Britain’s Got Talent 2023 RECAP – Bruno’s Golden Buzzer error, Malakai stuns judges, Simon addresses David Walliams exit

Who are the past Britain’s Got Talent winners?

Britain’s Got Talent has been a nation’s favourite since it’s premiere in 2007.

There have been exceptional winners throughout the years.

Take a trip down memory lane with a list of all BGT winners and nudge your memory as you think about some of the great performances they had:

• Opera singer Paul Potts (2007)
• Street-dancer George Sampson (2008)
• Dance troupe Diversity (2009)
• Gymnastic troupe Spelbound (2010)
• Singer Jai McDowall (2011)
• Trainer and dog duo Ashleigh and Pudsey (2012)
• Shadow theatre troupe Attraction (2013)
• Boy band Collabro (2014)
• Trainer and dog duo Jules O’Dwyer and Matisse (2015)
• Magician Richard Jones (2016)
• Pianist Tokio Myers (2017)
• Stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy (2018)
• Singer Colin Thackery (2019)
• Comedic pianist Jon Courtenay (2020)

No competition was held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Where is Walliams?

SIMON Cowell has spoken for the first time about David Walliams’ departure from Britain’s Got Talent.

The Sun revealed the much-loved comedian had stepped back from the ITV hit late last year.

It came after David, 51, apologised for making sweary comments about Britain’s Got Talent contestants.

He said: “These were private conversations and, like most conversations with friends, were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”

Speaking an a new interview, BGT boss Simon, 63, said he felt the comments were against the “ethos” of the family show.

He added: “I didn’t really get involved in the decision. From what I understand, he decided to take a step back.

Recognise Ichikawa Koikuchi?

Britain’s Got Talent finds itself in a fix row as it’s been revealed that Ichikawa Koikuchi already audtioned in the Asian version of the show in 2019, and in the French edition in 2022.

The 42-year-old performed a routine in which he blew out candles, set off a party horn and popped a balloon with his farts.

The routine earned him three yeses to get him through to the next round.

In the Asian and French versions, he also got through to the next round, however, he didn’t manage to make it so far.

Will he manage to progress even more in the Britain?

What does Axel Blake do now?

Since winning Britain’s Got Talent, Axel Blake has appeared in CBBC’s Saturday Mash Up Live, Celebrity Lingo and Don’t Hate The Playaz.

Axel then went on to appear in Americas Got Talent: All-Stars.

Despite getting a standing ovation from judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Simon Cowell he did not receive enough votes to finish in the top three and was eliminated.

Currently, Axel Blake is continuing with debut stand-up tour called In Style.

It continues right through until May 27, 2023 and you can .

Fans not thrilled with BGT’s editing

As Britain’s Got Talent returned to our screens, fans all had the same complaint about the show’s editing – branding it “awful.”

Viewers were frustrated with the producers, with one pointing out: “Why do they show the audience, judges and Ant and Dec more than the acts? Not to mention the ridiculous slo-mo shots. Both the editing and production are horrendous.”

Another added: “The awful editing and manipulation of the audience reactions to everything is already jarring,” while one chimed in: “#BGT better in the early years, less editing and no scripts in place to enhance acts @ITV.”

What Alan Carr told Simon Cowell after Bruno Tonioli was chosen as BGT judge

Alan Carr lost the race to be BGT judge to Bruno Tonioli and Simon Cowell have now revealed what the comedian told him after the decision.

Reports suggested that Carr was being backed by Amanda Holden even though she gets on like a house on fire with Tonioli, who was being supported by Simon Cowell.

The BGT creator said: “I think she was ­disappointed because they are really good friends. In fact I saw Alan a couple of days after Bruno was announced and, you know, he was really cool about it.

“He said, ‘I totally understand, that’s showbusiness.’ Either would have worked. Both of them met the series ­producers. I said to them, ‘Look, you have to take the final decision  yourselves’.

“They said we are going with Bruno and I said fine. I’m sure Alan would have been brilliant and I know Alan, but not as well as Bruno. He was just a completely ­natural fit on the show.”

Man sets himself on FIRE during audition

BGT judges were all lost for words after a contestant set themselves on FIRE during their audition. 

Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Bruno Tunioli and Alesha Dixon couldn’t believe their eyes as American performer Thomas Vu performed his dangerous stunt on stage.

