Britain's Got Talent (series 11)
The eleventh series of Britain's Got Talent, a British talent competition series, began broadcasting in the UK during 2017, from 15 April to 3 June on ITV; because the One Love Manchester concert was to take place on 4 June, the live final was brought forward a day to avoid clashing with it.[1][2] Following the closure of Fountain Studios the previous year, the live episodes were broadcast from Elstree Studios.[3] The change in location allowed for a revamp of the studio used by both the main programme and its sister show, Britain's Got More Talent.[4]
Britain's Got Talent | |
---|---|
Series 11 | |
Broadcast from | 15 April – 3 June 2017 |
Judges | Simon Cowell Amanda Holden Alesha Dixon David Walliams |
Presenter(s) | Anthony McPartlin (ITV) Declan Donnelly (ITV) |
Co-presenter(s) | Stephen Mulhern (ITV2) |
Broadcaster | ITV ITV2 (BGMT) |
Winner | |
Tokio Myers | |
Origin | London |
Genre(s) | Pianist |
Runner-up | |
Issy Simpson |
For the first time in eleven years, this series featured no judges' vote for each semi final - instead the acts getting the highest and second-highest tally of public votes would move on to the live final;[5] after the series' conclusion, Cowell admitted that he disliked this format change.[6] In addition to the judges not voting for an act, the Public Wildcard format was dropped from the show, while the number of acts making it into the semi-finals was reduced to 40, returning to the original semi-final format used prior to the sixth series.
The eleventh series was won by musician Tokio Myers, with magician Issy Simpson finishing in second place and comedian Daliso Chaponda in third place.[7] During its broadcast, the series averaged around 9.1 million viewers.
Series overview
Following open auditions held the previous year between October to December,[8] the Judges' audition took place between January and February 2017, within Blackpool, London, Birmingham and Salford.[9] Along with discontinuing the use of the Public wildcard format, production staff changed the rules to suspend the use of the Judges' vote - the change meant that the voting system would be purely conducted by a public vote, with the semi-finalists receiving the highest and second-highest tally of votes respectively automatically securing a place in the live final. This change in format was not announced until 27 May 2017;[5] on 5 June, following the conclusion of the eleventh series, Cowell admitted he disliked this change and had production staff informed it would not be used for the next series.[6]
Of the participants that took part, only forty made it into the five live semi-finals - of these acts, singer Sarah Ikumu, dance group MerseyGirls, comedian Daliso Chaponda, comic magician Matt Edwards, and singer Kyle Tomlinson,[10] each received a golden buzzer during their auditions - with eight appearing in each one - returning to the original arrangement before the sixth series - and eleven of these acts making it into the live final; the wildcard act chosen by the judges was Sarah Ikumu, after she placed 3rd in the public vote in the third semi-final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:
- Winner | Runner-up | Third place | Finalist | Semi-finalist
Judges' Wildcard Finalist | Golden Buzzer Audition
Participant | Age(s) 1 | Genre | Act | From | Semi-final | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Angelicus Celtis | 12-17 | Singing | Choir | Llanelli, Carmarthenshire | 4 | Eliminated |
Code 3 | 14-16 | Dance | Dance Trio | Dartford, Kent | 5 | Eliminated |
