Britain's Got Talent

For the most recent series, see Britain's Got Talent (series 5).

Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent logo (2011–present)
Format	Talent show
Created by	Simon Cowell
Presented by	Ant & Dec
Judges	Simon Cowell Amanda Holden David Hasselhoff (2011–) Piers Morgan (2007–10) Michael McIntyre (2011)
Voices of	Peter Dickson
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	67 (as of 4 June 2011)
Production
Running time	60 mins (auditions) 150 mins (live shows)
Production company(s)	FremantleMedia Talkback Thames SYCOtv
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV (UK) TV3 (IRL)
Picture format	576i (16:9 SDTV) (2007–present) 1080p (16:9 HDTV) (2010–present)
Original run	9 June 2007 (2007-06-09) – present
Chronology
Related shows	The X Factor

Britain's Got Talent (often shortened to BGT)^[1][2][3] is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland. The spin-off show Britain's Got More Talent is shown in both countries also. Anyone of age with some sort of talent to audition for the show can audition (singers, dancers, comedians, variety acts, etc). Acts will compete against each other in order to gain the audience support while trying to win the title of "Winner of Britain's Got Talent".

Throughout the show, contestants will have to perform in front of the judges; which currently consists of Amanda Holden, David Hasselhoff and Simon Cowell. The original judging panel consisted of Holden, Cowell and Piers Morgan, but in 2010, Morgan confirmed that he would not return for the 2011 series due to hosting his new show Piers Morgan Tonight. For the third series, Kelly Brook joined the show as a judge, but was axed as the producers claimed the show was too complicated with four judges. In the fourth and fifth series, Louis Walsh appeared as a guest judge filling in for Cowell (2010) and Hasselhoff (2011). Michael McIntyre and Hasselhoff joined the judging panel for series 5, although McIntyre will not return for series 6. From series 5, Cowell will only be a judge for the live finals, due to his commitments with The X Factor USA. Each year auditions have been held in front of a live audience, who often get tipped as the "fourth judge." The show follows live shows where the final 40 contestants will perform throughout the week in order to impress the British public.

There have been five winners to date: Paul Potts, George Sampson, Diversity, Spelbound and Jai McDowall. The winner of each series receives £100,000 and is given the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of members of the British Royal Family, including Queen Elizabeth.

The show is known as one of Britain's biggest television talent competitions; the show is also proven popular in European countries. Series 3 live final brought in 17.3 million viewers.^[4] (a 64.6% audience share). On 18 October 2010, ITV announced that Cowell had signed a three year contract renewing Britain's Got Talent until 2013.^[5]

History

Opening titles used between series 1 and 4 of Britain's Got Talent (2007–2010)

The show's format was created by The X Factor creator, Pop Idol/American Idol judge and Sony Music Entertainment A&R 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 Simon 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 Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and David Hasselhoff, from America's Got Talent. David Hasselhoff, along with Michael McIntyre, have 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. 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.^[6][7]

The Got Talent format has been adopted in a number of other countries, however, the original UK version has only been broadcast in one other country (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.

Presenters and judges

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

From 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 just a few day of filming, it was announced that Brook had been dropped as a talent judge after stating the format would be "too complicated" with four judges; Brook was later credited as a guest judge.^[8] 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. Long-time friend and fellow X Factor judge Louis Walsh stepped in for him.^[9]

Ant & Dec in 2009

It was announced the show would return for a fifth series, but Morgan revealed that he would not return as a judge due to his commitments in America; widely known for being a judge on America's Got Talent and he was preparing to take over the highly popular Larry King Live chat show on CNN in America.^[10] It was later confirmed that actor, singer and former America's Got Talent judge David Hasselhoff would take his seat on Britain's Got Talent.^[11] Hasselhoff was absent during some of the auditions due to his commitments with a pantomime and Walsh returned as a guest judge. It was revealed that comedian Michael McIntyre would be completing the judging panel.^[12] Cowell also announced he would not be present during the auditions of the show, as he would be busy launching The X Factor USA; however he confirmed he would be present for the live shows.

