'X Factor' vows to learn from Boyle row

X Factor bosses have promised to offer increased psychological support to the latest batch of contestants.

The show's production company TalkbackThames has made a number of changes following the criticism levelled at Britain's Got Talent over its treatment of Susan Boyle earlier this year.

Boyle, 48, was an early hit with fans of the ITV1 variety show but later checked into The Priory after struggling to cope under the pressure.

On The X Factor this year, psychologists will be on set throughout the competition rather than only being available on call. Additionally, the final 24 acts will be given full psychological appraisals before getting the green light to progress further in the contest.

Richard Holloway, who is the executive producer of both The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, told The Guardian: "We have always had doctors and psychologists and psychiatrists on call if people needed professional help, but what we have done this year, because the show keeps getting bigger and there is more focus on it, is we have looked at our policies quite carefully and decided that we should have people with us all the way through, particularly with the pressure of audiences at the auditions."

He continued: "What we learned from the Susan Boyle situation was that she had very little pressure from the show, as she only performed three times, but that the pressure came from the huge interest in her.

"It was dealing with all of that which made it something we had to focus on. Once that huge amount of interest was there, it was so overpowering. For us, it is not just a question of care, it is a question of protection."

Holloway confirmed that psychologists had not been required to step in at any point of the auditions. However, he added that advice has already been sought on how Asperger's sufferer Scott James should be treated on the programme.