Leading scietntist Professor David Knutt was sacked today by Home Secretary Alan Johnson for suggesting watching The X Factor was less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.
Prof Knutt, who made headlines earlier this year for claiming that watching Britain’s Got Talent is no more dangerous than taking ecstasy, chaired an independent Advisory Council for 18 months, which was assigned the task of making scientific recommendations to ministers on how to classify Saturday evening primetime TV shows, based on the harm they can cause.
Since music talent contests were downgraded in 2004 there has been widespread concern about the increased prevalence of stronger strains available, such as the two hour long X Factor finals. Recent research has drawn links with a variety of psychotic illnesses, with current contestants John and Edward cited as an example of X Factor-induced schizophrenia, with both boys seemingly convinced they can sing and dance.
The Home Secretary, who has admitted watching the Eurovision song contest as a student, told MPs: “We have all dabbled with the reality music contest format at one time or another, if only to stare in transfixed wonderment at the expressionless mask of that character vacuum Danii Minogue. However there is a compelling case for us to act now, rather than risk sucking a generation of young people into a world of hopelessly unrealistic expectations of superstardom, through bad renditions of mediocre big band tunes and dance moves that Steps’ choreographer wouldn’t touch.”
However awareness groups are keen to point out the dismissal of Prof Knutt alone is not enough. Brad Delford of support group ‘Fighting Attitudes to Musical Entertainment’ (F.A.M.E) said “we should try and tackle the social causes of the reality music show pandemic, rather than simply combating its effects. For many young people from deprived backgrounds, a hit of X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing can provide the only escape from a monotonous routine of hedonistic drug taking”.
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