Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
BGT IN CHAOS!
Golden buzzer bedlam, Bruno clobbering Alesha...andguesswho went up in flames? Yes, it’s just the kind of mayhem Simon & Co love
What better way to banish those winter blues and put a spring in your step than to welcome back everyone’s favourite slice of TV barminess. During this year’s Britain’s Got Talent auditions Simon Cowell has had his head set on fire and been ‘shot’ with a crossbow, but he’s still smiling. And so he should be, because that’s nothing compared to the off-screen drama that preceded the show’s return.
First there was the controversial departure of long-standing judge David Walliams when ‘disrespectful’ remarks he made about contestants in 2020 came to light in leaked transcripts of recordings. Then came an unseemly tussle for the vacant chair between Alan Carr and former Strictly judge Bruno Tonioli. Bruno, an old friend and colleague of Simon’s, came out on top but his arrival sparked rumours of a pay row as his co-judges Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon were said to be furious that his salary as a newcomer, rumoured to be £850,000, would match their own.
Fortunately these differences have been ironed out, and as the show returns for its 16th series, it’s back to its usual cheery madness, with Bruno bringing his own brand of manic energy to the mix. ‘The rule book’s been thrown out of the window with the chaos Bruno’s brought,’ chuckles Simon, 63. ‘But I didn’t realise until day one that he’s never watched the show. So it would be like me judging Strictly – I wouldn’t have a clue.
‘I spent a lot of time watching Bruno watching the acts because there was a kind of innocence there, a naivety almost, with his eyes popping out like saucers. It was like having a member of the public on the panel. He’s always jumping up, looking at me and saying, “What the hell?” He has great energy, and I love that.’
That energy backfired though when it came to the golden buzzer, which gives each judge and presenters Ant & Dec jointly one opportunity per series to send an act they love straight through to the semifinals. Bruno, 67, not only pressed his golden buzzer midway through an act instead of at the end, but he pressed it again for a second act not realising it can only be used once. The producers were sent into a panic about whether that act should go through or whether the second buzz should be cancelled.
‘The first time he pressed was when I realised he’d never seen the show before,’ explains Simon. ‘Things got even more chaotic when he pressed the golden buzzer again, so I leapt at the opportunity and thought, “I’m going to make it even more chaotic now,” and pressed mine again. Then the audience were all screaming for a particular amazing act so I thought, “Who cares? Let’s press it again,” and we ended up with eight golden buzzers!
‘I’ve always thought this show shouldn’t have too many rules. It has to evolve and improve, and this year’s has. The audiences have been louder and more excited than ever.’
Simon has an almost fanatical desire to keep the audience entertained. ‘I don’t see the acts’ showreels beforehand so I haven’t got a clue who’s turning up until I meet them on the day,’ he reveals. ‘I have genuine anxiety before a show, thinking, “What if no one turns up? What if they’re all boring?” Because if that’s the case there’s nothing we can do about it. I’m acutely aware of the mood of the audience if it’s not going well. If they’re restless and people start leaving, there’s nothing Icando.’
So it’s no wonder that during this year’s auditions he agreed to go up on stage with a mysterious mute and masked magician, and was duly told to sit in a chair and had a hood put over his head. Lighter fluid was then poured over the hood and his head was locked in a box, which was then opened at the front for the audience to see inside while the magician dropped a flame into it and Simon’s head went up like a firework.
It left the audience and his cojudges screaming in shock… and, no doubt, the insurers. ‘I stupidly said, “In principle you can do whatever you want with me.” So they took me at my word and set my head on fire, although I didn’t know that was happening at the time,’ Simon recalls. ‘But I think that should be the future of the show, that it’s unpredictable, silly, funny and emotional – especially unpredictable.’
That unpredictability has astonished Bruno, including being asked to be a judge in the first place. ‘That was the most unpredictable and incredible thing that’s happened to me in a very long time,’ he says. ‘It all happened almost overnight. There have been approaches before but I’ve always been doing Dancing With The Stars in the US. Now the filming schedules are different, so it was perfect timing.
‘I’d never actually seen BGT before, although I never used to watch Strictly either because when you’ve been around a show for a long time it’s important to have a sense of watching it with fresh eyes. When I do something, I have to do it my way. I know I messed up immediately because I had no idea you
I didn’t realise Bruno had never seen the show before – it would be like me judging Strictly simon cowell
have to wait to the end to press the golden buzzer. Nobody told me!’
Bruno says he was gobsmacked by the sheer craziness of some of the performers, who this year include the largest act ever to have graced the BGT stage, two instrument-playing dogs and a mind-blowing 13-year-old classical singer. ‘I’ve worked with Fred Astaire, Freddie Mercury, George Michael and Tina Turner, so don’t mess with me when it comes to talent shows,’ he laughs, referring to his days as a choreographer to the stars. ‘But I’ve never seen anything like BGT before. It’s recharged my battery – it’s electric!’ he roars. ‘As a newbie I’m amazed by the pool of talent out there – even if some of the acts are completely unimaginable. I was like a screaming banshee. I lost my voice after the first couple of shows, so I need to pace myself.’