McIntyre has confirmed that he will not return as a judge in 2012.^[13]

Format

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

The auditions take place in front of the judges and a live audience at a different city across Britain. Unlike the 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. If all the judges press their buzzers, the act must end immediately. Voting works on a best-of-three basis, with the sole exception of the auditions in Manchester during series 3, where 3 positive votes were required, because there were four judges.

After the auditions, the judges have to whittle almost 200 successful acts down to just 24 in series 1 and 40 in series 2–onwards. 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 and get through to the semi-finals as the judges were having difficulty coming to a final decision on who to send through to the semi-finals.^[14] This was the first time this had ever happened in the history of the show.

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 split into two episodes over one night. The remaining acts perform across a number of semi-finals, with the two most popular acts from each semi-finals winning a position in the final. Judges may still end a performance early with three Xs. The judges are again asked to express their views on each act's performance.

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, with four judges, if there was a two-way tie the act with the second highest number of votes from the public would be sent through to the finals, otherwise the judges' decision would stand.

The show's secondary theme song is a full orchestral version of Lux Aeterna (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 "walk-in" at the beginning of every live show.

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?"^[15]

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.^[16]

Each year, on the morning of the first show of the new series, Britain's Got Talent has a special program titled "Most Talented". This features interviews of the winners from the previous series and their progress since winning.

Series overview

Series 1 (2007)

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

Series one of Britain's Got Talent began on 9 June 2007 and ended on 17 June 2007. The first five shows covered the audition stages and the final three shows were the live semi-finals and final. Altogether, 24 (26) 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 Paul Potts.

Series 2 (2008)

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

The 2008 series of Britain's Got Talent included notable differences from the 2007 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. 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 Jin.

Series 3 (2009)

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

Britain's Got Talent returned on 11 April 2009.^[17] Ant & Dec continued as hosts. Sister-show Britain's Got More Talent with Stephen Mulhern has also returned, as announced in the last episode of the second series.

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,^[17] but was fired after just six days, having acted as a judge at the Manchester auditions only.^[18] 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 and Dec warmed up to the idea of bringing on a judge without their consent. Ant published in his autobiography the reason the pair didn't like Kelly was that on the first day she asked what (Ant and Dec) would be doing on the show, which they took as a sign that she had not watched the show before. According to interviews, Kelly 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 3 judges.

During January and February 2009, applicants auditioned in: Manchester (3 days, 120 auditionees; Glasgow (one day, 40 auditionees); Birmingham (three days, 120 auditionees); London (three days, 120 auditionees); and Cardiff (one day, 40 auditionees). At first round callbacks in London on 7 February, 40 acts were selected for the televised live semi-finals. The televised recordings of auditions started on 11 April, with the live semi-finals running from 24 April and the live final on 30 May. A contestant who was rejected during the fifth audition show, Emma Czikai, was said to have "complained to the media regulator Ofcom and lodged a complaint of unfairness and discrimination with the employment tribunal."^[19]

The series's most notable performance was by Susan Boyle, a 48-year-old Scot, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. The performance earned a unanimous "yes" vote and resounding astonishment from the judges.^[20] 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.^{[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]}

(It is highly thought that this media coverage led to Susan Boyle being admitted to the psychiatric clinic The Priory.)^[28]

Among other finalists were: Aidan Davis, Stavros Flatley (father-and-son comic Greek dancing duo), Flawless, Hollie Steel, Diversity, Shaun Smith, Shaheen Jafargholi, the grandfather and granddaughter singing duo "2 Grand" and Julian Smith who played the soprano saxophone. In a shock result, Diversity won the series, with Boyle as runner-up and Julian Smith 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.^[29]

Series 4 (2010)

