Britain's Got Talent Ofcom complaint rejected

A Britain's Got Talent contestant's complaint that she was unfairly treated on the show has been rejected by Ofcom. The ITV1 show broadcast footage last May from hopeful Emma Czikai's solo performance of You Raise Me Up. After performing the song three times she failed to go through, and has since expressed concern about the stage equipment. In the show, after she had sung the first line, judge Piers Morgan activated his buzzer and Ms Czikai stopped. She launched into the song again - but Simon Cowell then buzzed. Miss Czikai said: "Start it (the music) again". Amanda Holden activated her buzzer when Ms Czikai reached the chorus. Simon told Ms Czikai: "I think I speak on behalf of everyone, you have a horrible singing voice Emma." Miss Czikai expressed concerns about the sound equipment, including the microphone and the volume of the backing track, which she said producers had agreed to keep at a lower-than-usual volume because of a medical condition she suffers. But Ofcom did not uphold Ms Czikai's complaint and found the programme portrayed events fairly and did not make any omissions that resulted in unfairness. However, Miss Czikai is pursuing the matter and believes Ofcom was restrained by restrictions on what they can adjudicate. She's been granted an Industrial Tribunal hearing under the Disability Discrimination Act, during which the makers of Britain's Got Talent can opt for reconciliation or a full hearing into her allegations.

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.