’ (ITV)

The X Factor has finally sloped off into the TV ether. After 17 years on air, 20 plus judges and 15 winners, Simon Cowell announced this week that the show has “gone slightly stale”. This understatement is the “do not resuscitate” papers most of us expected years ago. The show had essentially been on life support since 2014.

But for the best part of the noughties, it was unmissable telly. Those guest performances, the questionable group songs and the birth of some real stars from Leona Lewis to One Direction. At its peak, 20 million people tuned in on Saturday evenings.

Yet the problem remains that few who appeared on the show, bar its celebrity judging panel, seem to have a good word to say about the experience.

In the context of a nation increasingly obsessed with celebrity, The X Factor fed the public appetite for watching nobodies strive for stardom and ever so rarely achieve it. However, the foundation of the show was steeped in ridicule billed as “celebrating eccentricity”. To this day, “Worst X Factor auditions” easily outperforms “Best X Factor auditions” on YouTube.

Long before vulnerability contracts, X Factor contestants signed NDAs instead. It’s only as these start to expire that we are offered the truth behind the production. Before singers publicly humiliated themselves in front of the nation, they had been bolstered with the confidence of making it past two rounds of producer auditions. They could be manipulated into singing songs they had not planned, which led to Zoe Alexander’s on-stage meltdown in 2012 after her song choice was criticised. Ofcom rejected her complaints.

Alexander has since spoken about returning to her hometown and facing verbal and physical threats, leading to a suicide attempt following the airing of the show. The footage is still posted on the internet and Alexander allegedly never heard from ITV following the show. It seems that The X Factor created years of hell for Alexander, who only managed to vindicate herself earlier this year after an explanation of her audition went viral on TikTok. But it made for three minutes or so of great telly.

Great telly was also delivered by “I’m a human being, not a number” holistic vocal coach Ariel Burdett, who auditioned in 2008. Ariel, who was branded a “complete and utter nightmare” by Simon Cowell, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and was found dead at home last year after taking her own life. She was 38. Ariel’s audition remains on YouTube and is still parodied regularly by TikTok creators.

Retired factory worker Ceri Rees was reportedly persuaded to audition four separate times by the producers by 2011. Mental health charity Mind publicly condemned the decision saying: “We want people with mental health problems to participate, but need programme-makers to be responsible.” Her family has since said that each experience left her in tears but that she returned each time with fresh hope.

A spokesperson for The X Factor said at the time: “The X Factor is open to everybody to apply and we regularly welcome back contestants who want to audition again. Ceri has been taking singing lessons since she last appeared on the show and she wanted to have her vocals judged by a new panel as she hadn’t been successful with the previous line-up. Her audition was the same length as the other key stories we have featured in the series and Ceri has assured the team today that she is happy she auditioned for the show.”

Countless successful contestants have since accused the show of bad treatment. 2010 runner up Rebecca Ferguson is calling for an inquiry into the treatment of women in the music industry. Cher Lloyd, who is now 27, and appeared on the show when she was 17, has said The X Factor “sold me the dream just to exploit me”.

Finalist Misha B has accused the show of racism and was diagnosed with PTSD after she was told on stage that she was a bully. A spokesperson for the show said: “We are very concerned to hear Misha’s comments regarding her experience on The X Factor in 2011. We are currently looking into this matter and are reaching out to Misha to discuss the important issues she has raised. The welfare of contestants is our priority and we are committed to diversity and equality.”

Jedward also alleged earlier this year in a series of tweets that every contestant “was a slave to the show and got paid zero while they made millions”.

To my mind, the show meddled with seemingly vulnerable people and made a cohort of new ones every season whom they might have done more to protect. The X Factor is over – and not a moment too soon.