Performers’ union calls for ‘X Factor’ hopefuls to be paid

Television talent shows such as 'The X Factor' are "exploiting and humiliating" their contestants by making them work for no pay, the British performers' union Equity said today.

Production companies which make the shows generate huge profits from the "cheap exploitation" of vulnerable people desperate to break into the entertainment industry, the union said.

Equity said a loophole in minimum wage legislation means contestants on reality talent shows are not classed as workers, and have no employment rights.

'The X Factor' returns to ITV1 on Saturday, and Equity wants all contestants who reach the final round to be paid and to have legal status as workers with proper employment rights.

The union is to table a motion at next month's TUC conference calling on TV companies to pay talent show contestants.

The motion will read: "The contestants in such programmes are often compelled to enter into restrictive contracts and because of a loophole in the National Minimum Wage Act for competitions they generally do not get paid.

"These programmes may be very popular with the public but are based on exploitation and humiliation of vulnerable people, which cannot be acceptable.

"The public's demand for high quality entertainment should be met by professional drama and light entertainment which has been replaced by this cheap exploitation."

The union called on independent production companies such as Talkback Thames, the makers of 'The X Factor', to follow the example of the BBC, which paid contestants in the final rounds of talent shows 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?', 'Any Dream Will Do' and 'I'd Do Anything' at Equity rates.

The issue came to a head in France in June, when a landmark supreme court ruling said appearing on a reality TV show constituted employment and contestants should be treated as workers, with rights to holidays, sick pay and claims for wrongful dismissal.