Britain’s Got Talent is back on ITV1, for an electrifying 18th series, with judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli reuniting, alongside the nation’s beloved hosts Ant & Dec in the search for the nation’s next talented wonder.
And this year, social media sensation, music artist, and boxing star KSI joins the panel as a guest judge, ready to bring his infectious energy and unique experience to the competition.
Simon Cowell sums up what the show still means to him.
Why do you think the show is still a success after all these
years?
It's that surprise element of never knowing what's coming next. As much as I love music shows, you know a singer's followed by another singer. With this show, when we are watching the auditions or when my friends are watching it back, you just don't know what's going to happen.
People still think after all these years that I know what’s happening during auditions, no one tells us anything. We have no idea who's coming on until they appear on stage.
Amanda's been there from the very beginning,
What do you think is the secret to her BGT success?
Simple, she loves the acts. That's her. She honestly loves it. You know, every time I talk to her it makes me laugh because I say, “You are loving this, aren't you?” Because there are days where I'm knackered and there's still an hour to go. And I'm like, “wow, it's been a long day.” And she’s like, “yeah, but it's brilliant, isn't it?”
She is our Britain’s Got Talent queen and she deserves that crown. And you know what? She was an interesting booking because we'd offered the role to Cheryl Cole, as she was known in those days. A week before filming, she calls me and goes, “I just can't do it” and
wouldn't give me a reason. I think she was freaked out. We literally had two judges and a week to book someone. I just knew it had to be Amanda because I’d met her and I really liked her, she was very funny and I just thought she’d fit the show perfectly. Fast forward
18 years and she's still a huge success and we have become great friends. I do consider her one of my best friends.
And Alesha and Bruno, are genuinely friends in real life too. We do like each other at
work but also in our private lives too. There's this amazing shorthand with us, and I’d say that is definitely the case with me and Ant and Dec too. I laugh at weird things, I have a very strange sense of humour. And I look at Ant and Dec and they are literally bent over laughing too. And I'm thinking, “it really is that funny”. I’ve got a unique rapport with them.
How important are Ant & Dec to the show?
Oh gosh, they are everything. I mean, they represent everything that's great about the show. They appreciate and love the contestants, respect the contestants, and understand the contestants. They've not been changed by success or money. And
they're loyal, which counts for a lot these days.
Most of all they absolutely love the job, I watch them in the wings and they are always having fun and they take the audience along with them. But they do take the mickey out of me all day!
Are they the only ones who can really do that to you and get
away with it?
Yeah, they know how to wind me up, which is great. It does make me laugh. And I think that, funny enough, from the first time I met them, we've just always had that relationship and it's always going to be that way. They get me.
Across the 18 years, the show has launched so many careers,
what do you think that says about the power of the show?
Well, I think it is interesting because my kind of outlook on things has changed since series one. When I first started it was like, “you've got to find a superstar.” And of course, we always hope that we will find someone who's going to have a mega, mega, mega
career.
At the same time, you want someone to have a career in entertainment in whatever capacity they can through the show because there just aren't that many outlets anymore for people.
Whether you're in magic, comedy or dance, where else are you going to showcase yourself to a huge audience and have that kind of, what I call, a ‘moment?’ No other TV show does that. I’m proud of what we have done and continue to do.
The show has had over 24 billion views on YouTube, why do you
think you've had so much success online?
I can't tell you because we didn't plan for it! It was never part of the plan. It just happened. I remember the clip of Paul Potts blew up, then the one of Susan Boyle went crazy. I had a feeling that one was going to be big, but I didn't know it was going to be that big. It's quite amazing that when you do the auditions, people come from every corner of the world now because they see the power of BGT online. And again, they are as welcomed by the audience as British contestants are.
When I go out, people come up to me from every corner of the world to say they’ve seen this clip or that clip online, it's kind of cool that wherever you go, people have seen what you do. I am proud of that.
What kind of act do you think might win this series?
I see someone that gets a golden buzzer and think they’re going to win, then I see someone else and think they will win. It really is open this year and I just can’t predict it. I feel like it’s an incredible year and anyone could win. The main thing is we want to put a smile on people’s faces. That's the best way of summing up what BGT is, I think.
Britain's Got Talent returns on ITV this Saturday 7pm
Comments