More than half the top acts on the next series of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ are reportedly not from Britain.
Out of the nine Golden Buzzer performers sent through to the semi-finals of the ITV series during auditions, only four are homegrown, according to The Sun.
A TV source told the newspaper: “People know the show often features foreign acts – some of them are brilliant and, in many cases, go on to win the contest.
“But it’s a surprise to think that the cream of the crop, who are sent through on Golden Buzzers, are often from other countries.”
The Sun added the revelation will come as a “big shock” to viewers of the ITV1 show when it returns this spring for its 17th series.
The Golden Buzzer acts are those put straight through to the live semi-finals where they have a chance of going on to win the top prize of £250,000 and gigging at the Royal Variety Performance.
They are chosen either by show hosts Anthony McPartlin, 48, and Declan Donnelly, also 48, or one of the judging panel – consisting of Amanda Holden, 53, Alesha Dixon, 45, Simon Cowell, 64, and 68-year-old former ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ judge Bruno Tonioli.
It is not the first time foreign acts have had a huge presence on ‘BGT’ – in 2022, it emerged one in four of the performers on the series were already known or came from other countries’ versions of the show.
Out of 60 acts, 15 of them had already appeared on one of the Got
Talent shows around the globe, or were already professionals.
And 2023’s winner was Norwegian comic Viggo Venn, 34, who danced in circles wearing a high-vis vest.
A decade earlier, a Hungarian shadow theatre group called Attraction won.
Tagged in Alesha Dixon Amanda Holden Declan Donnelly