Dave & Finn and the children from Flakefleet Primary School have become the first acts through to the 2019 Britain’s Got Talent final.
Dave and police dog Finn were the first to gain their place – and the chance to win £250,000 – leaving the judges to choose between the next two most popular acts; Flakefeet Primary School and The Haunting.
Yes, that’s right.
They had to decide between a choir of children and an act so scary, it made Amanda Holden yell “f**k”. Only on Britain’s Got Talent.
David Walliams was the first to vote on who to put through, going for the school kids, who were his golden buzzer act after all.
After stating she “loved both acts”, Alesha Dixon decided to “balance things out” and went with Flakefleet and Amanda then decided to save Flakefleet too – leaving the outcome in Simon Cowell’s hands.
Revealing that his son Eric loved the schoolkids’ rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out For A Hero, Simon put the group of young singers through too.
Acts who lose out included Ant and Dec’s golden buzzer choice, dancer Akshat Singh, and daredevil skaters Rosie and Adam.
Monday’s BGT was largely uneventful with everything running smoothly... well, apart from when Amanda yelled the f-word.
The judge was participating in a (seriously creepy) performance by illusionist The Haunting when her nerves got the better of her.
As soon as she realised what she’d shouted, Amanda gasped and covered her mouth before apologising profusely during the judges’ comments.
“I said a really terrible word... I know there are kids watching, I know my kids are watching, so massive apologies,” she said. “I can honestly say I feel terrified.”
Britain’s Got Talent continues tomorrow at 7.30pm.
Simon Cowell brushed off the controversy, though, insisting: “I see it as a testament to how we are as a country. We want everyone to do well, no matter where they are from. It’s a positive not a negative.”
However, by the time she made it through to the live finals, producers were accused of exploiting a vulnerable woman, with reports repeatedly suggesting she was struggling to cope with the media attention surrounding her.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Simon Cowell has later said: “Looking back on it all, it has become clear to me that we didn't handle the situation with Susan as well as we could have. Yet to be honest, when I analyse exactly what happened, I don't know that I could have done it any differently.”
Although Simon Cowell later allowed her to perform again at the end of the show, it was a memorably uncomfortable moment for BGT viewers, who questioned whether children should be allowed to take part in such a high-pressure competition.
However, David was met with a backlash from viewers when he made the unpopular decision to put through Christian Spridon, after his *ahem* unique take on Tom Jones’s Sex Bomb.
Claiming she was“relieved” to have been let go early, she added: “[Simon] was hours late. We would have to start at 9am and he wouldn't get there until 1pm. It was disrespectful to me, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan. Throughout my career, if I have a call time of 9am, I'll be there at 8.30am ready to go. Simon didn't work like that, it was his party and he did it his way.
“It wasn't what I wanted to do anyway, I wanted to act. So when it didn't work out I wasn't bothered, it meant I could go back to doing what I really wanted to do."
J-Lo later insisted: “I don’t think I’m any racier than any other female pop artist. OK, I’ll wear a sexy outfit, but I think it’s more because my body shape’s a little different to other body shapes, so that’s not very fair.”
Eventually, the company issued a statement, insisting: “There has been speculation on the internet that Britain's Got Talent finalist Ronan Parke was known to and worked with Syco/Sony Music before entering the show. There is no truth in this story whatsoever. Ronan first came to Syco/Sony's attention when he entered this year's competition.”
Simon also addressed the controversy live on air, claiming: “There has been an allegation made in the papers - not in the papers actually, on the Internet - that Ronan Parke had a previous recording contract with me, that I’d bet him beforehand, both of which are complete and utter lies. He entered the show of his own accord, he’s 12 years old, this is a deliberate smear campaign.”