For the upcoming series, see Britain's Got Talent (series 7).
For Got Talent around the world, see Got Talent.

Britain's Got Talent
Genre | Reality
Format | Talent show
Created by | Simon Cowell Ken Warwick C?cile Frot-Coutaz Jason Raff
Presented by | Ant Dec
Judges | Simon Cowell Amanda Holden Alesha Dixon (2012?) David Walliams (2012?) Piers Morgan (2007?10) Kelly Brook (2009) David Hasselhoff (2011) Michael McIntyre (2011)
Voices of | Peter Dickson
Country of origin | United Kingdom
Original language(s) | English
No. of series | 6
No. of episodes | 74 (as of 12 May 2012) (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) | Syco TV
Location(s) | Various (auditions) The Fountain Studios (live shows)
Running time | 60?150mins
Production company(s) | Thames (2012?) Talkback Thames (2007?11)
Distributor | FremantleMedia
Broadcast
Original channel | ITV
Picture format | 1080p (HDTV) (2010?) 576i (SDTV) (16:9) (2007?9)
Original run | 9 June 2007 (2007-06-09) – present
Chronology
Related shows | Britain's Got More Talent The X Factor Red or Black?
External links
Official website

Britain's Got Talent (sometimes shortened to BGT) is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is a Thames production (formerly Talkback Thames) distributed by FremantleMedia and is produced in association with Syco TV. The show and its sister show Britain's Got More Talent are broadcast on ITV. Anyone of any age with some sort of talent can audition for the show. Acts compete against each other in order to gain the audience support while trying to win the title of "The winner of Britain's Got Talent". Each year, on the morning of the first show of the new series, Britain's Got Talent has a special program titled "Most Talented", featuring interviews of the winners from the previous series and their progress since winning.

Throughout the show, contestants must perform in front of the judges, and each year initial auditions have been held in front of a live audience. Auditions precede live shows, where the final 40 contestants (45 in 2012) perform nightly for a week in order to impress the British public. There have been six winners to date: Paul Potts, George Sampson, Diversity, Spelbound, Jai McDowall and Ashleigh and Pudsey. The winner of each series is given the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of members of the British Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth II. The winner also receives a cash prize, which from series 1 to 5 was ?100,000, but was increased to ?500,000 in series 6. Britain's Got Talent is known as one of Britain's biggest television talent competitions and has also proven popular throughout Europe. The series 3 live final brought in 17.3?million viewers, (a 64.6% audience share).[1] On 18 October 2010, ITV announced that Cowell had signed a new three-year contract renewing Britain's Got Talent until 2013.[2]

The initial judging panel consisted of Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. Kelly Brook was brought in as a fourth judge during series 3, but was axed just days later. In 2010, it was announced that Morgan would not return as judge for series 5 and that Cowell would be absent during the auditions stage, so Michael McIntyre and former America's Got Talent judge David Hasselhoff joined the panel. In 2011, Hasselhoff and McIntyre revealed that they would not return for series 6. They were replaced by comedian David Walliams and Alesha Dixon, a former Strictly Come Dancing judge and member of girl group Mis-Teeq.

## History[edit]

The show's format was devised by The X Factor creator and Sony Music Entertainment AR executive Simon Cowell, who has created a Got Talent series across the globe. On 12 February 2007, it was announced by ITV the judges would be Cowell, Piers Morgan (who had also judged America's Got Talent) and Amanda Holden (a late replacement for Cheryl Cole, who later became a judge on The X Factor in 2008). Originally the judge line-up was to have been Cowell, Cole and David Hasselhoff. Hasselhoff, along with Michael McIntyre, acted as judges in the 2011 series. In a similar fashion to The X Factor, the show has an ITV2 counterpart called Britain's Got More Talent, presented by magician and former CITV presenter Stephen Mulhern.

