Controversy and Criticism
In series 1 (2007) the show was criticised for not traveling to enough Towns and Cities in Britain. In Series 2 Britain's Got Talent added extra Auditition Dates. Britain's Got Talent has been criticised by psychologist Glenn Wilson, who has referred to it as a "freak show". He states that " deficiencies and shortcomings are as important as their talent. We enjoy the stress we are putting these people under – will they or will they not survive?"
The treatment of contestants at the audition stage was heavily criticised by the Daily Mail, which described applicants being kept waiting for over 10 hours with no food or drink provided, with no certainty of being allowed to perform more than a few seconds of their act. It also detailed how staff intentionally built up the hopes of low-quality performers in order to maximise the dramatic effect of the judges' put-downs, and the fine points of the contracts performers must sign, which gives the show infinite freedom to "modify" the footage for their own purposes, and to use the footage indefinitely for whatever purpose they choose.
Read more about this topic: Britain's Got Talent
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