Will Young has hit out at ITV show The X Factor, following the announcement it has been axed after 17 years.
The singer, who triumphed over Gareth Gates on the first series of ITV’s preceding singing competition Pop Idol in 2002, slammed X Factor for its treatment of contestants.
A number of former contestants have spoken out in recent months, accusing the show of exploiting them.
‘It just makes me really sad’: Will Young has hit out at ITV show The X Factor, following the announcement it has been axed after 17 years (pictured on GMB in October)
Talking to the PA news agency, Will said: ‘It just makes me really sad and actually quite angry.
‘I feel a bit unsure as to why a show like X Factor hasn’t had its comeuppance in terms of how it has treated people. And I am surprised.
‘There is obviously stuff going on in the background, but hopefully one day it will come out. I wish it was my story to tell but it’s not, unfortunately.
Referring to his own experience on Pop Idol, two years before X Factor’s launch, Will said he had nothing but positive memories.
Controversy: ‘I feel a bit unsure as to why a show like X Factor hasn’t had its comeuppance in terms of how it has treated people,’ Will said (Pictured: Louis Walsh, Tula Contostavlos, Kelly Rowland, Gary Barlow and Simon Cowell at the X Factor auditions in 2011)
‘We were very lucky [on Pop Idol] and I think one of the best things is it was so pure. It was a singing competition and the public were never duped,’ he said.
‘They paid money by phoning in. They were the record company and they voted for me to have a record contract.
‘They took the power away from the fat cats at the record companies and I will never forget that. They were the ones that gave me a record deal.’
Will said that standing up to Simon Cowell, who was a judge on Pop Idol before he went on to create the format for X Factor, was something he’ll always be proud of.
Clash: Will said that standing up to Simon Cowell, who was a judge on Pop Idol before he went on to create the format for X Factor, was something he’ll always be proud of (Cowell pictured on Pop Idol in 2002)
During the show, Will, who was 21 at the time, accused Simon of ‘projecting insults’ after the judge, now 62, labelled his performances as ‘distinctly average’.
Will told PA: ‘I have to remind myself how young I was and how powerful he was – and I stood up for myself and for others. And I am very proud of that. It was kind of my defining moment really.’
It was announced in July that The X Factor has been cancelled after 17 years.
Fame: Will triumphed over Gareth Gates on the first series of ITV’s Pop Idol in 2002
The news was met with delight by contestants including Katie Waisell, 35, and Jedward, 29, who reacted by discussing the shocking treatment that they received behind-the-scenes.
Hot on the heels of the news, the Irish twins, who shot to fame on the show in 2008, penned: ‘Xfactor has been axed Mission Complete’, while Katie, who appeared in 2010, shared the MailOnline’s news alert and wrote: ‘Journey for justice’.
Katie, earlier this year, claimed she was sexually assaulted by somebody on the X Factor team, years after appearing on the show while Jedward have been open in their criticism of the show.
The decision to axe the show came hot on the heels of former contestants hitting out against the British music industry for ‘exploiting’ and treating them like ‘cattle’ since their overnight rise to fame.
‘Mission complete’: In July, former X Factor stars Jedward (pictured in 2009) and Katie Waissel reacted on social media to news that the show had been axed after 17 years with glee
2010 X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson, 35, has called for an urgent parliamentary inquiry to help protect young and emerging artists, and an independent tribunal to hold those responsible for poor treatment within the industry.
It is understood the BBC is planning to broadcast a Panorama programme examining claims of sexual abuse and bullying in the music world.
Fellow contestant Cher Lloyd, 27, has also hit out at the industry and claimed she was also poorly treated.
Discussing her alleged assault, Katie said the incident happened in the US when she met the person to talk about recording work, and said if she could change the past, she would never have appeared on the singing contest.
Happy: Katie, who appeared in 2010, shared the MailOnline’s news alert and wrote: ‘Journey for justice’
A spokesperson for Syco Entertainment said at the time: ‘We were made aware via the media of Katie’s claims in Autumn 2017 and we immediately contacted her and began an investigation.
‘We were naturally shocked at the allegations and wanted to do anything we could to help – so we asked her to lodge a complaint with us and detail the allegations for that purpose. In the interim we suspended the accused.
‘Despite a number of requests to Katie asking her to detail the claims to us, she chose not to make a complaint over his behaviour. As a result, and without other evidence to the contrary, we were obliged to accept his denial of the claims.
‘We, of course, remain ready and keen to investigate her claims if she so chooses to detail them to us and even though the alleged perpetrator no longer works for either Syco or Sony Music.’
Shock: Jack Remmington, who was a wildcard act in 2017 with his pal Joel Fisher, also took to Twitter to share a sarcastic message about his time on the show and Simon’s behaviour (Jack and Joel, pictured on the show)
Following on from Katie and Jedward’s messages, Jack Remmington, who was a wildcard act in 2017 with his pal Joel Fisher, also took to Twitter to share a sarcastic message about his time on the show and Simon’s behaviour.
He penned: ‘So sad The X Factor has officially ended. Had such a wonderful & supportive journey on that show…
‘My favourite moment was when Simon, my mentor, told us when we were kicked out the live shows that ‘it was such a shame as he was just starting to like us’. Such a nice man xx…
‘This was literally whilst the cameras were rolling as well, Dermot was still rounding off the show and Si dropped that bomb on us whilst we were still standing on stage so just had to smile and laugh like he’d told some s**te joke haahah…
‘Just to reiterate – we had been at our audition, bootcamp, judges’ houses and weeks of live shows, spanning months over the year under his ‘mentorship’. To then be told this as our journey ended’.
Shock: Jack shared the story with his 63.1k followers, four years after his appearance