Everyone loves a talent show. A chance to shine, show off a newly acquired skill, or a long-honed talent. ITV’s “Britain’s Got Talent” is the ultimate talent show and viewers love the format and the concept. It has been confirmed by ITV that the series will be returning to TV screens in April. Last year’s series was cancelled, so audiences will be delighted to hear that Ant and Dec will be back hosting the show on Saturday nights.
ITV has not yet announced exactly when the show will return but it is expected to be mid-April. Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon, and Amanda Holden will all be returning as judges for the 15th season of the show. The auditions kicked off earlier this year at the Palladium in London’s West End. In the past, BGT has aired the auditions in the spring and then there has been a week of live semi-finals at the end of May. It can be assumed that a similar schedule will apply this year.
In order to proceed in the competition, participants have to impress the judges sufficiently to get three of the judges to approve of the act. Each judge has a red buzzer, they push it when if they do not like the performance or don’t think the act has got what it takes. If all the judges push their red buzzers, then the act has to end immediately. This year the golden buzzer will see a return. This allows a judge to put a contestant through regardless of what the other judges think – but they only get to press their golden buzzer once per series. Presenters Ant and Dec also get to press their own golden buzzer. When pushed the performer is showered in golden confetti and goes straight through to the live shows.
BGT has been aired by ITV since 2007 and has been responsible for creating some huge stars. These include Diversity who won in 2009, Calum Scott in 2015, and singer Susan Boyle. Susan Boyle was actually beaten by Diversity but that did not stop her from going on to have a very successful career. Other champions have included the acrobatic gymnasts Spellbound, dancer George Sampson and feted comedian, Lost Voice Guy. In 2019 the singing Chelsea Pensioner, Colin Thackeray became the show’s oldest winner to date. The last winner was singing comedian John Courtenay whom Ant and Dec had used their Golden Buzzer on in the auditions.
If you can’t wait for BGT to return to your screens you could set up your own talent show with friends and family and see which one of you has hidden talents. Or you could buy the electronic board game that has over 300 ‘talents’ to challenge. The board game includes a microphone with an echo effect, magic playing cards, and a kazoo! You can also play a slots version of Britain’s Got Talent at many online casinos in the UK and be in with the chance of winning the jackpot for yourself.
In 2020 the semi-finals and final were delayed until later in the year. They were largely pre-recorded and saw a remote studio audience in place of the usual crowds. It is reported that the presenters were moved to tears when they got back in front of a live audience for this year’s filming. Addressing the audience at the January filming Ant is reported as saying,
“Excuse me while I go and cry. We are so excited to be back. We were gutted to miss last year and not get to see you all. But we’re back, raring to go and have one hell of a show for you.”
This year the champion will walk away with a huge cash prize and a starring spot at The Royal Variety Performance at the Albert Hall. Ultimately it will be the public who decides who gets to take this star turn with the public vote in the final.