Serious concerns were raised today about the pressure placed on young and vulnerable contestants after a 10-year-old singer repeatedly broke down in tears live on Britain’s Got Talent.

Hollie Steel performed twice after bursting into tears on her first attempt to sing the Sound of Music song Edelweiss.

At one point, the show came to a standstill as her mother remonstrated with the judges, demanding that she be allowed to try the song again.

The singer stopped during her first rendition after judges Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden appeared to mutter to each other that she was singing too quietly.

Holden went on stage to offer her a glass of water but the schoolgirl was unable to continue, and the show went to a commercial break.

Today, with favourite Susan Boyle in a “safe house” because of her increasingly erratic behaviour since winning her heat, questions were being asked about the wisdom of placing vulnerable people in the spotlight.

Footage of Hollie’s breakdown was today on YouTube – and Susan Boyle’s performances have become an instant worldwide hit thanks to the power of the internet.

Today, Birmingham University psychologist Prof David Wilson, who quit his role as an adviser to Big Brother because of his concerns that it had become a freak show, claimed that Britain’s Got Talent was guilty of exploiting contestants.

He raised concerns about the welfare of Ms Boyle, who has learning difficulties and finds it difficult to cope with her new-found fame. She was today reported to be back in rehearsals for tonight’s show, with Cowell promising her that he will keep her out of the media spotlight.

Prof Wilson said: “The show is a celebration of banality and eccentricity, not of genuine talent. In this modern version of the Victorian freak show, too many of the contestants have neither the real star quality nor the psychological equipment to cope with the sustained, harsh glare of the public spotlight.

“Britain’s Got Talent reflects some of the worst traits of so-called “reality television”.

“Like its close relation Big Brother, this show is all about manipulating the eagerness for celebrity among vulnerable, often desperate people.

“The more tears, humiliation, conflict and embarrassment, the more the public loves it.” He said Ms Boyle’s eccentric behaviour on stage was actually a safety mechanism which she had developed when placed in a vulnerable position.

He said: “It is all too clear she doesn’t always understand what the judges are saying. When Simon Cowell apologised for mocking her appearance before she sang the first time, she looked at him with bewilderment.”

About 15million viewers watched last night’s show. Tonight’s TV audience is expected to be double the number watching ITV’s coverage of the FA Cup Final.