GRIN THE MONEY
Cowell ready to sign up winner Lost Voice Guy and a pair of finalists after ‘best-ever shows’
SIMON Cowell reckons he’s going to clean up in stand-up and is poised to sign Britain’s Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy, plus two other finalists.
The music mogul was ready to tie up comedian Robert White and singer Gruffydd Wyn Roberts in addition to winner Lee Ridley, after saying this year’s crop of wannabes was his strongest ever.
Lee, 37, wowed viewers again last night with his hilarious act, spoken through a voice app as he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at six months old.
As well as being taken under Cowell’s wing, he won €290,000 and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance.
After being crowned, he said: “I am really grateful for it all. I have been blown away. I am very excited to perform in front of the Queen. I have loved her since she performed Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Cowell, 58, told a pal: “It’s been the best year since I can remember. The breadth of the talent has been unlike other years.”
A source close to him said: “Simon’s been delighted that the acts have resonated so much with viewers. In particular, he’s very pleased with the comics.”
Insiders says one potential plan for the funnymen could be their own TV shows within his entertainment empire.
The source added: “Simon is known for musicians, primarily, but there’s so much scope in the TV side of his business for people like Robert and Lost Voice Guy to thrive.
“Over the next few weeks he’ll be looking at how he thinks things could work. There are lots of meetings being lined up to nail ideas down.”
The source said Simon was eyeing the kind of money made by comedians such as Peter Kay, Ricky Gervais and Michael
Mcintyre, who make tens of millions from sell-out shows and TV deals.
The source added: “He’d love to tap into that lucrative market and work with them to maximise their earning potential. Yes, it’s a risk but it could seriously pay off.”
Robert won massive plaudits again last night, with Alesha Dixon telling him: “I just love everything about you.”
A more traditional signing would be singer Gruffydd, Amanda Holden’s Golden Buzzer act, who could go to Cowell’s Syco label. Cowell told pals: “He could be a great fit for us.”
Gruffydd, 22, from Anglesey, performed Ed Sheeran’s Perfect last night and has been compared to Paul Potts, 47, who won the show in 2007.
A source said: “The comparison is a fair one. Simon believes Gruff could be as big, if not bigger, than Paul. His Nessun Dorma in his audition was a class, stand-out moment. The sky is the limit for him.”
The bumper crop of talent on this year’s show helped boost ratings for Cowell and his team. While viewing figures for his other big show The X Factor have gone down, BGT’S are as strong as ever. Last Monday’s show hit a peak of nine million, up a million on last year. A source said: “ITV are very pleased with Simon and how this year’s gone.
“Numbers like this are very unusual in today’s TV climate so it makes it all the more fulfilling. Credit has to go to the acts. Fans really connected with them and that’s one of the reasons Simon is casting his eye over so many to sign up.”
The ratings boost came as Cowell stunned ITV bosses by saying said he would be open to the show moving to the BBC.
Speaking ahead of the final, he revealed he is now ready to talk to the Beeb after rebuffing a previous bid to poach the contest.
He told the Irish Sunday Mirror: “You always wonder, would this show work better on the BBC? I’ve thought about that recently – do you always want to be in the same place? There have been no talks. They offered me a deal a few years ago. It is something I am thinking about now.” Last night’s BGT final was the first presented solely by Declan Donnelly after TV partner Ant Mcpartlin stepped down from his commitments following his drinkdriving rap. Ant, 42, appeared only in the audition phase, filmed before he was charged following a crash in Richmond, South West London, in March. A source told the Mirror: “Dec has been a revelation on his own, despite the very fraught circumstances he found himself in. He is a consummate professional and has sailed through the semi-finals with ease, despite one or two incidents.”
Simon is delighted.. the wealth of talent has been amazing
SOURCE TELLS OF JUDGE’S PLEASURE AT 2018 CROP