A former Big Brother psychologist has criticised X Factor’s new format is potentially damaging to the show’s contestants.

David Wilson, the professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, was speaking on a panel at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival.

“Why has The X Factor put more things in that are going to be psychologically damaging? Why have people perform in front of a live audience when they have gone through a variety of producers, producers [that] know these people are being put in front of an audience because they are crap, rubbish.”

Sara Geater, the chief operating officer of The X Factor producer TalkbackThames, argued that the audience presence actually helped auditionees, making the atmosphere ‘warmer.’

“The audience is there to make the show warmer,” she said. “The audiences are incredibly supportive to people and are not, as you seem to be implying, a Roman battle ground.”