Article: I used to love The X Factor. So why do I now feel so disgusted with myself for watching it?(News)

Byline: by Philip Norman

THIS weekend, vast numbers of v i e w e r s w i l l tune in to The X Factor, to discover if a stunningly untalented pair of singing and dancing twins named John and Edward have been inexplicably voted through to the next round. And, I have to admit, I'll be watching, too.

Some television programmes are termed 'guilty pleasures', but with The X Factor, the sensation I feel comes closer to self-disgust. For the show's current series has plumbed depths of voyeuristic cruelty that make even Channel 4's much-reviled Big Brother seem mild by comparison.

This time around, the chief victim has been Danyl Johnson, a 27-year-old ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!