Britain’s Got Talent
Sat Hol Mon TUE WED THU FRI 26 May, 28 May1 June, times vary ITV Entertainment
It’s the last of the auditions and then BGT’s live semifinals begin on Monday. The Golden Buzzer acts will be there, including father and son singers Tim and Jack Goodacre. But all eyes will be on Dec as he hosts for the first time without Ant.
BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT Sat, Holiday Mon-Fri, times vary
ITV Entertainment
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when magician Marc Spelmann auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent with a routine paying tribute to his wife Tessa, who was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with their ‘miracle’ daughter Isabella.
In fact, Ant and Dec were so moved, they hit the Golden Buzzer. ‘My only aim at the auditions was to dedicate my routine to Tessa and Isabella after all we’d been through. So to get the Golden Buzzer was a dream,’ says Marc, 46.
Personal touch
Marc had put his magic career on hold for two years to care for Tessa as she underwent chemotherapy, until he decided to appear on Britain’s Got Talent. And, just like his first audition, Marc hopes to win the public vote with another deeply personal routine…
‘It’s very much inspired by something Tessa said to me when she was going through her cancer treatment,’ Marc says of his wife, who is now cancer free. ‘Her courage and strength has made me a better person.’
All of this week’s semi-finalists will be hoping to make it through to next Sunday’s live final, for the chance to follow in the footsteps of last year’s champ, pianist Tokio Myers, and win a slot at The Royal Variety Performance and a £250,000 cash prize. Whether he makes it or not, though, Marc reckons he’s already a winner.
‘When anyone goes through a life-threatening situation, it puts things into perspective,’ says Marc. ‘In my act, I do things that seem impossible or like magic but it’s not. Your family is where real the magic is.’