The most entertaining story of the day is the detailed claim made by a purported Sony executive that Britain’s Got Talent is rigged. The claim centres around 12-year-old contestant Ronan Parke, and specifically how he has been ‘groomed’ for the show by Simon Cowell over a 2-year period, even being sexualised in such a way that will appeal to a pre-teen market. Cowell denies the claims.

Now whether true or not, these claims won’t make much difference to Simon Cowell. But they could have a big impact on Ronan Parke, who has ended up in a no-win situation. See, in the middle of denying everything, Ronan’s mother Maggie is quoted by the BBC as saying that the 12-year-old applied to the show without his parents’ knowledge. Oops. Kids applying to Britain’s Got Talent must have permission from a parent or legal guardian so apparently Ronan lied. Consequences? Well, Simon Cowell set a precedent when he disqualified girl band Tru Colourz from X Factor due to one member lying about her age.

So if Ronan’s mum is telling the truth then Ronan is out of the competition. If his mum isn’t telling the truth then the fix claims become a lot more interesting…