Britain's Got Media Probe? Watchdog May Investigate Boyle's Talent Treatment

Tue., Jun. 2, 2009 7:55 AM PDT by Gina Serpe

ITV

All's fair in love and reality TV shows.

Despite receiving "a large number of complaints" from the viewing public over Britain's Got Talent's treatment of their contestants by stretching the boundaries of good taste and, possibly, mental health, U.K. media watchdog Ofcom announced that it has no plans to begin an investigation into the TV show's seemingly cutthroat practices.

Yet.

"There have been a number of complaints regarding various aspects of the show," a spokesman for the media regulator said. "We will look at all the complaints, but at this stage we are not planning on launching an investigation into it."

At issue is whether the show, which resulted in Susan Boyle checking into a clinic for exhaustion and featured the on-camera breakdown of a 10-year-old girl, violated Britain's broadcasting code.

"People in a state of distress should not be put under pressure to take part in a program or provide interviews, unless it is warranted," the code states.

Before her second-place finish on Saturday night, Boyle suffered two public meltdowns, threatened to quit the show at least once and was finally squirreled away in a safe house in advance of the finale.

The top doctor at the Priory, where Boyle is now residing, has already spoken out about his misgivings over the way Boyle and other contestants appear to have been treated, and none other than Prime Minister Gordon Brown has weighed in.

"I hope Susan Boyle is OK, because she's a really, really nice person," Brown said Monday on U.K. morning show GMTV. "I think she will do well."

"It seems to me a bit like walking out onto a branch and then sawing it off behind you," said the Priory's chief medical officer, Chris Thompson.

"The fact that Susan Boyle appears to have broken down in some way so close to the end of the series certainly suggests that there is a link. I would want to know that people being exposed to such pressures are given proper care."

It has emerged in the wake of the show's finale that Boyle was never given a psychological test by producers prior to being allowed to compete, a standard practice for reality shows. Talent employs psychologists to screen contestants.

One of the production companies behind the show, Talkback Thames, said it was in the process of reviewing its policies.

Meanwhile, Boyle isn't the only contestant whose erratic behavior garnered sympathy—and sparked complaints—on Britain's Got Talent.

On Friday night's semifinal show, 10-year-old Hollie Steel broke down in tears after forgetting the lyrics to "Edelweiss" and freezing midsong.

Ofcom is still tallying up the complaints it received in the last week of shows and will announce the final number tomorrow morning.

A spokesperson for Syco, Simon Cowell's production company, defended their treatment of the contestants.

"We provided Susan with a counselor in the last week when it became evident to us in the run-up to the final that she needed support. The attention which has surrounded her is absolutely unprecedented and overwhelming.

"Susan is now taking a few days out to get some rest and recovery out of the spotlight."

And while they're not taking responsibility for Boyle's current state, they are taking responsibility for some of her finances: All of Boyle's medical treatment is being paid for by the show's producers.

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