It was originally planned that the show would be broadcast in 2005 (before America's Got Talent) and presented by Paul O'Grady.[3] However, after O'Grady's defection to Channel 4 for The Paul O'Grady Show, he refused to appear in another ITV show, so the series was put on hold after just one rehearsal show.[4] Rare footage of the original pilot for the series, filmed in May 2006, which had Fern Britton as a judge alongside with Cowell and Morgan was aired on the ITV show The Talent Show Story in 2012. The Got Talent format has been adopted in a number of other countries, however, the original British version has only been broadcast in the UK and Ireland due to unsolved rights issues. Television stations in Scandinavian countries have also expressed an interest in showing the UK version, but have not been able to acquire the rights. Cowell confirmed that Dannii Minogue had been offered ?5,000,000 to judge the show but Minogue had turned down the show.

## Presenters and judges[edit]

Kelly Brook was a judge for a short time during the third series

Since series 1, the show has been presented by English comedy and TV presenting duo Ant Dec.

Series 1 and 2 consisted of original judges, music executive and television producer Simon Cowell, television and West End star Amanda Holden, and newspaper editor and journalist Piers Morgan. As series 3 started, it was announced that the show would have a fourth judge, actress and glamour model Kelly Brook. However, after less than a week of filming, it was announced that Brook had been dropped as the producers believed that the format would be "too complicated" with four judges; Brook was later credited as a guest judge.[5][6] Series 4 would remain with just Cowell, Holden and Morgan as judges. Cowell fell ill at one point and was unable to attend the Birmingham auditions, so fellow The X Factor judge Louis Walsh stepped in for him.[7]

Ant Dec have presented Britain's Got Talent since the first series

Morgan revealed that he would not return as a judge for the fifth series as he was preparing to take over the highly popular Larry King Live talk show on CNN in America. Cowell also announced he would not be present during the auditions, as he would be busy launching The X Factor USA; however he confirmed he would be present for the live shows.[8] It was revealed that comedian Michael McIntyre would be completing the judging panel,[9] as would actor, singer and former America's Got Talent judge David Hasselhoff.[10] Hasselhoff was absent during the London auditions due to his commitments with a pantomime and Walsh returned as a guest judge.

In October 2011, it was announced that neither Hasselhoff nor McIntyre would be returning as a judge for the sixth series, while Cowell returned full-time.[11] On 2 January 2012, it was announced that Alesha Dixon and David Walliams would replace them for the sixth series.[12] Holden missed some of the auditions due to her giving birth to her daughter, and some after-effects. On 6 February 2012, actress and model Carmen Electra was announced as Holden's replacement for the London auditions.

## Format[edit]

See also: List of Britain's Got Talent episodes and List of Britain's Got Talent finalists

### Auditions[edit]

The auditions take place in front of the judges and a live audience at different cities across the UK. Unlike on The X Factor, at any time during the audition, the judges may show disapproval to the act by pressing a buzzer which lights a large red "X" on the stage, indicating that they particularly dislike the act and do not wish the performance to continue. If all the judges press their buzzers, the act must end immediately. From series 1 to 5, it was three buzzers due to the show having three judges, but from series 6 onwards it is four buzzers due to the show having four judges. From series 1 to 5, (with the sole exception of the Manchester auditions in series 3, since there were four judges), voting worked on a majority-of-two basis where two positive votes were required. From series 6 onwards, voting works on a majority-of-three basis as there are four judges. The judging panel give an act a "Yes" if they like them and would like them to return in a subsequent episode, and a "No" if they dislike the act and do not wish to see them again.

### Callbacks[edit]

After the auditions, the judges have to whittle almost 200 successful acts down to just 24 (series 1), 40 (series 2 to series 5) or 45 in Series 6.All of the performers are called back to discover if they have progressed to the live semi-finals. During series 5, some of the acts were asked to perform again to try to get through to the semi-finals as the judges were having difficulty coming to a final decision on whom to send through to the semi-finals.[13] This was the first time this had ever happened in the history of the show.

