Britain's Got Talent announces history-making twist to live semi-finals
Britain’s Got Talent have announced a major change to the show’s format for the live semi-finals.
Eight acts will compete during the ITV talent competition’s semi-final rounds, which are spread out over five weeks and will kick off in London on Saturday, April 26.
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And for the first time in its 18 series history, the golden buzzer will now appear in the live rounds.
Each week, one of the four judges - Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli - or presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly will be given control of the buzzer and get the chance to send an act straight through to the grand finale.
The semi-finals will now also air live ever Saturday night, with the public able to vote for their winning act of the night who will gain a place in the live final.
The winners of the talent show will secure a £250,000 cash prize and a chance to appear at the Royal Variety Performance in November.
Sources claimed the judges and crew are excited for the golden buzzer rule to “shake things up”.
“Everyone is buzzing for the change and can’t wait to see how it shakes things up,” an insider told the Express.
“It could really ruffle some feathers if someone chooses to save an act that another judge isn’t keen on.”
The golden buzzer was originally introduced in 2014 and allows each judge and presenter Ant and Dec to send just one act directly to the finals each season.
However, the rule was frequently ignored, with the cast pressing multiple times during auditions.
Acts like Vinnie McKee, Will Burns, The Blackouts, Stacey Leadbetter, Olly Pearson, and Linda Mudzenda have all received help from the golden buzzer in previous series.
The first semi-final will take place at the Eventim Apollo in London on Saturday, April 26 at 7pm. Viewers can watch all the action on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.