New contestants hope to impress
WIf anyone should know, it’s Simon Cowell – although he’s had to miss a few shows in the fifth and fourteenth series, he’s been with the show since it began in 2007. However, even he admits that he can’t always predict who the public will take to their hearts. Cowell says: “I mean, if you had told me after his first audition that [2023 champion Viggo Venn] was going to win, I’d be like, ‘Yeah, right.’ But then it happened.
“And the great thing about this show is it doesn't matter. Whoever the public chooses, the public chooses, and I really think they get it right most years. I really, really do.”
He adds: “There's always someone I feel bad for, of course. But you can just never predict who the public will love. Though, interestingly, this year, when we were discussing the finals, we went round the room and said who we think might win and there was one person everyone gravitated towards. It’s going to be interesting.
“I’m excited for this year, let’s see who the public picks as their winner.”
It seems they should have plenty of great performers to choose from as this year as a record nine acts were given the coveted golden buzzer – and it could have been even more.
Cowell explains: “The truth is, honestly, when I watched the tapes back, I thought there were about another 17 acts who easily could have had a golden buzzer. That’s how good the talent is this year.
“But look, I think eight or nine is the absolute limit. I don't think you could ever really go beyond nine, well, maybe 10 at a push! But I always listen to the audience and the feedback I got last year was they did enjoy seeing more golden buzzers.” He’s expecting more great feedback after the current series, saying: “It’s going to be an amazing show this year. It's just different and it's fun and it's got everything you want from BGT. “It's got a heart, great stories, things we'd never seen before, which is important because you don't want to just keep repeating the same thing year on year. So overall, I couldn't be happier.”
It’s also got Ant and Dec, proving they aren’t turning their backs on primetime Saturday Night TV after delivering their final episode of Takeaway last week.
Cowell’s fellow judges are back too as Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli join him on the panel, and it sounds like they’ve been having fun.
Breakfast. Morning Live.
Big Little Crimes.
Homes Under the Hammer. (R)
Bargain Hunt. BBC News at One; Weather.
Regional News. Hope Street.
Money for Nothing. (R) Escape to the Country. (R)
The Bidding Room. (R) of Lies. (R) Pointless.
Weather.
Homes Under the Hammer.
Money for Nothing. (R) Sign Zone: Antiques Roadshow. (R) BBC News.
Impossible. (R) The Edge. (R) The Edible Garden. (R) Jay and Dom's Home Fix. (R) Home Is Where the Art Is. (R) Chris and Meg's Wild Summer. (R) Flog It! (R)
Countryfile. (R)
Breakfast. Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. Snooker: The World Championship. Coverage of the morning session on day two.
Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr. (R) Songs of Praise.
London Marathon. Further coverage of the annual race. Snooker: The World Championship. Coverage of the afternoon session on day two.
James Martin's Great British Adventure. (R) James
Martin's Saturday Morning. (R) Katie Piper's Breakfast Show. ITV News. Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh.
Raymond Blanc's Royal Kitchen Gardens. ITV News; Weather. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. (2013)
Live FA Cup Football. Coventry City v Manchester United (Kick-off 3.30pm). Deal or No Deal Celebrity Special. (R)
Weather.
Weather.
Everybody Loves Raymond. (R) The Simpsons. (R) Sunday Brunch. Formula 1: Chinese Grand Prix Highlights.
The Dog House. (R) A Place in the Sun. (R) Key to a Fortune. A detached property in Potters Bar, north London, worth £500,000.
Breakfast. Morning Live.
Big Little Crimes.
Homes Under the Hammer.
Bargain Hunt. (R) BBC News at One; Weather. Regional News. Doctors. Money for Nothing. Escape to the Country. (R) The Bidding Room. (R) Bridge of Lies. (R)
Pointless.
Bargain Hunt. (R) The Bidding Room. (R) Sign Zone: MasterChef. (R) BBC News.
Snooker: The World Championship. Coverage of the morning session on day four.
Politics Live. Snooker: The World Championship. Coverage of the afternoon session on day four.
Good Morning Britain. Lorraine. This Morning. Loose Women. ITV Lunchtime News; Weather. Regional News; Weather. Riddiculous. (R) Winning Combination. (R) Tipping Point. (R) The Chase. Quiz show, hosted by Bradley Walsh. (R) Weather. Weather. Rhona and Gus strike a deal to put Ivy first. Vinny is upset. Sarah sees the perks of working in the garage.
Alison meets a lurcher who was found tied up in a cemetery in need of emergency surgery, a stressed out French bulldog who’s struggling to breathe and a matted bichon Frise.
The dread of communal showers looms over Alan.
Exploring the dual life of performer and predatory abuser Gary Glitter, documenting his global crimes and investigating the failures to bring him to justice. Weather. Weather. Quiz, hosted by Lee Mack. (R)
Shop on TV.
Awards 2024. (R)
Countdown. (R)
Rock from the Sun. (R)
Everybody Loves Raymond. (R)
Frasier. (R) Work on the Wild Side. (R) Channel 4 News Summary. Sun, Sea and Selling Houses. (R) Find It, Fix It, Flog It. (R)
Countdown. A Place in the Sun. (R) A New Life in the Sun. (R) Chateau DIY. (R)
Rachel and Liam host the second visit of the week at The Queens
Hotel in Harlech.
Krusty the Clown is arrested. (R)
Executives look for the supermarket’s next big confectionery product.
A lone officer is violently attacked in the centre of town.
Six singletons must choose someone to meet and move in with after only having texted them. (R)
The households’ opinions on recent TV. (R) Taskmaster. The contenders are forced to wrangle wild animals - with unpleasant consequences. (R) Late Night Lycett. (R) The Piano: The Final. (R) The Piano: The Concert. (R) Grand Designs Australia. (R) Renovation Nation. (R) Kirstie’s Fill Your House for Free. (R)
Officers attend a domestic incident in which a man is having a psychotic episode. (R) Coastguard: Search & Rescue SOS. (R) PlayOJO Live Casino Show. Eamonn & Ruth: How the Other Half Lives. (R)
Great Artists. (R) House Busters. (R) House Doctor. (R) Entertainment News. Fireman Sam. (R) Pip and Posy. (R)
The Bedford Incident (1965) Cat Ballou (1965) A Good Year (2006) Comedy drama, starring Russell Crowe. Deja Vu (2006) Sci-fi thriller, starring Denzel Washington. Man on Fire (2004) Action thriller, starring Denzel Washington and Christopher Walken.