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| Simon Cowell: Britain’s Got Talent dog double controversy a ‘cock-up’ | Simon Cowell: Britain’s Got Talent dog double controversy a ‘cock-up’ |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Simon Cowell has dubbed the stunt double dog controversy in the Britain’s Got Talent final a “cock-up” and said there is no need to refund angry viewers’ phone vote money despite complaints hitting more than 1,000. | |
| Cowell said he was “really pissed off, really annoyed” by the incident in which the show’s winner, Jules O’Dwyer, used a lookalike dog for a high-rope walk. | Cowell said he was “really pissed off, really annoyed” by the incident in which the show’s winner, Jules O’Dwyer, used a lookalike dog for a high-rope walk. |
| Cowell said viewers should have been told that it was a different dog doing the act but said no one on the show intended to “cheat or deceive” viewers. | Cowell said viewers should have been told that it was a different dog doing the act but said no one on the show intended to “cheat or deceive” viewers. |
| A total of 874 people have complained to media regulator Ofcom and another 130 to ITV after Sunday night’s final of the talent show which was watched by a peak of more than 13 million viewers. | |
| ITV director of television Peter Fincham admitted that viewers should have been told about the stunt double, describing the way the act was presented as a “judgment call”. | ITV director of television Peter Fincham admitted that viewers should have been told about the stunt double, describing the way the act was presented as a “judgment call”. |
| Related: Britain’s Got Talent should have made stunt double dog clearer, says ITV boss | Related: Britain’s Got Talent should have made stunt double dog clearer, says ITV boss |
| Cowell said: “You’ve got to own up to your mistakes. The viewers have to trust us and know exactly what goes on.” | Cowell said: “You’ve got to own up to your mistakes. The viewers have to trust us and know exactly what goes on.” |
| “There was definitely no intention from the producers to hide this,” he told the Daily Mirror. | “There was definitely no intention from the producers to hide this,” he told the Daily Mirror. |
| Ofcom is currently deciding whether to launch an investigation into the show. Cowell said he would “welcome any investigation” so the winner, O’Dwyer, could “walk out with her head held high”. | Ofcom is currently deciding whether to launch an investigation into the show. Cowell said he would “welcome any investigation” so the winner, O’Dwyer, could “walk out with her head held high”. |
| “There’s a cloud over her and I want that cloud to go. I want people to feel proud of her and that she did well and she should be happy.” | “There’s a cloud over her and I want that cloud to go. I want people to feel proud of her and that she did well and she should be happy.” |
| Cowell said he “felt like a bit of an idiot” after discovering that two dogs were used on the show and said producers were “in tears” about the incident. | Cowell said he “felt like a bit of an idiot” after discovering that two dogs were used on the show and said producers were “in tears” about the incident. |
| “The moment I found out I literally put my head in my hands. I spoke to a lot of people after and I did raise my voice,” he said. | “The moment I found out I literally put my head in my hands. I spoke to a lot of people after and I did raise my voice,” he said. |
| “But it was mainly people owning up to it. They felt embarrassed, they felt frustrated, they felt stupid, but you’ve got to man up to this stuff. I could hear in their voices, some were in tears, just mad at themselves.” | “But it was mainly people owning up to it. They felt embarrassed, they felt frustrated, they felt stupid, but you’ve got to man up to this stuff. I could hear in their voices, some were in tears, just mad at themselves.” |
| Cowell said O’Dwyer’s act should have been called “Jules, Matisse and friends”, avoiding the scandal over the so-called “fake Matisse”. | Cowell said O’Dwyer’s act should have been called “Jules, Matisse and friends”, avoiding the scandal over the so-called “fake Matisse”. |
| One of ITV’s most valuable and important shows, Britain’s Got Talent is made by Cowell’s production company, Syco, and Fremantle Media. | One of ITV’s most valuable and important shows, Britain’s Got Talent is made by Cowell’s production company, Syco, and Fremantle Media. |
| Cowell said: “The producers are absolutely gutted. I was so depressed yesterday – for the show, for Jules and for the producers themselves, because they are not horrible people. | Cowell said: “The producers are absolutely gutted. I was so depressed yesterday – for the show, for Jules and for the producers themselves, because they are not horrible people. |
| “They didn’t think about how it would appear. I was frustrated because I didn’t really know what I was judging until afterwards, so I felt like a bit of an idiot. | “They didn’t think about how it would appear. I was frustrated because I didn’t really know what I was judging until afterwards, so I felt like a bit of an idiot. |
| “I’m connected with the show, so if a contestant leaves feeling unhappy, I have to take some responsibility.” | “I’m connected with the show, so if a contestant leaves feeling unhappy, I have to take some responsibility.” |
| The Mirror reported that Cowell said there was no need for O’Dwyer to return the £250,000 prize money and it said he also ruled out refunds for people who voted by phone at a cost of 50p per call. | The Mirror reported that Cowell said there was no need for O’Dwyer to return the £250,000 prize money and it said he also ruled out refunds for people who voted by phone at a cost of 50p per call. |
| He said producers “made a silly mistake, we’ve all made mistakes, they held their hands up and it won’t happen again”. | He said producers “made a silly mistake, we’ve all made mistakes, they held their hands up and it won’t happen again”. |