Daliso Chaponda ![]() |
37 | Comedy | Stand-up Comedian | Manchester (originally Malawi) | 5 | Third place |
David Geaney | 22 | Dance | Dancer | Republic of Ireland | 3 | Eliminated |
Destiny Chukunyere | 14 | Singing | Singer | Birkirkara, Malta | 2 | Eliminated |
Dizzy Twilight | 65 | Variety | DJ | Wiltshire | 2 | Eliminated |
DNA | 29, 43 | Magic | Mentalists | London | 1 | Finalist |
Empire Dance Crew | 15-27 | Dance | Street Dance Troupe | London | 1 | Eliminated |
Grace & Ali | 17, 16 | Dance | Dancing Duo | Hartlepool & Middlesbrough | 2 | Eliminated |
Harry Gardner | 16 | Singing / Music | Singer & Pianist | Essex | 2 | Eliminated |
Issy Simpson | 8 | Magic | Magician | Blackpool | 2 | Runner-up |
Jamie Lee Harrison | 24 | Singing | Singer | Newcastle upon Tyne | 5 | Eliminated |
Jay Wynn | 36 | Singing | Singing Robot | Gloucester, Gloucestershire | 3 | Eliminated |
Jess Robinson | 34 | Comedy | Impressionist | London | 5 | Eliminated |
John Parnell | 63 | Variety | Hula-Hoop Artist | Nuneaton, Warwickshire | 4 | Eliminated |
Jonny Awsum | 39 | Singing / Comedy | Comic Singer | London | 4 | Eliminated |
Josephine Lee | 30 | Magic | Illusionist | London | 3 | Eliminated |
Kyle Tomlinson ![]() |
15 | Singing | Singer | Sheffield | 1 | Finalist |
Leah Barniville | 14 | Singing | Classical Singer | Republic of Ireland | 2 | Eliminated |
London School of Bollywood | 18-27 | Dance | Bollywood Dance Troupe | London | 3 | Eliminated |
Lords Of Strut | 35, 36 | Dance / Comedy | Comic Dance Duo | Cork, Republic of Ireland | 5 | Eliminated |
Martin & Faye | 47, 10 | Singing | Opera Duo | Warrington, Cheshire | 3 | Eliminated |
Matt Edwards ![]() |
34 | Magic / Comedy | Comic Magician | Suffolk | 2 | Finalist |
MerseyGirls ![]() |
14-17 | Dance | Dance Group | Merseyside | 4 | Finalist |
Miss Treat Vibe | 19-24 | Singing | Girl Group | Sheffield, London, Birmingham & Swindon, Wiltshire | 1 | Eliminated |
Missing People Choir | 32-71 | Singing | Choir | London | 5 | Finalist |
Ned Woodman | 8 | Comedy | Stand-up Comedian | Maidstone, Kent | 3 | Finalist |
Niels Harder | 26 | Magic / Comedy | Comic Magician | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 1 | Eliminated |
Paws With Soul | 24-29 | Dance | Dance Troupe | London | 4 | Eliminated |
PC Dan | 33 | Dance | Dancer | Kingston upon Hull | 1 | Eliminated |
Perfect Pitch Creation | 8-14 | Singing | Choir | Derbyshire | 5 | Eliminated |
Reuben Gray | 16 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | Guildford, Surrey | 4 | Eliminated |
Ryan Tracey | 35 | Variety | Balloonist | Omagh, County Tyrone | 4 | Eliminated |
Sarah Ikumu ![]() ![]() |
16 | Singing | Singer | Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire | 3 | Finalist |
St. Patrick's Junior Choir Drumgreenagh | 8-12 | Singing | Choir | Rathfriland, County Down | 1 | Eliminated |
TapTastik | 19-62 | Dance | Tap Dance Troupe | Brighton, East Sussex | 2 | Eliminated |
The Pensionalities 2 | 84, 75 | Singing | Singing Duet | Doncaster, South Yorkshire | 4 | Finalist |
TNG Characters | 16-25 | Dance | Dance Troupe | London | 5 | Eliminated |
Tokio Myers | 32 | Music | Pianist | London | 3 | Winner |
Tyrone & Mina | 36, 35 | Danger | Knife Throwing Duo | Argentina & Spain | 1 | Eliminated |
- ^1 Ages denoted in this column pertain to those of the respective participant(s) for their final performance for this series.
- ^2 Each respective participant(s) auditioned under a different name, before changing them for their semi-final appearance.
