Britain's Got Talent (series 2)

Britain's Got Talent
Series 2
Broadcast from 12 April – 31 May 2008
Judges Simon Cowell
Amanda Holden
Piers Morgan
Presenter(s) Anthony McPartlin (ITV)
Declan Donnelly (ITV)
Co-presenter(s) Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)
Broadcaster ITV
ITV2 (BGMT)
Winner
George Sampson
Origin Warrington, England
Genre(s) Street dance
Runner-up
Signature

Series Two of Britain's Got Talent, a British talent competition series, began broadcasting in the UK during 2008, from 12 April to 31 May on ITV. Following the success of its first series, the show returned with an expanded schedule, allowing for additional live semi-finals to take place and a larger number of finalists moving on towards the live final, while having holding auditions in a larger variety of locations; apart from England and Wales, the show also held auditions within Scotland for the first time. Both the judges from the first series - Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan - and the hosts Ant & Dec, returned for the second series, along with Stephen Mulhern returning to front the second series of Britain's Got More Talent on ITV 2.

The second series was won by street dancer George Sampson, with dance duo Signature coming in second and singer Andrew Johnston in third. During its broadcast, the series proved to be a greater ratings success, averaging 10.2 million viewers.[1]

Series overview

Following open auditions held the previous year, the Judge's Auditions took place early in 2008, within London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Blackpool. With the success of the previous series, the production team decided to expand the show's filming schedule to include more episodes. This led to the addition of two more episodes for auditions and two more live episodes for semi-finals, in turn leading to a direct increase in the number of semi-finalists that the judges could move beyond the auditions stage of the competition. Both the judges and the presenters who took part in the first series agreed to return for the second series, leading to no significant changes in the panel or hosts.

Of the participants that took part, only forty made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals,[2] with eight appearing in each one, and ten of these acts making it into the live final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:

  Winner
  Runner-up
  Third place
  Finalist
  Semi-finalist (lost judges'vote)
  Semi-finalist (eliminated)
Participant Age(s)1 Genre Act From Semi-Final Result
Andrew Johnston 13 Singing Boy soprano Carlisle 2 Third place
Andrew Muir 24 Singing Pop Fauldhouse, West Lothian 4 Finalist (Won Judges' vote)
Anya Sparks 42 Dancing Solo Dance London 5 Eliminated
Bang On 34/27 Music Percussionists Hounslow 2 Eliminated
Boogie Babes 8–12 Dancing 19-strong troupe Appleby 4 Eliminated
Boogie Wonderland 12–21 Dancing 16-strong troupe Liverpool 1 Eliminated
Caburlesque 22-26 Dancing Cabaret/Burlesque London 5 Eliminated
Charlie Green 10 Singing Swing music Worcestershire 3 Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)
Charlie Wernham 13 Comedy Stand-up comedy Essex 4 Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 8/9 Dancing Junior Couples Dance Burnley 2 Finalist (Won Judges' vote)
Craig Harper 35 Singing / Comedy Pop / Impressionist Hull 5 Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)
Dean Wilson 18 Singing Musical Theatre Middlesbrough 1 Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)
Deans of Magic 46/38 Magic Erotic magic Daventry 3 Eliminated
Diva Las Vegas 20-48 Dancing 7-strong cabaret act Runcorn 5 Eliminated
Escala 23–26 Music String quartet London 5 Finalist (Won Public vote)
Faryl Smith 12 Singing Classical Kettering 4 Finalist (Won Public vote)
Flava 17–28 Dancing Hip-hop Dance Cornwall 2 Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)
George Sampson 14 Dancing Breakdancing Warrington 3 Winner[3]
Harlequin Stage School 8–13 Dancing 22-strong troupe Worcester 4 Eliminated
Hoop La La 22/23/24 Dancing Hula hoops Inverness 3 Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj 27 Variety Contortionist London 2 Eliminated
Irresistible 23/21/23 Singing / Dancing Pop Tyne & Wear 3 Eliminated
James Stone 52 Singing Pop Rhyl 4 Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 20 Acrobatics Football skills Essex 4 Eliminated (Lost Judges' vote)
Kate And Gin 16/6 Dancing/Animals Musical canine freestyle Norbury, Cheshire 1 Finalist (Won Judges' vote)
Kay And Harvey 56/71 Singing Opera Bristol 2 Eliminated
Madonna Decena 32 Singing Pop Manchester 5 Eliminated
Mandy Ellen Dancers 10–24 Dancing 39-strong troupe Maidstone 2 Eliminated
Mary Halford March 6–9 Dancing 24-strong troupe Liverpool 3 Eliminated
Michael Machell 57 Music Electric Keyboardist Hastings 1 Eliminated
Nemesis 18–22 Dancing 5-strong troupe Milton Keynes 5 Finalist (Won Judges' vote)
Per Diem 24/23 Music Guitar and voice Liverpool 5 Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 34 Danger Balancing Act Kingston-upon-Thames 1 Eliminated
Sauris Nandi 64 Magic Deception & Illusion London 2 Eliminated
Signature 29/34 Dancing Michael Jackson / Bhangra London 1 2nd Place
Sophie Mei 20 Dancing Belly-dancing Sheffield 1 Eliminated
Strike 22/19 Dancing Martial arts demo Sheffield 3 Finalist (Won Judges' vote)
Tracy Lee Collins 44 Singing Drag act Leicester 1 Eliminated
Urban Gypsies 35–50 Dancing 7-strong belly-dancing troupe Blackpool 3 Eliminated
Vizage 34/30 Magic/Singing Quick change artists and singers Hull 4 Eliminated
  • ^1 Ages denoted here are for their last performance in the series.

