The X Factor?

I accidentally caught a snippet of The X Factor on Saturday, and strangely it left me feeling quite angry. Aside from the fact that I really don't understand how the less talented Minogue sister is qualified - in any way - to judge talent, I was largely struck by just how important the prospect of fame is to people across the country.

How many times has the show featured an interview with a young hopeful which goes something along the lines of: “This is (sob) the only actual thing (sob) that I have EVER WANTED, RIGHT? If I don't get to just SING FOR – like – EVER, (sob sob) then I just don't know how life is going to continue”?

Don’t get me wrong I’m all for people following their dreams, but how is it that succeeding on The X Factor has become the mark of true talent? Yes, the show has enabled winning contestants to achieve Number 1 hits, but what happened to all of the people who got to the final stages of the show last year, yet didn’t win. And the year before that? And the year before that? Exactly. We don't know, nor do we care.

These people all have the carrot of fame and fortune dangled in front of them, and because they are hungry, really hungry for it, they dance and they smile and they sing for weeks and weeks on end. If they are lucky they make it to Boot Camp and if they are luckier still TV crews visit their home town, and talk to their Mum and their old Head Teacher about how they always were good at singing, you know.

How is a person meant to deal with the pressure of being flung into the limelight like this, and told they are hugely talented and will definitely make it big, but then: “Oh, actually the public likes someone more than you, so its bye-bye and back to your day-job, I’m afraid. Oh and if you try to revive this singing career thing we’ve started, you will probably be ridiculed. Forever. Just, you know, FYI.”

Surely this isn’t about encouraging an individual's talent and potential, nor is it about music. It’s about making TV, and unfortunately the harder they fall, the better the show.

The X Factor is like a firework display: it’s big, loud and shoots bright lights into the sky, but the lights go out in an instant. In the cruel light of day what’s left behind isn’t just the fizzled-out remains of a rocket, but - realistic or not - the hopes and dreams of real people.