MORE than half of the complaints made to Ofcom after Britain’s Got Talent were about East Lancashire contestant Hollie Steel, the television watchdog said.
Last Friday’s programme attracted 331 complaints from viewers. But rather than being concerned about the emotional pressure being put on the 10-year-old, 281 people rang in to complain about her being allowed a second chance to sing after she broke down as she sang Edelweiss.
Only around 50 callers were worried about her welfare.
In comparison, 20 calls were made about the treatment of runner-up Susan Boyle, who has since been admitted to the Priory clinic, and only 16 calls were made following the show’s final on Saturday, which attracted 19.2million viewers.
A spokesman for Ofcom said: “There has been a lot of public interest in the semi-final and final of Britain's Got Talent.
“Audiences’ views matter and every complaint we receive about a television or radio programme is assessed against the Broadcasting Code.
“This is the rulebook that spells out what are the appropriate standards on TV and radio as well as the rules on how people who are featured in programmes should be treated.”
At present, Ofcom is not investigating the issue.
Hollie’s family said they are unable to comment on the figures, due to contractual reasons.
In the same week, the only other televised material to receive more than 10 complaints was a BNP party election broadcast.
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