Will Young says it’s ‘a good thing’ The X Factor is not returning: ‘It needs to do some soul-searching’

Singer shot to fame on ‘Pop Idol’, which he says did not ‘manipulate’ contestants in the way he believes ‘The X Factor’ did

Will Young has said it’s a “good thing” that The X Factor is not returning.

The singer, who rose to fame after winning Pop Idol in 2002, appeared on BBC Breakfast on Thursday (11 August) to promote his new album Crying on the Bathroom Floor.

When asked about the news that there are no plans for The X Factor to return to screens, Young said: “I’m very lucky, Pop Idol was very naïve actually and was genuinely just a singing competition. It can be tricky when there are outside sources at play, manipulating people. We weren’t manipulated. We did just turn up and sing.”

He added: “It’s always good to have a bit of soul searching and maybe that’s what The X Factor needs to do. I’m really proud of Pop Idol because I think things were done properly. I think it’s probably a good thing [The X Factor isn’t coming back] and if things need to be redressed then I hope they are.”

His words were praised by viewers on Twitter, with one person writing: “I so love Will Young. He always talks so eloquently.”

The X Factor has been subject to much controversy and criticism since its launch in 2004, with many accusing it of exploiting vulnerable contestants and using the audition stage to embarrass people.

An article in the New Statesman earlier this month called The X Factor “a theatre of cruelty, fuelled by socio-economic desperation and insidious exploitation of vulnerable people for commercial gain”.

In series eight, contestant Ceri Rees was reportedly persuaded to return to the show by the producers. Several celebrities condemned The X Factor for broadcasting her audition and the mental health charity Mind publicly condemned the decision, with a spokesperson saying: “We want people with mental health problems to participate, but need programme-makers to be responsible.”

Ariel Burdett’s 2008 audition, meanwhile, is listed on YouTube as “the worst ever”. She was found dead by suicide in her flat in 2019, and a coroner’s court heard she had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.

Young’s album Crying on the Bathroom Floor is out now. The singer starts his UK live shows in September.

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