Semi-final summary

Buzzed out
Judges' vote
  Won the public vote |   Won the judges' vote
  Lost the judges' vote |   Eliminated

Semi-final 1 (26 May)

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and judges' votes Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Boogie Wonderland 1 Dance Group Eliminated
Kate and Gin 2 Dancing Dog Act 2nd (Won Judges' vote)
Michael Machell 3 Electric Keyboardist Eliminated
Dean Wilson 4 Musical Theatre Performer 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Sophie Mei 5 Belly Dancer Eliminated
Tracey Lee Collins 6 Drag Act Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 7 Balancer And Juggler Eliminated
Signature 8 Michael Jackson/Bhangra Dance Duo 1st (Won Public vote)

Semi-final 2 (27 May)

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and judges' votes Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Mandy Ellen Dancers 1 Dance Group Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj 2 Contortionist Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 3 Junior Dance Duo 2nd (Won Judges' vote)
Kay and Harvey 4 Opera Singer And Keyboardist Eliminated
Bang On! 5 Urban Percussionists Eliminated
Flava 6 Hip-Hop Dance Group 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Sauris Nandi 7 Illusionist Eliminated
Andrew Johnston 8 Boy soprano 1st (Won Public vote)

Semi-final 3 (28 May)

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and judges' votes Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Irresistible 1 Vocal Group Eliminated
Strike 2 Martial Artists 2nd (Won Judges' vote)
Mary Halford March 3 Dance Group Eliminated
The Deans of Magic 4 Magician Eliminated
Charlie Green 5 Singer 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Urban Gypsies 6 Belly Dancing Group Eliminated
Hoop La La 7 Hula Hoop Performers Eliminated
George Sampson 8 Breakdancer 1st (Won Public vote)

Semi-final 4 (29 May)

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and judges' votes Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
James Stone 1 Singer Eliminated
Charlie Wernham 2 Stand-up Comedian Eliminated
Harlequin Stage School 3 Dance Group Eliminated
Andrew Muir 4 Singer 2nd (Won Judges' vote)
The Boogie Babes 5 Dance Group Eliminated
Vizage 6 Quick-change 2 Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 7 Football Player 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Faryl Smith 8 Classical Singer 1st (won public vote)
  • ^2 Amanda Holden stated after the act that Simon Cowell pressed her buzzer.

