British singer Rebecca Ferguson has revealed that ITV refused to conduct an internal investigation following her claims about a “traumatic experience” on “The X Factor” in 2010.
Ferguson took to social media on Wednesday to share screenshots of purported correspondence from 2021 with media regulator Ofcom as well as a detailed letter to ITV.
In the letter, Ferguson said she “had a traumatic experience away from the cameras and not only experienced but witnessed terrible foul play from a number of directions.”
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— Rebecca Ferguson (@RebeccaFMusic) June 6, 2023
The singer said she was “required” to sign two contracts — a management and recording contract — and believed she’d be kicked off the program if she did not sign. “Not only did I not know the management team I was being made to sign to, I had not been given a copy of the terms and conditions of the contract — just purely the signature page.” Ferguson also claims she was not given access to independent legal advice or a lawyer.
She goes on to provide four safeguarding protocols for reality show contestants, including independent legal advice, “artist freedom of choice,” contestant welfare and post-show aftercare. She also calls for an internal investigation into “The X Factor,” spanning from its premiere in 2004 until 2021.
On Wednesday, Ferguson wrote on her official Twitter page: “I was refused by ITV and OFCOM, no investigation was taken place and my concerns appeared to be fobbed off … I am open to communication should they now wish to follow up with my private complaint now that I have made my complaint public.”
ITV and Ofcom both confirmed to PvNew that they had been in contact with Ferguson during that period.
Ferguson has previously opened up about her experience on “The X Factor,” which is produced by Simon Cowell’s Syco Television and Fremantle. In 2021, she wrote a letter to then-Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, calling for parliamentary action that could drive an “overhaul” of the music industry.
A press release released at the time detailed that Ferguson had contacted a “major broadcaster” as well as Ofcom asking them to “conduct investigations into the treatment and processes involved with recruiting artists.”
Ferguson finished in second place on Season 7 of “The X Factor” in 2010, and signed a joint contract with Cowell’s Syco Records and Epic Records. She went on to release her debut album, “Heaven,” in 2011.
Ferguson’s claims about ITV come amid a turbulent period for the broadcaster, which is dealing with the fall-out of “This Morning” co-host Philip Schofield’s dramatic exit from the show. The long-time presenter — one of ITV’s main talents — left the morning program after confessing to an affair with a young runner.
ITV has now launched an external review that will probe its own “relevant processes and policies.” (The broadcaster had previously investigated the relationship between Schofield and the runner, who U.K. media is not naming, back in 2019 but both parties denied rumors of a relationship and the investigation was closed.)
In a lengthy statement about Ferguson’s claims shared with PvNew, ITV defended its duty of care protocols, saying it is “committed to having in place suitable processes to protect the mental health and welfare of programme participants.”
“We have continued to evolve and strengthen our approach, and we expect all producers of commissioned programmes to have in place appropriate procedures to look after the mental health of programme participants as well as their physical safety,” the statement continues.
“Those processes and procedures will differ from programme to programme, to ensure that the welfare of all participants in ITV programmes is appropriately safeguarded. Whilst the practical detailed processes required to manage participant welfare in each programme must sit with producers themselves, ITV as a broadcaster and commissioner of content provides guidance on what we consider to be best practice: in the selection of participants before filming, in supporting them during filming, and in continued support up to and after the broadcast of the programme.
“In our correspondence with Rebecca we stressed that the welfare of participants is of the highest priority at ITV as reflected in our Duty of Care Charter and the detailed guidance, introduced in 2019, we now have available for all producers, to ensure that the welfare of participants is adequately safeguarded on all our programmes. ITV responded to Rebecca with information provided to us by the producers, detailing their arrangements regarding welfare, aftercare, legal advice, and management, at the time of her participation.”
Meanwhile, Ofcom said it had met virtually with Ferguson in 2021, presumably due to the pandemic. “We listened carefully to the extent of her concerns about the treatment of contestants during her time on The X Factor in 2010,” reads the statement.
“During these exchanges, we explained our powers and how our broadcasting rules apply in detail. We confirmed that new rules introduced to protect participants in programmes were not applicable to programmes broadcast before 5 April 2021,” continues the Ofcom statement. “We also clarified that our statutory remit, as set by Parliament, means that our fairness rules do not extend to contractual matters or conditions imposed by broadcasters on participants, and only to content as broadcast. We suggested to Ms Ferguson possible routes to escalate her complaints to ITV and the appropriate authorities.”
Elsewhere, a Fremantle spokesperson for “The X Factor” added: “Duty of care is of the utmost importance to us, and we always take contributor welfare extremely seriously. During the 2010 series of ‘The X Factor,’ there were robust measures in place to ensure everyone involved in the making of the programme was supported throughout their experience and beyond including a dedicated welfare team made up of psychologists, doctors, welfare producers and independent legal and management advisors with no time limit on aftercare once the show had aired. These measures were under constant review, and we have always been proactive in adapting and updating them for future series to reflect the requirements of the show.”
