John
08-30-2009, 06:11 PM
A production company boss behind Britain's Got Talent has defended the decision to allow Hollie Steel on the show, against accusations that the programme was "manipulative".
Sara Geater, chief operating officer of Talkback Thames, which also makes The X Factor, said that no one was misled about appearing on such programmes and the welfare of contestants was "paramount".
Hollie, 10, was seen breaking down in tears mid-performance on Britain's Got Talent, and was allowed to have another go at singing a song, while another contestant, Susan Boyle, had a breakdown after being a runner-up on the show.
Ms Geater was asked at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival if it was right to allow Hollie to be put through the show.
She said: "Yes ... She really wanted to perform. Her interests are always paramount. We take this kind of thing incredibly seriously. It is in our interests to ensure the welfare of these contestants is paramount ... and that includes the children."
She said Hollie's tears were "incredibly distressing for everybody to watch on screen. Prior to performing she did not have any nerves. Britain's Got Talent is a live show and everything happens incredibly quickly. The decisions were taken within a short space of time. There was a series of complex decisions that had to be made."
Ms Geater said that behind the scenes "we were constantly talking to her mother and to the chaperone.
But David Wilson, a professor of criminology, told the debate that the decision to put Hollie through the show was "manipulative". He said: "Children aren't psychologically able to cope with this kind of pressure."
Speaking about Boyle, she said: "We did everything we could in order to look after her. She has a right to perform. She became incredibly famous overnight."
Asked if vulnerable adults were more appealing to programme makers, she said: "We can't discriminate against somebody. If somebody is able to sing, which Susan Boyle is, then she has the right to perform."
Sara Geater, chief operating officer of Talkback Thames, which also makes The X Factor, said that no one was misled about appearing on such programmes and the welfare of contestants was "paramount".
Hollie, 10, was seen breaking down in tears mid-performance on Britain's Got Talent, and was allowed to have another go at singing a song, while another contestant, Susan Boyle, had a breakdown after being a runner-up on the show.
Ms Geater was asked at the Media Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival if it was right to allow Hollie to be put through the show.
She said: "Yes ... She really wanted to perform. Her interests are always paramount. We take this kind of thing incredibly seriously. It is in our interests to ensure the welfare of these contestants is paramount ... and that includes the children."
She said Hollie's tears were "incredibly distressing for everybody to watch on screen. Prior to performing she did not have any nerves. Britain's Got Talent is a live show and everything happens incredibly quickly. The decisions were taken within a short space of time. There was a series of complex decisions that had to be made."
Ms Geater said that behind the scenes "we were constantly talking to her mother and to the chaperone.
But David Wilson, a professor of criminology, told the debate that the decision to put Hollie through the show was "manipulative". He said: "Children aren't psychologically able to cope with this kind of pressure."
Speaking about Boyle, she said: "We did everything we could in order to look after her. She has a right to perform. She became incredibly famous overnight."
Asked if vulnerable adults were more appealing to programme makers, she said: "We can't discriminate against somebody. If somebody is able to sing, which Susan Boyle is, then she has the right to perform."