BRITAIN’S X FACTOR PULLS BIG RATINGS, BIG CONTROVERSY

The season finale of Britain’s The X Factor may have produced record ratings for commercial network ITV, but the London Daily Mirror is reporting that the show has drawn thousands of complaints from viewers that the Simon Cowell-produced show featured too many racy productions that were inappropriate for a time period when many children were likely to be watching. It was, said the Mirror, “the most criticized show in ITV history.” The newspaper quoted an unnamed ITV source as saying that the plethora of complaints “tarnishes the image of the X Factor and ITV so things must change. It’s our image as a family channel that’s at stake. Serious meetings are taking place with Cowell and executives.” The penultimate episode featuring a sexy performance by Christina Aguilera touched off 2,000 viewer complaints, the Mirror said. But, in an interview with the newspaper, Cowell, who is due to bring a U.S. version of X Factor across the Atlantic next September, said that he “loved” the seventh season of the British talent contest. “There’s been controversy, punch-ups [fistfights], scandal. Best series I’ve ever done.”