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

The 2010 panel of judges remained unchanged, with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan all returning for the start of the televised auditions on 18 January at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow,^[30] although Cowell has said that this will be his last year doing the auditions.^[31] Auditions were then held in Manchester at the Manchester Opera House, Cardiff's Wales Millennium Centre.^[32] 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.^[33]

The first programme of Series 4 was broadcast on 17 April 2010.^[34] Spellbound won the final on 5 June 2010, with Twist and Pulse as runners-up and Kieran Gaffney placing third. Other finalists included Paul Burling, Tobias Mead, Christopher Stone, Tina and Chandi, Connected, Janey Cutler and Liam McNally.

High-street bookmakers Coral reported one of their "biggest gambles in reality TV history" on piano-playing comedian Kev Orkian:

With the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent set to get underway in just a few hours . . . . Orkian has been cut from 100/1 to 9/1 with the firm, and he is now the fourth favourite behind Spellbound, who are 2/1 favourites, Olivia Archbold (7/2) and Liam McNally, at 13/2. Coral spokesman Gary Burton told Bettingpro: "The few pounds we saw first thing this morning at 100/1 and 80/1 quickly turned into three figure bets at shorter prices, he will cost us a fortune if he wins. It's been an incredible punt!".^[35]

During the live semi-finals, Cowell and Morgan both buzzed him, though Holden allowed him to finish. He did not reach the final.

Despite missing out on a place in the final and losing the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show, Kev Orkian beat winners Spelbound and the other finalists to the post of performing for Royalty. Orkian reportedly entertained HRH Prince Philip just one week after being booted off the show. On 10 June 2010, Kev Orkian performed for HRH Prince Philip, celebrating his 89th birthday at the Guards Polo Club. The event fell behind schedule and Prince Philip was set to leave – before Kev got on stage – to get to another engagement. But as soon as Kev started his sketch the Prince decided to sit back down and watch the full act. So impressed was he that instead of rushing off at the end he stayed even longer to congratulate Kev in person. Prince Philip was quoted as saying “It’s a wonderful show. I thoroughly enjoyed your performance”.^[36] He had also performed for several other members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles and Princess Michael of Kent. Kev Orkian was invited to perform for Prince Charles at Windsor Castle in 2009 for the British Forces Foundation 10th Gala Dinner. Classical singer Katherine Jenkins and comedian David Walliams also attended.^[37]

Series 5 (2011)

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

The show returned for a fifth series on 16 April 2011. Ant & Dec continued as main hosts on ITV, while Stephen Mulhern again hosted Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2. Among the judges, Piers Morgan left the show due to new U.S. work commitments.^[38] Auditions took place in January 2011 in Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, London and, for the first time, Liverpool. Simon Cowell judged the live shows only. Amanda Holden returned to the regular judging panel, joined by David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre,^[39] with guest judges appearing during the series.^[40] Louis Walsh was a guest judge in the London auditions, replacing Hasselhoff, who was appearing in pantomime.^[41] The winner was Jai McDowall.

Series 6 (2012)

A sixth series was first announced in an advertisement and at the end of the fifth series on 4 June 2011. McIntyre has confirmed he will not return as a judge for series 6.^[13]

Britain's Got More Talent

Britain's Got More Talent
Created by	Simon Cowell
Presented by	Stephen Mulhern
No. of series	5
Production
Location(s)	Fountain Studios
Running time	60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV2
Picture format	SD: 576i HD: 1080p (2011–)
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 currently hosted by Stephen Mulhern. Stephen Mulhern was also host of the Britain's Got Talent: Live Tour in 2008 but Paddy McGuinness took up the position in 2010.

Each year after the series has come to an end, Britain's Got 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 Stephen Mulhern though the series may feature clips of Ant and Dec interviewing the acts beforehand.

Awards and nominations

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. The show's comedy duo presenters, Ant and 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 and Dec and 2 nominations in the Reality TV Judge category for Simon Cowell and Piers.