### Semi-finals[edit]

The semi-finals and final are broadcast live from The Fountain Studios in Wembley (which is also used for The X Factor), with a varying number of semi-finals, followed by the one live final (sometimes split into two episodes over one night). The remaining 40-45 acts perform in semi-finals, with the 5 most popular acts from each semi-final winning a position in the final. Judges may still end a performance early with 3 Xs from series 1 to 4, and 4 Xs from series 5 onward. The judges are again asked to express their imagination for the audiences amusement. After all acts have performed, phone lines open for a short time, while the public vote for the act they think were the best. After the votes have been counted, the act that has polled the highest number of public votes is automatically placed in the final. The judges then choose between the second and third most popular acts, with the winner of that vote also gaining a place in the final. All other acts are then eliminated from the competition. From series 5, the rules relating to judges' votes in the results show changed from previous series. In the past, the decision as to which act was sent through to the finals was made by the three judges (from which there would always be a majority). Now that there are four judges, if there is a two-way tie, then, just like The X Factor the result the act with the second highest number of votes from the public would be sent through to the finals, otherwise the judges' decision stands.

The show's secondary theme song is a full orchestral version of Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell (produced for the theatrical trailer of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, but originally written for the film Requiem for a Dream), which is used to create tension. It is also used for the judges' arrival at the beginning of every live show.

### Wildcard[edit]

In series 6, a wildcard element was introduced. This is where judges pick an eliminated act from the semi-finals, and that act is sent through to the final. In series 6, the wildcard act selected was The Mend.

## Series overview[edit]

### Series 1 (2007)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 1)

The first series of Britain's Got Talent began on 9 June 2007 and ended on 17 June. The judges were Piers Morgan, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell. The show was hosted by Ant Dec on ITV2, whilst Stephen Mulhern presented sister show Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2.

During January and February 2009, applicants auditioned in Manchester, Birmingham, London and Cardiff. The first five shows covered the audition stages and the final three shows were the live semi-finals and final. Altogether, 24 acts performed in the semi-finals, eight acts in each episode, with a further two acts disqualified from the competition before the semi-finals were broadcast. The series was eventually won by opera singer Paul Potts, with child singer Connie Talbot in second place and miming puppeteer Damon Scott in third.

### Series 2 (2008)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 2)

The second series of Britain's Got Talent included notable differences from the first series, including the fact that the auditions visited Scotland and that there were 40 in the live semi-finals. The series also ran for longer, this time lasting for seven weeks instead of one. Morgan, Holden and Cowell returned as judges. Ant Dec returned to present the main show and Mulhern returned to present Britain's Got More Talent. The series was won by street-dancer George Sampson, with dual dance group Signature coming in second and singer Andrew Johnston third. Other acts in the final included martial arts duo Strike, dance troupe Nemesis, 12-year-old mezzo-soprano Faryl Smith, young dance couple Cheeky Monkeys, and canine freestyle team Kate and Gin.

### Series 3 (2009)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 3)

Britain's Got Talent returned for its third series on 11 April 2009.[14] Ant Dec continued as hosts and Mulhern returned to host Britain's Got More Talent. The 2009 judges were Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. Kelly Brook was originally announced as a new fourth judge, reportedly being offered ?200,000 for the role,[14] but was fired after just six days, having acted as a judge at the Manchester auditions only.[15] According to Cowell, the reason given for sacking Brook was because the producers decided the format was "too complicated" with four judges, while insiders maintain neither Ant nor Dec warmed up to the idea of bringing on a judge without their consent. Ant published in his autobiography that the reason the pair didn't like Brook was that on the first day she asked what Ant Dec would be doing on the show, which they took as a sign that she had not watched the show before. According to interviews, Brook maintains that she was simply asking what they were going to do on that day, as in, "so what's on the agenda today". Either way, the show decided to simplify and just go with three judges.