Veteran judge Alesha Dixon, 44, who was a co-judge with Bruno on Strictly, knew just what to expect from him. ‘On Strictly I was used to having to duck out of the way to avoid him clobbering me when he stood up and started waving his arms around madly,’ she laughs. ‘But it’s worse on BGT – it’s like he’s been let loose, and I did get a few “Bruno Bruises”. The show’s been really raucous this year, and there are at least ten acts who could win. I’ve often got back from an audition day and have been wired until 3am because the whole day’s been an onslaught of emotions.’
The judges line-up hadn’t changed since Alesha and David joined Simon and Amanda in 2012, but when David stepped down the producers had to replace him. And while Simon remains phlegmatic about Bruno’s arrival, Amanda and Alesha have had to adjust to their new co-judge. ‘We were the dream team for ten years,’ says Amanda, 52, who recently presented the Italian Job series – about renovating Sicilian properties – with her good friend Alan Carr. ‘David’s an amazing judge and a good person, so it was weird not having him around. Alesha and I missed him a lot, so it was quite stressful to start with but we got there in the end. Bruno soon slotted in so it felt like a new family. He’s like those Berocca vitamin tablets – you drop him into a glass and watch him fizz. He’s just a ball of energy. He’s been in the industry since, you know, World War Two, so he’s well qualified to sit there!’ And even though
she’s aware that Simon is the king of reinvention, Amanda says she never wants to leave BGT. ‘I will have to be taken out on a stretcher, even if I get fired,’ she laughs. ‘I absolutely love this show. This year there’s been a good amount of danger acts that you’d think wouldn’t be possible on our stage, so that’s been really exciting.’
Amanda is concerned about one key aspect of the show though – the deathly silence and evil eye Simon used to give some of the acts that mysteriously disappeared a couple of years ago. ‘I don’t know what’s happened to him,’ she says. ‘I was hoping Mr Nasty would come back last year because that’s who I prefer. But instead we had sweet Simon who gave everyone ten chances.
‘And this year we’ve got giggly little schoolboy Simon who finds everything fun. He’s turned into his nine-year-old son Eric because now he just laughs at people breaking wind or playing instruments through their nostrils, all the things that used to repulse him. I watch him laughing at this silliness and think, “You’re literally like a nine-year-old boy.”’
Surprisingly, Simon agrees. ‘When you become a parent you see the shows in a very different way. When I see children of a similar age, I think, “If that was Eric standing there I’d be really proud.” I’ve also reached a point in my life where I’ve started thinking about my legacy. My dream would be to hand this show over to Eric and say, “It’s yours now.” That would be amazing.’
Not only did becoming a father melt Simon’s heart, but a close brush with paralysis in August 2020 – when he broke vertebrae after falling off his electric bike – made him acutely aware of his mortality. ‘Reducing the stress in my life is my number one priority now,’ he says. ‘I’m very lucky to have my job, but it comes with a lot of stress. I try to not bring that stress into our home so I now have a cut-off time of 6pm, after which I refuse to take phone calls. In 2019 I really looked at my diet and exercise, and
I very nearly killed Simon for real after he pulled that crossbow prank on me. It gave me the fright of my life! bruno tonioli
Simon’s a pigtail-puller, he kicks up a hornet’s nest. He brings the chaos then stands in the middle of it amanda holden
even the smoking – I’ve cut down to two cigarettes a day. It’s been hard but I’m really feeling the difference.’
He still has time for high jinks on set, though. ‘Simon’s a pigtail-puller, he kicks up a hornet’s nest. He brings the chaos then stands right in the middle of it,’ Amanda chuckles. ‘I don’t know if it’ll end up making it on to TV, but one of the best things I’ve ever witnessed in my life happens to Simon this year and he knew nothing about it. The producers were so brave to do it to him.’
One prank truly shocked Bruno, though – when he was asked to fire a crossbow when blindfolded at Simon, and Simon pretended he’d been hit as a paramedic rushed to help. ‘I very nearly killed him for real after he pulled that prank on me,’ says Bruno. ‘It gave me the fright of my life!’
One thing we can expect for sure is Amanda’s glamorous but sometimes uber-racy outfits. ‘My two girls and my husband Chris are often there for my fittings and they never say, “You’re flashing too much flesh,”’ she says. ‘If Simon and Bruno are allowed to flash their man boobs, I’m going to flash my “Amanboobs”,’ she laughs.
We might be looking at a new judge for this year’s series, but some things, it seems, never change.