LONDON — Now that it’s over, it’s fair to ask: Was “Britain’s Got Talent” worth it?
Susan Boyle, its most famous contestant, is hospitalized at the Priory Clinic in London with nervous exhaustion. Three children broke down on camera, leaving the stage in tears. Others were mocked by the judges and hooted by the fans.
Is it really a surprise that Boyle, an amateur singer with learning disabilities who lives alone with her cat, would have trouble competing live on national TV? Or that 10-year-old Hollie Steel would break down from the pressure? Or that 10-year-old Natalie Okri and 11-year-old Aidan Davis would burst into tears after being told they didn’t make the cut?
Chris Thompson, medical director of the 14 Priory hospitals, said reality TV show producers have a responsibility to fully inform participants that instant fame can bring instant scrutiny and unbearable pressure.
Other mental health professionals had warned late last week that the fragile Boyle, who suffered oxygen deprivation at birth, seemed ill-equipped to handle the pressure.
Thompson echoed their concerns. “Anybody asked to sing live without professional training will face immense pressures, then follow that up with a barrage of public comments about her looks, talent and behavior from all over the world and it’s incredibly intrusive,” he said Monday.
Although Thompson would not comment on Boyle’s treatment, he said patients hospitalized under similar circumstances would be evaluated by a team led by a psychiatrist, then possibly receive antidepressant or sleeping medication, and be advised to rest until they were well enough to participate in group psychotherapy sessions.
Judge Piers Morgan, Boyle’s trusted confidant, told NBC’s “Today” show Monday that “Britain’s Got Talent” was not to blame for her problems, although he admitted some thought was given to removing her from the show before the finals because of the pressure she faced.
He said he had no regrets about advising her to carry on despite the stress and the attacks of the British press.
“What she didn’t like was all the negative stuff that was appearing in the papers,” he said. “You know, you wake up one day and you’ve gone from anonymity to being the front page of every British tabloid screaming, ‘Cracking up,’ ‘Boyling over.’ It’s going to have an effect on you.”
In Boyle’s hometown of Blackburn, Scotland, where villagers were still planning a welcome home party on her return, some blamed the media and the show itself for the apparent breakdown that led to her hospitalization Sunday.
“The pressure on Susan has been enormous and now it is time for her to come home,” said Duncan Wallace. “She has been set up to be something she’s not by the newspapers and TV show. Of course she couldn’t take it. Who could?”
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