The live semi-finals ran from 24?29 May (there was no semi-final on 27 May due to the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final being played that night) and the live final on 30 May. Contestant Emma Czikai, who was rejected during the fifth audition show, was said to have "complained to the media regulator Ofcom and lodged a complaint of unfairness and discrimination with the employment tribunal."[16] The series' most notable performance was the audition of 48-year-old Scottish woman Susan Boyle, who sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Mis?rables. The performance earned a unanimous "yes" vote and resounding astonishment from the judges.[17] Her performance helped lift the show to a launch record of 11.2?million viewers. Within five days of her initial appearance, YouTube recordings of the event had collectively generated more than 100?million views. Boyle also attracted widespread international media coverage.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24] The other finalists were Aidan Davis, Stavros Flatley, Flawless, Hollie Steel, Diversity, Shaun Smith, Shaheen Jafargholi, 2 Grand and Julian Smith. In a shock result, Diversity were announced as the winners, with Boyle as runner-up and Smith in third. Bookmakers made a fortune because of the unexpected result. "We are in shock and have made a six-figure sum in what has been the biggest surprise in reality TV history. Susan was a certainty," said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams. William Hill estimate that over ?3m was bet on the show in the final hour.[25]

### Series 4 (2010)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 4)

The 2010 panel of judges remained unchanged, with Cowell, Holden and Morgan all returning for the start of the televised auditions on 18 January at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow,[26] although Cowell said that this was his last year doing the auditions.[27] Auditions were then held in Manchester at the Manchester Opera House, Cardiff's Wales Millennium Centre.[28] The Journal Tyne Theatre in Newcastle, Birmingham's Birmingham Hippodrome and ended on 10 February at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Due to illness, Simon was unable to attend the filming of the Birmingham auditions and Louis Walsh stood in for him at the last minute, the first time that Cowell has missed an audition show in his entire career.[29] The first programme of Series 4 was broadcast on 17 April 2010.[30] Spelbound won the final on 5 June 2010, with Twist and Pulse as runners-up and Kieran Gaffney placing third. The other finalists were Paul Burling, Tobias Mead, Christopher Stone, Tina and Chandi, Connected, Janey Cutler and Liam McNally.

### Series 5 (2011)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 5)

Britain's Got Talent returned for its fifth series on 16 April 2011.[31] Auditions took place in January 2011 in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, London and, for the first time, Liverpool. Ant Dec continued as main hosts on ITV, while Mulhern again hosted Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2. Among the judges, Piers Morgan left the show due to him hosting his new show Piers Morgan Tonight in America.[32] Cowell was only present for the live shows only as during the auditions he was busy launching The X Factor USA.[33] Amanda Holden returned to the regular judging panel, joined by David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre,[34][35] Louis Walsh also appeared as a guest judge in the London auditions while Hasselhoff was appearing in pantomime.[36] The winner was Jai McDowall, while Ronan Parke finished as runner-up and New Bounce in third.

### Series 6 (2012)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 6)

ITV confirmed in June 2011 that Britain's Got Talent would be returning for a sixth series in 2012. In October 2011, it was announced that Hasselhoff and McIntyre would not be returning to the judging panel.[11] Despite rumours of Holden being absent for the auditions stage, she confirmed via her Twitter account that she would be participating in the entire series.[37] In December 2011, it was announced that Cowell would be returning as a full-time judge for the series.[38][39] On 2 January, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon were confirmed as judges, with Dixon leaving her role on Strictly Come Dancing.[40] Holden missed some of the auditions due to her pregnancy and due to being critically ill after giving birth.[41]

The sixth series hosted a wide range of talent. The series was won by Ashleigh and Pudsey, a girl and her dancing dog. Opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte came second and Welsh boys choir Only Boys Aloud took the third place. Ashleigh and Pudsey received ?500,000 as a prize for their win. On Britain's Got More Talent after the final, Cowell announced that he would like Walliams, Dixon and Holden to return to the panel next year alongside himself.

### Series 7 (2013)[edit]

Main article: Britain's Got Talent (series 7)

ITV confirmed on 12 May 2012 that series 7 would air in 2013. The judges' auditions will begin on 7 January. All four judges will return, while Ant Dec will return to present the main show and Stephen Mulhern will return to present Britain's Got More Talent.