Bruno Tonioli on how he really got the BGT judge role

Bruno Tonioli told The Sun’s TV Mag about how he really bagged the judge position at this year’s Britain’s Got Talent.

He said: “The truth is I came back to do my wonderful number, my Christmas song for Strictly, to say goodbye to everyone – because we’re all friends  – and I didn’t have a clue about Britain’s Got Talent.

“A meeting was called on the 13th of January with ITV bosses and production etc, I got in and they said: Britain’s Got Talent. I said well, it’s Simon, it’s Alesha, it’s Amanda, they’re all friends – of course, if you want me to. I’ll do it.”

He continued: “They had to speak to Simon and then a few days later it happened and ten days later it was live and we were filming. It all happened so quickly and it was incredible.

“The truth of the matter is, years and years ago we had discussions because Simon and I have the same agent in America and some approaches were made but at the time I was doing two seasons of Dancing With The Stars a year and it would have clashed. It wasn’t feasible.

“So it was destiny, it was meant to happen and bang, straight in, we had a ball. It was so exciting.”

Golden Blunder

BGT fans couldn’t believe it when Bruno pressed the Golden Buzzer in the middle of the Ghetto Kids’ performance – instead of at the end.

A shocked Simon Cowell asked him: “Have you even watched the show?”

Who won Britain’s Got Talent 2022?

Talented performers from all around the country took to the stage in an attempt to win over judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.

After the auditions the top 40 acts were selected for a week of semi-finals, with two acts from each advancing to the final.

They were joined in the live event by the judges’ wild card act.

But only one could win and scoop the grand prize.

After the public vote, the winner of Britain’s Got Talent season 15 was revealed to be stand-up comedian Axel Blake.

Funnyman Blake captured the hearts of the voting public and left the judges in hysterics with his stand-up performance.

Where is Walliams?

Simon Cowell has spoken for the first time about David Walliams’ departure from Britain’s Got Talent.

The Sun revealed the much-loved comedian had stepped back from the ITV hit late last year.

It came after David, 51, apologised for making sweary comments about Britain’s Got Talent contestants.

He said: “These were private conversations and, like most conversations with friends, were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”

Speaking an a new interview, BGT boss Simon, 63, said he felt the comments were against the “ethos” of the family show.

He added: “I didn’t really get involved in the decision. From what I understand, he decided to take a step back.

Who are the Britain’s Got Talent judges?

For the first time in a decade, comedian David Walliams will not be a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and is replaced by former Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli.

Bruno will be joined by the usual judges, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.

Simon Cowell is of course a staple of the show, having his own company SyCo set up Britain’s Got Talen while Amanda Holden joined the show when it first started in 2007.

Meanwhile, Alesha Dixon joined the panel in 2012 and quickly became a fan-favourite.

Shy Sheffield busker reveals there are chaotic secret changes until the last minute at auditions 

Fans of the show will remember shy Sheffield busker Maxwell Thorpe for coming second in last year’s contest to comedian Axel Blake.

He stunned the judges, in a Susan Boyle style, with his incredible baritone voice after nervously introducing himself.

Now, as the series returns, the the singer, 33, tells The Sun what really goes on behind the scenes – all the way from the auditions to the final itself.

He says: “The producers rang and were like ‘we’ve got Nessun Dorma and we’ve got Caruso, what would you like to sing?’ And I just thought, I’ll go big. I’ll do Nessun Dorma.

So I replied, ‘Let’s do Nessun Dorma’.

“It was agreed and then they messaged me later saying ‘Actually can you do Caruso?’ So I agreed and I think it was the right decision in hindsight.”

Maxwell was also sent off to buy new clothes because he’d turned up to do the televised audition in all black – something producers said wouldn’t work on camera.

Read more here.

Best Britain’s Got Talent golden buzzer contestants

During series eight viewers were introduced to the golden buzzer – and it has been an integral part of the show ever since.

Here we take a look at some of the shows most memorable golden buzzer moments – how many do you remember?

• Calum Scott – Simon’s choice, series nine
• Boogie Storm – Simon’s choice, series 10
• Marc Spelmann – Ant and Dec’s choice, series 12
• Kojo Anim – Simon’s choice, series 13
• Honey and Sammy – Amanda’s choice, series 14

Catch up on Britain’s Got Talent

Viewers were left BUZZING over the weekend as Britain Got Talent returned to screens.

