To hate how people use personal and national tragedy, to promote their act. (Especially on Britain's Got Talent..)

[purplebush]

Firstly, the magician in 2016 who played on the lost lives of many soldiers, and played on the public's heartstrings, by bringing in old soldiers and beaming pics of war heroes on the wall. (He won even though his act was as boring as fuck.)

Then the 'missing peoples choir' came on last year with their pics of lost people being beamed on the wall behind them. (They were very average, and didn't win.)

And this year we have magician Marc Spelmann, using his difficulty to conceive (with his wife,) and his wife's battle with cancer as part of his act, to win sympathy and attention.

Obviously, I am sorry for people who have suffered heartache and loss, but I just find using personal tragedy and national tragedy to promote your act, in incredibly poor taste. It's taking the 'sob stories' to a whole new level!

Spelmann has already been fast-tracked to the semi-final, after predictably being given the golden buzzer, and he will almost definitely be in the final. Contrived bollocks IMO.

How do they do it?

It’s just sleight of hand and distraction isn’t it. He plants the correct card, crayon, whatever when the volunteer ‘selects’ it.

And this is exactly why I don't watch these programmes any more. In fact I've not watched since that awful awful 'shaking like a shitting dog' Christopher Maloney got through to the finals of X Factor. It was all an act and he was magnificently deficient in talent.

But then, these things stopped being about talent many years ago didn't they.

Not quite as simple as that Curtainshopping. Most times these items are actual tricks made by magicians and sold to others.

It’s just sleight of hand and distraction isn’t it. He plants the correct card, crayon, whatever when the volunteer ‘selects’ it.

He said though during his act there was no slight of hand? And how could he plant them? Nope still don't get it.

They do it in lots of different ways, but I'm not telling.

I'm not a big fan of either show, but when The Voice started I did like the way the judges had to make a decision based on the contestants singing voice. Such novelty!

Off on a tangent but there was a late night show on Channel 5 a few weeks ago, rounding up the most shocking game show moments or something along those lines. One of the old ones they featured was genuinely a saddest story competition, I believe the studio audience had to vote for the sorriest tale.

@ANameforToday
I think Peter Key had it right years ago with his Britain's Got the Pop Factor, plenty of sob stories and R Wayne getting back in when his Nan had a heart attack.

Kindly, use its correct title please: Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice

I worked on the show as the auditions were being filmed (just a random temp role waiting for my new job to start!) and the sob stories are going to get a whole lot worse let me tell you.

The casting agents will spend a lot of time wheedling it out/spinning something.

The worst thing is how coldly the sob stories are talked about by the powers at be off camera!

God yes this is annoying. It's not a talent show, it's about the best stories that the production team can find in the queue.

Another thing, in our house we say "they've got an age!!!" because the audience always go wild when the contestant says how old they are. Woop woop!