## Series summary[edit]

Series | Start | Finish | Winner | Runner-up | Third Place | Host(s) | Judges | Guest judges | Sponsor
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
One | 9 June 2007 | 17 June 2007 | Paul Potts | Connie Talbot | Damon Scott | Ant Dec | Simon Cowell Amanda Holden Piers Morgan | N/A | Domino's Pizza
Two | 12 April 2008 | 31 May 2008 | George Sampson | Signature | Andrew Johnston
Three | 11 April 2009 | 30 May 2009 | Diversity | Susan Boyle | Julian Smith | Kelly Brook (Manchester auditions; was originally planned to be permanent judge)
Four | 17 April 2010 | 5 June 2010 | Spelbound | Twist and Pulse | Kieran Gaffney | Louis Walsh (Birmingham auditions)
Five | 16 April 2011 | 4 June 2011 | Jai McDowall | Ronan Parke | New Bounce | Amanda Holden David Hasselhoff Michael McIntyre Simon Cowell (live shows) | Louis Walsh (London auditions) | Moneysupermarket.com
Six | 24 March 2012 | 12 May 2012 | Ashleigh and Pudsey | Jonathan and Charlotte | Only Boys Aloud | Simon Cowell Amanda Holden Alesha Dixon David Walliams | Carmen Electra (London auditions) | Virgin Media
Seven | Upcoming series (2013) |

## Britain's Got More Talent[edit]

Britain's Got More Talent
Created by | Simon Cowell
Presented by | Stephen Mulhern
No. of series | 7 (confirmed) 6 (already aired)
Production
Location(s) | The Fountain Studios
Running time | 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel | ITV2
Picture format | 1080p: HDTV (2011?) 576i: SDTV (2007?10)
Chronology
Related shows | Britain's Got Talent

Britain's Got More Talent is a companion show which is broadcast on digital channel ITV2 and on TV3 Ireland, after the main ITV and TV3 Britain's Got Talent broadcast. It features behind-the-scenes footage of Britain's Got Talent and shows the emotional responses of the contestants after the judges comment on their performances.

Britain's Got More Talent is hosted by Stephen Mulhern and has been from the first series. Mulhern was also host of the Britain's Got Talent: Live Tour in 2008 and 2009, but Paddy McGuinness took up the position in 2010.

Each year, after the series has come to an end, Britain's Got More Talent has a week of special programmes entitled Britain's Got Talent: Best and Worst, featuring the best and worst auditions from the series, ranging from two to five episodes each year. This series is also hosted by Mulhern, though the series may feature clips of Ant Dec interviewing the acts beforehand.

## Awards and nominations[edit]

Britain's Got Talent has been nominated for two National Television Awards in the category of 'Most Popular Talent Show' in 2007 and 2008, losing to its sister show The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing respectively. Ant Dec have won the award for 'Most Popular Entertainment Presenters' at the same awards in 2007 and 2008. It has also been nominated for two BAFTA Awards in 2008, but failed to win any awards. In 2007 and 2008, the show was nominated at the TV Quick and Choice Awards in the 'Best Talent Show' category, losing out to The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing respectively.

In 2008, it was a recipient of a RTS Award for its technical achievements. It has also won four Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards from five nominations. In 2009, it won its first ever Digital Spy Reality Award for Escala for Favourite Reality Contestant. It was further nominated in the Reality Show category, but lost to The X Factor in the Reality TV Presenter category for Ant Dec and two nominations in the Reality TV Judge category for Cowell and Morgan.

## Controversy and criticism[edit]

Britain's Got Talent has been criticised by psychologist Glenn Wilson, who has referred to it as a "freak show". He states that "[contestants'] deficiencies and shortcomings are as important as their talent. We enjoy the stress we are putting these people under ? will they or will they not survive?"[42]

The treatment of contestants at the audition stage was heavily criticised by the Daily Mail, which described applicants being kept waiting for over 10 hours with no food or drink provided, with no certainty of being allowed to perform more than a few seconds of their act. It also detailed how staff intentionally built up the hopes of low-quality performers in order to maximise the dramatic effect of the judges' put-downs, and the fine points of the contracts performers must sign, which gives the show infinite freedom to "modify" the footage for their own purposes, and to use the footage indefinitely for whatever purpose they choose.[43]

