I wish Dad was alive to see me at Palladium.. he’d burst with pride
Sadness of BGT comedy pianist
WHEN Britain’s Got Talent hopeful Jon Courtenay sang at the London Palladium about a man with a dream, he realised a cherished ambition, but it was a moment tinged in sadness.
His father Ivan, who died five years ago aged 86, was not there to see his son bring the audience to their feet, reduce Amanda Holden to tears and make Ant and Dec hit the Golden Buzzer, sending Jon through to tonight’s semi-final.
Jon, 47, whose audition was filmed in January, before lockdown, said: “I wish my dad could have seen me. We used to watch the Palladium TV shows together.
“If he knew his son actually made it on that stage, I’m sure he would have burst with pride. He didn’t often say he was proud, although I know he was. A couple of times he did give me a big hug and said, ‘Son, I’m so proud of you’, and I was in bits.” Jon’s own nine-year-old son Alfie was in bits when he heard his comedy pianist dad sing about his 30 years of gigging, “dodging glasses” and being a “daddy on the phone”.
Jon, from Mosley, Manchester, was taught to play by his dad from the age of five and started performing at 18.
He spent years playing hotels, bars and on cruise ships, and said: “There have been many moments when I was ready to quit. You just hope that the good nights make up for the bad nights.
“Performers have all had shows where people aren’t listening, or worse, throwing stuff. It’s horrible. If people are booing it’s devastating.”
But now, with a honed routine and a clever comedy song he wrote himself, Jon is excited to return to the ITV show and impress judges Amanda, Alesha Dixon, David Walliams and Ashley Banjo.
Jon, who lives with wife Emmah, 44, and sons Nathan, 15, and Alfie, said: “I’ve come up with a song that’s like a prequel to my audition and what got me there.
“There’s a bit about my parents and growing up. My mum Carolyn will be at home watching nervously.
“There might also be a slight reference to the judges. That needed a rewrite too when Simon Cowell had his accident and we got Ashley. Unfortunately, Ashley doesn’t rhyme with Simon.”
Jon admits the semi-final will be even
Jon at 25 with Carolyn and Ivan
more daunting as it will be the first time he has been on stage in months, thanks to the pandemic.
He said: “Having this much time away has been very frustrating for me and all of my friends in the business.
“We don’t do this to get rich but because we’re passionate about entertaining and bringing joy to people.”
Jon has kept doing that with online gigs from his home studio and hopes to tour provincial theatres next year. But before that, there’s the small matter of performing for millions of ITV viewers.
He said: “If I get my hopes up too much I’ll find it hard to hide the disappointment. But to be on the Royal Variety Performance would be mind blowing.
“Being in with a chance of winning is not something I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. Only 30 years to be an overnight success.”
Britain’s Got Talent, tonight, ITV, 8pm.