If you caught ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ this weekend, you’ll have seen magician Marc Spelmann getting the first Golden Buzzer of the series.
Marc’s audition provided the emotional climax of the episode, when presenters Ant and Dec were so taken by his illusion they ran from backstage to hit the golden buzzer, guaranteeing him a spot in this year’s semi-finals.
Well, despite being an early favourite this year, it would appear that Marc wasn’t always such a fan of ‘BGT’.
A tweet posted by Marc in 2012 reveals he previously referred to the show as a “joke” and a “mockery of entertainment”, adding: “Simon [Cowell] is laughing at the deluded public. Do not vote!”
In another tweet, commenting on one hopeful magician’s performance, he referred to judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams, as “idiots”, noting: “Just shows you how much they know about magic, even my audiences know the ‘oops it’s gone wrong’.”
That same year, he referred to the show as “predictable” and “tired”, and following the series finale, which saw Ashleigh and Pudsey crowned winners, Marc lamented: “A dog is the most talented act in the UK. My God I’m genuinely embarrassed.”
With the historic tweets - which were deleted on Thursday (19 April) after being unearthed, Marc told The Sun: “I have changed rather a lot in the last six years and the offhand tweets I made about ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ many years ago in no way reflect my thoughts and feelings on the show now.
“I am a huge fan of the series and it has been a dream of mine to perform for the judges since before my daughter was born.
“The tweets were careless comments made from my sofa, which I have since deleted as I would not want to give the impression I feel that way.
“The outpouring of support I have received from the public since getting the golden buzzer has been overwhelming and I can’t thank ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and the public enough, I am very proud to be part of the show.”
Just one week in, and this year’s ‘BGT’ is already off to a flying start, with the first week of auditions giving ITV its highest viewing figures for an entertainment show in 2018.
The episode also saw the introduction of comedian Robert White and dance troupe DVJ, a junior version of Diversity, who won the third series of ‘BGT’ way back in 2009.