## Awards table[edit]

Year | Group | Award | Nominee | Result
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
2007 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Talent Show |  | Nominated
National Television Awards | Most Popular Entertainment Presenter | Ant Dec | Won
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Best Reality Show |  | Nominated
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Best TV Presenters | Ant Dec | Won
TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Talent Show |  | Nominated
2008 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Talent Show |  | Nominated
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Favourite Winner | George Sampson | Won
National Television Awards | Most Popular Entertainment Presenter | Ant Dec | Won
BAFTA Awards | Lew Grade Award |  | Nominated
BAFTA Awards | Audience Award |  | Nominated
Royal Television Society Awards | Best Production Design-Entertainment | Dominic Tolfts | Won
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Best TV Presenters | Ant Dec | Won
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Best Family TV Show |  | Won
Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards | Best TV Baddie | Simon Cowell | Won
2009 | TV Quick and Choice Awards | Best Talent Show |  | Nominated
Digital Spy Reality TV Awards 2009 | Favourite TV Reality |  | Nominated
Digital Spy Reality TV Awards | Favourite TV Reality Judge | Simon Cowell | Nominated
Digital Spy Reality TV Awards | Favourite TV Reality Judge | Piers Morgan | Nominated
Digital Spy Reality TV Awards | Favourite TV Reality Presenters | Ant Dec | Nominated
Digital Spy Reality TV Awards | Favourite Reality Contestant | George Sampson | Won
2010 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Talent Show |  | Nominated
2011 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Talent Show |  | Nominated
2011 | TV Choice Awards | Best Talent Show |  | Won
2012 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Talent Show |  | Nominated
2013 | Broadcast Awards | Best Entertainment Programme |  | Nominated

## Live Tour[edit]

On 17 April 2008, a thirteen date live tour was announced visiting the UK's major cities during the month of June, featuring the semi-finalists, the finalists and the winner from series two, along with a few surprises. Stephen Mulhern hosted the tour, which began on 6 June. None of the judging panel were present, and there was no live voting. After high demand for tickets, the tour was later extended to twenty two performances, including matin?es. The tour featured all ten finalists, as well as semi-finalists Tracey Lee Collins and Anya Sparks. The tour also featured a duet with Faryl Smith and Andrew Johnston.

On 13 January 2009, a four date tour was announced with dates in Newcastle, Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester. More dates were later added and the tour ran for eighteen shows from 12?26 June 2009 and also travelled to Dublin, Birmingham, Belfast, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Nottingham, London, Aberdeen and Bournemouth.

The tour in 2009 included: Diversity, Flawless, Aidan Davis, Shaun Smith, Stavros Flatley, Hollie Steel, 2 Grand, Julian Smith, Shaheen Jafargholi, Susan Boyle, Darth Jackson, DJ Talent and the 2008 winner, George Sampson. Stephen Mulhern hosted the tour.

The tour returned in 2010, this time hosted by comedian Paddy McGuinness. The show also added a new city to the schedule, Brighton. The tour included all the finalists: Spelbound, Twist Pulse, Kieran Gaffney, Tobias Mead, Tina Chandi, Paul Burling, Christopher Stone, Janey Cutler, Liam McNally and Connected. The tour lasted from 19 June ? 11 July. With 16 cites and 23 shows, it was the longest Britains Got Talent Tour to date.

The tour in 2011 included all the finalists: Jai McDowall, Ronan Parke, New Bounce, Razy Gogonea, Michael Collings, Paul Gbegbaje, Steven Hall, James Hobley, Les Gibson and Jean Martyn.[44]

It has been reported that the Britain's Got Talent Tour has been axed (due to poor ticket sales last year) and that no annual tour will take place in 2012. The final decision has not been made as to whether there will be a tour in 2012 or not, however, it seems "highly unlikely" that the BGT acts will perform a live tour again.[45]

## Top selling albums[edit]

These albums were sold after Britain's Got Talent. The sales numbers are UK sales only.