Awards Table

Year	Group	Award	Nominee	Result
2007	National Television Awards	Most Popular Talent Show		Nominated
	National Television Awards	Most Popular Entertainment Presenter	Ant and Dec	Won
	Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards	Best Reality Show		Nominated
	Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards	Best TV Presenters	Ant and 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 and 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 and 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 and 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

Live Tour

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 matinées. 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 June 19 - July 11. 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.^[42]

Top selling Albums

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

Artists with BPI certified Albums

	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 7x Platinum 2,100,000[43] Peak: 1	The Gift (8 November 2010) Syco/Columbia Gold 500,000 Peak: 1	Someone to Watch Over Me (1 November 2011) Syco/Columbia
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

	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

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

1. ^ Sneak peek at rock dog and heartthrob on Britain’s Got Talent STV Entertainment, 12 April 2011
2. ^ BGT promises fewer dance acts Yahoo! News, 12 April 2011
3. ^ Fresh talent: Amanda Holden says the new BGT will be even funnier now Simon Cowell's gone Mail Online, 9 April 2011
4. ^ Jamieson, Alastair (3 June 2009). "Susan Boyle could be in Priory clinic for weeks, says doctor". Daily Telegraph (UK). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/susan-boyle/5434811/Susan-Boyle-could-be-in-Priory-clinic-for-weeks-says-doctor.html. Retrieved 24 May 2009. 
5. ^ "ITV signs new, three-year deal for The X Factor & BGT" (Press release). ITV. 18 October 2010. http://www.itv.com/presscentre/pressreleases/programmepressreleases/itvsignsnewthreeyeardealthexfactorbgt/default.html. Retrieved 18 October 2010. 
6. ^ O'Grady to host prime-time talent show Digital Spy, 13 August 2005
7. ^ Paul O’Grady Quits Simon Cowell’s New ITV Show! Unreality TV, 23 February 2006
8. ^ Dickinson, Matt (20 January 2009). "Kelly Brook axed from Britain's Got Talent". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/kelly-brook-axed-from-britains-got-talent-1451591.html. 
9. ^ Louis Walsh replaces Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent 2010! Unreality TV, 3 February 2010
10. ^ 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
11. ^ "Britain's Got Talent 2011: Michael McIntyre and David Hasselhoff join judging panel". Metro.co.uk. 14 December 2010. http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/850462-michael-mcintyre-and-david-hasselhoff-join-britains-got-talent-judging-panel. Retrieved 22 May 2011. 
12. ^ "Michael McIntyre joins Britain's Got Talent". BBC News. 14 December 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11992003. 
13. ^ ^{a b} http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s107/britains-got-talent/news/a341243/michael-mcintyre-quits-britains-got-talent.html
14. ^ http://entertainment.stv.tv/tv/253211-britains-got-talent-shock-as-acts-have-to-perform-again-to-get-into-semi-finals/
15. ^ Wilson, Glenn (1 June 2009). "The pressure of sudden TV stardom". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8077075.stm. Retrieved 21 November 2009. 
16. ^ Topham, Laura (12 February 2010). "Britain's got cruelty: Exploitation is what this talent show is about". Daily Mail (UK). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1250621/Britains-got-cruelty-Exploitation-talent-about.html. Retrieved 14 February 2010. 
17. ^ ^{a b} Moore, Matthew (14 January 2009). "Kelly Brook named Britain's Got Talent judge". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/4231723/Kelly-Brook-named-Britains-Got-Talent-judge.html. Retrieved 14 January 2009. 