Semi-final 5 (30 May)

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and judges' votes Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Caburlesque 1 Cabaret/Burlesque Group Eliminated
Madonna Decena 2 Singer Eliminated
Anya Sparks 3 Dancer Eliminated
Craig Harper 4 Vocal Impersonator 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Diva Las Vegas 5 Cabaret Group Eliminated
Nemesis 6 Dance Group 2nd (Won Judges' vote)
Per Diem 7 Singer And Guitarist Eliminated
Escala 8 Electric String Quartet 1st (won public vote)

Final (31 May)

  Winner |   Runner-up |   3rd place
Finalist Order Act Finished 3
Cheeky Monkeys 1 Junior Dance Duo Undeclared
Andrew Muir 2 Singer Undeclared
Kate and Gin 3 Dancing Dog Act Undeclared
Nemesis 4 Dance Group Undeclared
Strike 5 Martial Artists Undeclared
Andrew Johnston 6 Boy soprano 3rd
George Sampson 7 Breakdancer 1st
Faryl Smith 8 Classical Singer Undeclared
Escala 9 Electric String Quartet Undeclared
Signature 10 Michael Jackson/Bhangra 2nd
  • ^3 The results did not declare any other position than that of the winner, 2nd place, and 3rd place.

Ratings

Episode Date Official ITV1 rating
(millions)[4]		 Weekly rank[4] Share
Auditions 1 12 April 9.44 6 37.0%[5]
Auditions 2 19 April 10.96 1 43.3%[6]
Auditions 3 26 April 9.86 3 41.3%[7]
Auditions 4 3 May 9.12 5 39.1%[8]
Auditions 5 10 May 8.17 6 37.9%[9]
Auditions 6 17 May 9.11 2 37.5%[10]
Auditions 7 24 May 8.27 5 37.2%[11]
Semi-final 1 26 May 11.33 4 42.0%[12]
Semi-final 2 27 May 9.29 9 35.3%[13]
Semi-final 3 28 May 10.03 6 35.9%[14]
Semi-final 4 29 May 10.13 5 41.9%[15]
Semi-final 5 30 May 11.86 2 50.0%[16]
Live final 31 May 11.52 3 51.1%[17]
Live final results 13.88 1 55.1%[17]

Controversies

Professional participants

During the initial broadcast of the second series, several accusations were made in relation to unfair conduct, in which the show was criticised for allowing a professional group of performers to take part. The group in question, Escala, was noted in the media for having already performed during The X Factor wrap party in late 2007, before being invited to take part in the competition by Simon Cowell after the party. While the band had already been involved in a legal matter over their initial name of "Scala" when they auditioned, after it was found to be already in use by a female voice choir in Belgium,[18] ITV refuted the accusations highlighted by the media, stating that they had gone through "the same application and audition process as everyone else", and that the programme was open to any performer "be it professional or amateur, with any talent".[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Reality TV hurts too much – WalesOnline". Icwales.icnetwork.co.uk. 31 May 2008.
  2. ↑ Top 40 Acts Archived 29 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Breakdancer wins TV talent contest". The Press Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ↑ Brook, Stephen (14 April 2008). "Britain's Got Talent back with 8.8m". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Brook, Stephen (21 April 2008). "Ratings soar for Britain's Got Talent". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  7. ↑ Reevell, Philip (30 April 2008). "International formats bolster ITV weekend". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  8. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (6 May 2008). "Talent shines but viewers head outdoors". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (12 May 2008). "Talent sizzles as heat hits ratings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  10. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (19 May 2008). "FA Cup final scores a ratings victory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  11. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: 7.1m UK viewers tune in to Eurovision". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  12. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent dances off with honours". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  13. ↑ Rogers, Jon (28 May 2008). "ITV1 delivers masterclass to The Apprentice". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  14. ↑ Rogers, Jon (29 May 2008). "2.8m get the Mary Whitehouse experience". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  15. ↑ Rogers, Jon (30 May 2008). "Thursday peaktime blues for BBC1". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  16. ↑ Dowell, Ben (2 June 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent semi-final shines for ITV". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  17. 1 2 "Britain's Got Talent wins ratings war – Showbiz – News – Manchester Evening News". Manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 18 April 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008.
  18. ↑ Britain's Got Talent: row over Scala's name
  19. ↑ Scala Are Bunch Of Real Pros Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
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