### Artists with BPI certified albums[edit]

| Former contestant Total sales | Debut album | Second album | Third album
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | Susan Boyle (Series 3, Runner-up) 2,340,000 | I Dreamed a Dream (23 November 2009) Syco/Columbia 3x Platinum 2,100,000[46] Peak: 1 | The Gift (8 November 2010) Syco/Columbia Gold 500,000 Peak: 1 | Someone to Watch Over Me (1 November 2011) Syco/Columbia Peak: 1
2 | Paul Potts (Series 1, Winner) 680,000 | One Chance (16 July 2007) Syco/Columbia 2x Platinum 680,000 Peak: 1 | Passione (1 June 2009) Syco/Columbia n/a n/a Peak: 5 | Cinema Paradiso (15 October 2010) Sony n/a n/a Peak: did not chart
3 | Andrew Johnston (Series 2, 3rd place) 120,000 | One Voice (29 September 2008) Syco Gold 120,000 Peak: 4 |  |
4 | Connie Talbot (Series 1, Runner-up) 120,000 | Over the Rainbow (26 November 2007) Rainbow Recording Company Gold 120,000 Peak: 35 | Connie Talbot's Christmas Album (24 November 2008) Rainbow Recording Company n/a n/a Peak: did not chart | Holiday Magic (26 November 2009) Rainbow Recording Company n/a n/a Peak: did not chart
5 | Escala (Series 2, 4th place) 100,000 | Escala (25 May 2009) Sony BMG/Syco Gold 100,000 Peak: 2 |  |

### Artists without BPI certified albums[edit]

| Former contestant | Total sales | Albums
--- | --- | --- | ---
6 | Faryl Smith (Series 2, 5th place) | 150,000 | Faryl (2009) Number 4 Wonderland (2009) Number 56
7 | Charlie Green (Series 2, Semi-finalist) |  | Charlie Green (2008) did not chart

## Merchandise[edit]

There are five pieces of related merchandise:

- Best of The Auditions DVD (2009)
- The Electronic Board Game (2009)
- The Magic Set (2009)
- Finalists of 2009: Annual 2010 (2009)
- Be the judge buzzer (2010)

## References[edit]

1. ^ Jamieson, Alastair (3 June 2009). "Susan Boyle could be in Priory clinic for weeks, says doctor". The Daily Telegraph (UK). Retrieved 24 May 2009.
2. ^ "ITV signs new, three-year deal for The X Factor BGT" (Press release). ITV. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
3. ^ O'Grady to host prime-time talent show Digital Spy, 13 August 2005
4. ^ Paul O?Grady Quits Simon Cowell?s New ITV Show! Unreality TV, 23 February 2006
5. ^ "Brook axed as talent show judge". BBC News. 20 January 2009.
6. ^ Dickinson, Matt (20 January 2009). "Kelly Brook axed from Britain's Got Talent". The Independent (UK).
7. ^ Louis Walsh replaces Simon Cowell on Britain?s Got Talent 2010! Unreality TV, 3 February 2010
8. ^ Britain?s Got Talent in turmoil as Piers Morgan quits for US and Simon Cowell tires of 'horrific' acts Mirror.co.uk, 16 June 2010
9. ^ "Michael McIntyre joins Britain's Got Talent". BBC News. 14 December 2010.
10. ^ "Britain's Got Talent 2011: Michael McIntyre and David Hasselhoff join judging panel". Metro.co.uk. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
11. ^ a b "David Hasselhoff confirms 'Britain's Got Talent' exit ? Britain's Got Talent News ? TV". Digital Spy. 29 November 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
12. ^ "BBC News ? Alesha Dixon leaves Strictly for Britain's Got Talent". BBC. 2 January 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
13. ^ "Britain?s Got Talent shock as acts have to perform again to get into semi-finals". Entertainment.stv.tv. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2012. Text " TV: Latest News " ignored (help); Text " STV Entertainment " ignored (help)
14. ^ a b Moore, Matthew (14 January 2009). "Kelly Brook named Britain's Got Talent judge". The Telegraph (London). Retrieved 14 January 2009.
15. ^ "Kelly Brook Axed from Britain's Got Talent". Daily Mirror. UK. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
16. ^ Britain's Got Talent singer files discrimination complaint guardian.co.uk, 29 January 2010
17. ^ Talent show singer is online hit BBC News, 15 April 2009
18. ^ ?Singing Talent of Susan Boyle Stuns Simon Cowell Times Online, 10 April 2009
19. ^ Britain?s got talent hits high note guardian.co.uk, 14 April 2009
20. ^ An unlikely star brings smiles to views NBC Nightly News
21. ^ "Middle-aged Scottish woman is unlikely instant singing star after reality TV appearance LA Times, 16 April 2009
22. ^ Susan Boyle, chanteuse en herbe et vedette sur le Web Le Monde, 16 April 2009
23. ^ Susan Boyle, la r?v?lation de "Britain's got talent" L'Express, 16 April 2009
24. ^ La gloire surprise de Susan Boyle Le Figaro, 28 April 2009
25. ^ Britain's Got Talent: And The Winner Is...? Sky News, 31 May 2009
26. ^ "Britain's Got Talent: sneak peek at the Glasgow auditionees". STV. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
27. ^ "Cowell confirms exit from 'BGT' auditions". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
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## External links[edit]