18. ^ "Kelly Brook Axed from Britain's Got Talent". Daily Mirror. UK. 20 January 2009. http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/01/20/kelly-brook-axed-as-britain-s-got-talent-judge-after-just-six-days-exclusive-115875-21054661/. Retrieved 20 January 2009. 
19. ^ Britain's Got Talent singer files discrimination complaint guardian.co.uk, 29 January 2010
20. ^ Talent show singer is online hit BBC News, 15 April 2009
21. ^ “Singing Talent of Susan Boyle Stuns Simon Cowell Times Online, 10 April 2009
22. ^ Britain’s got talent hits high note guardian.co.uk, 14 April 2009
23. ^ An unlikely star brings smiles to views NBC Nightly News
24. ^ "Middle-aged Scottish woman is unlikely instant singing star after reality TV appearance LA Times, 16 April 2009
25. ^ Susan Boyle, chanteuse en herbe et vedette sur le Web Le Monde, 16 April 2009
26. ^ Susan Boyle, la révélation de "Britain's got talent" L'Express, 16 April 2009
27. ^ La gloire surprise de Susan Boyle Le Figaro, 28 April 2009
28. ^ 'Drained' Susan Boyle Admitted To The Priory Sky News, 1 June 2009
29. ^ Britain's Got Talent: And The Winner Is...? Sky News, 31 May 2009
30. ^ "Britain's Got Talent: sneak peek at the Glasgow auditionees". STV. 18 January 2010. http://entertainment.stv.tv/tv/151239-britains-got-talent-sneak-peek-at-the-glasgow-auditionees/. Retrieved 18 January 2010. 
31. ^ "Cowell confirms exit from 'BGT' auditions". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s107/britains-got-talent/news/a216673/cowell-confirms-exit-from-bgt-auditions.html. Retrieved 26 April 2010. 
32. ^ "Piers, Ant and Dec in Cardiff". Wales Online. 26 January 2010. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2010/01/26/piers-ant-and-dec-in-cardiff-91466-25683894/. Retrieved 26 January 2010. 
33. ^ Nathan, Sara (4 February 2010). "Britain's Got Talent: Simon Cowell is ill". Daily Mail (UK). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1248196/Flu-stricken-Simon-Cowell-forced-miss-day-Birmingham-auditions.html. 
34. ^ "Britain's Got Talent is back! 2010 series starts on April 17th". Tellymix. 8 April 2010. http://talent.tellymix.co.uk/2010/news/5759-britains-got-talent-is-back-2010-series-starts-on-april-17th.html. Retrieved 8 April 2010. 
35. ^ "Britain’s Got Talent Latest Betting – Kev Orkian Supported Ahead of Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finals". Bettingpro. http://www.bettingpro.com/category/Entertainment/Britains-Got-Talent-Latest-Betting-Kev-Orkian-Supported-Ahead-of-Britains-Got-Talent-Semi-Finals-2010053100127. Retrieved 1 June 2010. 
36. ^ "Britain's Got Talent Comic Kev Orkian Amuses Prince Philip". http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/180959/. Retrieved 15 June 2010. 
37. ^ "Britain's Got Talent Star Enjoys Royal Variety". http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=3049730. Retrieved 2 July 2010. 
38. ^ Morgan, Piers (9 October 2010). "PIERS MORGAN 'I'll miss the late-night drinking sessions with Ant and Dec – and winding up my co-judges'". Daily Mail (UK). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1318880/. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
39. ^ McIntyre, Hasselhoff for 'Britain's Got Talent' Digital Spy, 14 December 2010
40. ^ "Britain's Got Talent To Feature Guest Judges". MTV UK. 23 December 2010. http://www.mtv.co.uk/events/britains-got-talent/news/251069-britains-got-talent-to-feature-guest-judges. Retrieved 23 December 2010. 
41. ^ Walsh back on Britain's Got Talent RTÉ Ten, 30 December 2010
42. ^ http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/entertainment-in-newcastle/theatre/2011/06/13/preview-britain-s-got-talent-tour-opens-in-newcastle-72703-28868474/
43. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Recorded Music Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. 

External links

Britain's Got Talent at itv.com Britain's Got Talent at stv.tv

Britain's Got Talent on Twitter MIG Management