X Factor

The X Factor  may be a huge success - but it's time for something fundamental to  change. The audiences are great for ITV.  The money is fantastic  for  Simon Cowell who will have a  number one Christmas hit with winner Alexandra Burke's cover of  Leonard Cohen's  Hallelujah.  The song suits her range.

We can even get used to the tears and emotion.

What we should never get used to it the unnecessary element of freak show introduced into the final by ITV producers.

It is just about barely acceptable in the very early stages of the show to film all those no-hopers who can neither sing  nor dance nor indeed do anything at all other than make themselves ridiculous. Many are delusional about their talents if not out-right mentally ill.

It would be kinder to protect some of them from the unfortunate delusion that they might somehow  have talent.

A small taste of dying hopes in a competition that is open to all might  just pass muster even though it smells more of the Coliseum in Rome than the West End.

But to  round up all the no-hopers, bring them back, and put them in  a central slot in the final of the competition singing I Believe In Angels is cruelty of  a rare order.

For them there never will be angels and ITV executives should be thoroughly  ashamed  of themselves.

Over at Strictly  Come  Dancing they may get in  terrible  tangles over the voting arrangements.  But at least they don't peddle human freak shows as entertainment.

edfns