Strictly judge blasts X Factor: Craig Revel Horwood has branded the rival show 'inhumane'

Strictly judge blasts X Factor: Craig Revel Horwood has branded the rival show 'inhumane'

Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has attacked the X Factor's Boot Camp twist, calling it "inhumane".

The professional choreographer hit out at the controversial 'chair swap' twist, arguing that the entire premise "promises false hope".

The twist has already caused outrage with fans taking to Twitter to vent their anger at the show . Singer Lily Allen wrote: “When did become alright to f*** with peoples minds. X factor has got fully mean.”

Speaking at the launch event for his new book, Revel Horwood agreed, telling Digital Spy: "That hurts people's feelings. It promises false hope.

"That's not very nice to do to people that want to be in the business. You give them hope and dangle a carrot and then you rip it away from them. I think that's inhumane."

When asked whether he thinks Strictly winning the ratings battle is down to the X Factor becoming too mean, the longtime judge replied: "It's something the whole family can watch without malice. People's careers aren't based on it. Their whole careers on X Factor are hanging on everybody's word, it's not the same.

"People in these times want to have a nice happy Saturday night entertainment show that's full of laughs, that's classy and good value entertainment."

Both shows have been well known for their more, shall we say, interesting acts. Wagner, Jedward and Rylan for the X Factor, and who can forget Anne Widdecombe and John Sargeant strutting their stuff on Strictly? But Revel Horwood argues that Strictly doesn't have 'joke acts'.

"Strictly is an entertainment show, it's not a real competition," he added. Which considering Sophie 'Murder on the Dancefloor' Bextor is a contestant on this year's show, might be about to change.

"The celebrities aren't pair ing up in order to go on a tango tour of the world," he added. "So it's not like the X Factor where there's wannabes who'll end up with a recording contract and everybody will make a lot of money out of them.

"X Factor is about searching for a star, so I don't think joke acts belong there. Plus, ours aren't joke acts. They're not employed to be a joke act, they're employed to learn to dance."

Referencing the seemingly never ending game of musical chairs on the X Factor panel - the kind rivalled only by the Sugababes/MKS, he said: "We're in our 11th series and there's only been three people in that [female judge]. That's not bad going really compared to a lot of other judging shows. Why fix something that's not broke?"

Click here to read the Mirror's latest Strictly Come Dancing recap .