'Britain's Got Talent: The Champions' will debut on screen on August 31.

Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell

The talent competition will return to ITV at the end of the month as the six-part series welcomes the most memorable and legendary acts from the past 13 series to go head-to-head in the hope of being crowned the winner-of-winners.

Opera singer Paul Potts - who won the first ever series in 2007 - will be hoping to dazzle the crowd with his vocals once again, while dancer George Sampson, who swiped the winning title in 2008, and double act Stavros Flatley will be in competition.

Collabro and magician Richard Jones will also be taking part, while dancers Twist and Pulse, comedian Lost Voice Guy and reigning champion Colin Thackery are set for a return.

There will also be some international contenders as 'America's Got Talent: The Champions' finalists, including Ukrainian sand artist Kseniya Simonova, will make an appearance.

The judging panel will remain the same with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon once again reclaiming their seats at the bottom of the stage, while presenting duo Ant and Dec will ensure the smooth running of the show.

Simon, 59, recently took a swipe at some ex-'BGT' acts who turned down the chance to compete in forthcoming spin-off as they had the show to thank for their fame.

He said: "We've had acts we've asked to come back and they've said, 'We don't want to compete but can we do a guest appearance and plug our tour'. And it's like, 'No!' "

However, he heaped praise on rollerblading siblings Billy and Emily England, who appeared on the programme in 2015 before getting their own Vegas show, as they had agreed to fly across the pond in order to take part in the The Champions' final heat at Wembley Arena.

Simon told them: "You've come all that way to thank the audience for giving you that chance and you put your lives on the line every time you compete. So I can't thank you enough."

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