Britain's Got Talent at itv.com Britain's Got Talent at stv.tv | Britain's Got Talent on Twitter MIG Management

Britain's Got Talent
Episodes
Series | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Presenters | Ant & Dec
Judges |
Current | Simon Cowell Amanda Holden Alesha Dixon David Walliams
Former | Piers Morgan Kelly Brook David Hasselhoff Michael McIntyre
Guest | Louis Walsh Carmen Electra
Winners | Paul Potts George Sampson Diversity Spelbound Jai McDowall Ashleigh and Pudsey Attraction
Other notable contestants |
Series 1 | Bessie Cursons Connie Talbot Damon Scott Bar Wizards Jake Pratt
Series 2 | Signature Andrew Johnston Escala Faryl Smith Kate and Gin Charlie Green Charlie Wernham
Series 3 | Susan Boyle Julian Smith Aidan Davis Hollie Steel Shaheen Jafargholi Callum Francis DJ Talent Flawless John Farnworth Sue Son
Series 4 | Twist and Pulse Paul Burling ReConnected Myles and Connor Kev Orkian Stevie Starr Cheeky Girls and Darius Matthew Ahmet
Series 5 | Ronan Parke Out of the Blue
Series 6 | Jonathan and Charlotte Only Boys Aloud Loveable Rogues Ryan O'Shaughnessy The Mend The Zimmers
Series 7 | Jack Carroll Richard & Adam Luminites Gabz Francine Lewis James More MckNasty
Category

Got Talent franchises
National franchises | Albania Australia Argentina Bulgaria Canada China Croatia Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece India Indonesia Israel Italy New Zealand Nigeria Norway Philippines Poland Portugal RTP SIC Romania Russia Serbia South Africa South Korea Sweden Thailand Ukraine United Kingdom United States Vietnam |
International franchises | Arab World World's Got Talent

Syco
Directors/management | Simon Cowell Sir Philip Green
SYCOtv | American Inventor Celebrity Duets Food Glorious Food Got Talent Red or Black? The X Factor
Syco Music |
Current acts | Melanie Amaro Astro Susan Boyle Alexandra Burke Marcus Canty Rachel Crow Emblem3 Rebecca Ferguson Fifth Harmony Il Divo Jonathan and Charlotte Andrew Johnston Josh Krajcik Labrinth Leona Lewis Little Mix One Direction Chris Rene Sinitta Carly Rose Sonenclar Tate Stevens
Former acts | Angelis Steve Brookstein Matt Cardle Jai McDowall Escala Gareth Gates Leon Jackson Cher Lloyd Joe McElderry Paul Potts Rhydian Bianca Ryan Same Difference George Sampson Shayne Ward Maria Lawson Westlife