If you missed any of the global acts and the iconic golden buzzer – the good news is there’s a way to catch up on all the latest from BGT.

Simply head over to ITVX or STV Player to watch series 16 so far.

How the Britain’s Got Talent golden buzzer works?

The golden buzzer is on the judges’ panel which, when pressed, means you are automatically granted a place in the Semi-Finals.

This will mean they will skip past the boot camp stage of the competition, ultimately giving them a head start.

Each judge, and hosts Ant & Dec have one opportunity per series to press it for any act they deem as worthy.

The golden buzzer was introduced in series eight, and has been an integral part since.

Ashleigh and Pudsey stole the show in 2012

Pudsey passed away in 2017, and Ashleigh now performs with her new dog, Sully.

Before Pudsey sadly died, he had a showbiz career staring in TV, theatre and film.

In 2014, the film Pudsey The Dog: The Movie was released.

Where is Charlie Wernham now?

 Charlie Wernham made it to the semi-finals when he appeared on the 2008 edition of Britain's Got Talent.

Since then, Wernham has gone on to have a successful acting career.

His first taste of the silver screen came in an appearance on Channel 4's The Inbetweeners.

He soon got a role in E4's School of Comedy before becoming a regular in Bad Education alongside Jack Whitehall.

Charlie, 28, even rose to co-lead the show with Layton Williams for its fourth season and played Aaron Monroe on EastEnders for 36 episodes.

Who are the Britain’s Got Talent judges?

For the first time in a decade, comedian David Walliams will not be a judge on Britain’s Got Talent and is replaced by former Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli.

Bruno will be joined by the usual judges, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.

Simon Cowell is of course a staple of the show, having his own company SyCo set up Britain’s Got Talen while Amanda Holden joined the show when it first started in 2007.

Meanwhile, Alesha Dixon joined the panel in 2012 and quickly became a fan-favourite.

Where is Lagi Andreas now?

Michalakis 'Lagi' Andreas soared to fame in 2009 alongside his father as the duo Stavros Flatley at the age of 13.

The pair finished fourth behind Susan Boyle and the eventual winner, dance group Diversity.

Following their stint on the show, they appeared on ITV's Sugar Free Farm, where celebrity contestants were challenged to take on a sugar-free diet.

Now 27, he married his wife Annika in 2022 in a lavish ceremony in Cyprus - that same year, they welcomed their first child, a daughter called Xenia.

Who are the past Britain’s Got Talent winners?

Britain’s Got Talent has been a national favourite since it’s premiere in 2007.

There have been exceptional winners throughout the years.

Take a trip down memory lane with a list of all BGT winners and nudge your memory as you think about some of the great performances they had:

• Opera singer Paul Potts (2007)
• Street-dancer George Sampson (2008)
• Dance troupe Diversity (2009)
• Gymnastic troupe Spelbound (2010)
• Singer Jai McDowall (2011)
• Trainer and dog duo Ashleigh and Pudsey (2012)
• Shadow theatre troupe Attraction (2013)
• Boy band Collabro (2014)
• Trainer and dog duo Jules O’Dwyer and Matisse (2015)
• Magician Richard Jones (2016)
• Pianist Tokio Myers (2017)
• Stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy (2018)
• Singer Colin Thackery (2019)
• Comedic pianist Jon Courtenay (2020)
• Comedian Axel Blake (2022)

No competition was held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Where is Connie Talbot now?

Connie Talbot stole the nation's hearts when she appeared on Britain's Got Talent aged just six.

Since her stint on the show in 2007, Connie has continued to pursue a career in music.

A year after appearing on BGT, she released Connie Talbot's Christmas Album, which she recorded in her bedroom studio.

In 2012 she released her fourth album Beautiful World under Hong Kong-based label Evosound - it reached number one in the Taiwan charts.

She is still following her dream of a career in music and recently released an EP titled Growing Pains.

How the Britain’s Got Talent golden buzzer works?

The golden buzzer is on the judges’ panel which, when pressed, means you are automatically granted a place in the Semi-Finals.

This will mean they will skip past the boot camp stage of the competition, ultimately giving them a head start.

Each judge, and hosts Ant & Dec have one opportunity per series to press it for any act they deem as worthy.

The golden buzzer was introduced in series eight, and has been an integral part since.