‘Britain’s Got Talent’ bosses have admitted that the first Golden Buzzer act of the new series was scouted and asked to take part in the show.
Viewers saw 15-year-old singer Sarah Ikumu wow the judges on Saturday night’s first episode of the new series with a pretty incredible rendition of ‘And I Am Telling You’.
Her version of the Jennifer Hudson song from the musical ‘Dreamgirls’ saw Simon Cowell use his Golden Buzzer, sending her straight through to the semi-finals.
But it’s now come to light that the schoolgirl was spotted by show bosses and encouraged to audition for the show, but they have insisted this is completely normal practice as they seek out the country’s best talent.
A ‘BGT’ spokesperson said: “As the only show of its kind in the country, we want to showcase the best talent around and therefore, we travel the length and breadth of the country to find the best talent and make them aware of the show and auditions.
“We do then encourage acts to apply but any such acts will be required to audition on the same basis as any other applicant and normal programme rules apply. All acts are judged on their performance during their audition.”
Meanwhile, a show source has insisted that Simon had no idea about Sarah’s background or that she’d been hand-picked to audition.
A source revealed: “A BGT scout spotted Sarah towards the end of last year, when she was performing at a local event. She was asked to audition on the show.
“She auditioned shortly after, and of course completely blew the producers away. There was no special treatment and she had to audition like every other act from then on.”
The source added: “Simon Cowell had no idea who Sarah was when she first stepped on stage, the scouts worked completely separately, and he was unaware of her and her history.”
Following her flawless audition, Simon told her: “I have heard that song a lot.
“I thought it started great and then it’s like you became possessed halfway through, it was quite incredible.”
Watch Sarah’s incredible audition below...
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.”