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The X Factor “Used Secret Coding System For Contestants, Including E and PKO”


The former British reality TV juggernaut The X Factor is under fire, with former staff revealing that producers used a secret coding system to highlight contestants with the “potential to kick off.…

During the BBC podcast, Offstage: Inside the X Factor, one former production employee described coding including “E for entertaining, then PKO for potential kick-off.” The X Factor aired for 17 years following its debut in 2004, and made stars of bands including Little Mix and One Direction, and solo artists Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. Fremantle, the production company behind The X Factor, responded that staff were trained to spot those participants suffering with mental health difficulties, and that robust support systems were always in place for contestants, both during their time on the show and afterwards.

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