Semi-finals summary
Buzzed out | Advanced - 1st in public vote | Advanced - 2nd in public vote- Eliminated - 3rd in public vote | Eliminated
Semi-final 1 (29 May)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Alfie Boe & Dame Vera Lynn ("We'll Meet Again") [11][12]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes | Finished [13] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
St. Patrick's Junior Choir Drumgreenagh | 1 | Choir | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
PC Dan | 2 | Dancer | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Niels Harder | 3 | Comic Magician | ![]() |
8th - Eliminated | |||
Kyle Tomlinson | 4 | Singer | 2nd (Second in Public Vote) | ||||
Empire Dance Crew | 5 | Street Dance Troupe | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
DNA | 6 | Mentalists | 1st (Won Public Vote) | ||||
Tyrone & Mina | 7 | Knife Throwing Duo | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Miss Treat Vibe | 8 | Girl Group | 3rd - (Lost Public Vote) |
Semi-final 2 (30 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Camila Cabello ("I Have Questions" / "Crying in the Club") [11][14]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes | Finished [13] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Destiny Chukunyere | 1 | Singer | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Dizzy Twilight | 2 | DJ | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
Harry Gardner | 3 | Singer & Pianist | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Issy Simpson | 4 | Magician | 1st (Won Public Vote) | ||||
Matt Edwards | 5 | Comic Magician | 2nd (Second in Public Vote) | ||||
Leah Barniville | 6 | Classical Singer | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Grace & Ali | 7 | Dancing Duo | 3rd (Lost Public Vote) | ||||
TapTastik | 8 | Tap Dance Troupe | 7th - Eliminated |
Semi-final 3 (31 May)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Cast of Bat Out of Hell: The Musical ("I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" / "Dead Ringer for Love") [11][15]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes | Finished [13] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Josephine Lee | 1 | Illusionist | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
London School of Bollywood | 2 | Bollywood Dance Troupe | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Martin & Faye | 3 | Opera Duo | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Ned Woodman | 4 | Stand-up Comedian | 2nd (Second in Public Vote) | ||||
Jay Wynn | 5 | Singing Robot | ![]() |
![]() |
8th - Eliminated | ||
Sarah Ikumu 3 | 6 | Singer | 3rd (Lost Public Vote) | ||||
David Geaney | 7 | Dancer | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Tokio Myers | 8 | Pianist | 1st (Won Public Vote) |
- ^3 Sarah Ikumu was later sent through to the final as the judges' wildcard.
Semi-final 4 (1 June)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Richard Jones [11]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes | Finished [13] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Paws With Soul | 1 | Dance Troupe | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Angelicus Celtis | 2 | Choir | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
John Parnell | 3 | Hula-Hoop Artist | ![]() |
![]() |
8th - Eliminated | ||
Reuben Gray | 4 | Singer & Guitarist | 3rd (Lost Public Vote) | ||||
Ryan Tracey | 5 | Balloonist | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
The Pensionalities | 6 | Singing Duet | 1st (Won Public Vote) | ||||
Jonny Awsum | 7 | Comic Singer | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
MerseyGirls | 8 | Dance Group | 2nd (Second in Public Vote) |
Semi-final 5 (2 June)
Guest Performer, Results Show: 5 After Midnight ("Up In Here") [11][16]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes | Finished [13] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Jess Robinson | 1 | Impressionist | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Perfect Pitch Creation | 2 | Choir | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Code 3 | 3 | Dance Trio | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
Daliso Chaponda | 4 | Stand-up Comedian | 1st (Won Public Vote) | ||||
Missing People Choir | 5 | Choir | 2nd (Second in Public Vote) | ||||
TNG Characters | 6 | Dance Troupe | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Jamie Lee Harrison | 7 | Singer | 3rd (Lost Public Vote) | ||||
Lords of Strut | 8 | Comic Dance Duo | 4th - Eliminated |
Final (3 June)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Diversity [11]
- Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place
Finalist | Order | Act | Finished [13] |
---|---|---|---|
The Pensionalities | 1 | Singing Duo | 5th |
MerseyGirls | 2 | Dance Group | 9th |
Kyle Tomlinson | 3 | Singer | 6th |
Ned Woodman | 4 | Stand-up Comedian | 10th |
DNA | 5 | Mentalists | 11th |
Matt Edwards | 6 | Comic Magician | 4th |
Missing People Choir | 7 | Choir | 8th |
Sarah Ikumu | 8 | Singer | 7th |
Daliso Chaponda | 9 | Stand-up Comedian | 3rd |
Issy Simpson | 10 | Magician | 2nd |
Tokio Myers | 11 | Pianist | 1st |
Ratings
Episode | Air date | Total viewers (millions) [17] | ITV Weekly rank [17] |
---|---|---|---|
Auditions 1 | 15 April | 11.35 | 1 |
Auditions 2 | 22 April | 11.62 | 2 |
Auditions 3 | 29 April | 10.79 | 1 |
Auditions 4 | 6 May | 11.69 | 1 |
Auditions 5 | 13 May | 10.97 | 1 |
Auditions 6 | 20 May | 11.39 | 1 |
Auditions 7 | 27 May | 10.69 | 1 |
Semi-final 1 | 29 May | 9.75 | 2 |
Semi-final 1 results | 7.19 | 12 | |
Semi-final 2 | 30 May | 7.90 | 10 |
Semi-final 2 results | 6.44 | 16 | |
Semi-final 3 | 31 May | 8.24 | 8 |
Semi-final 3 results | 6.78 | 14 | |
Semi-final 4 | 1 June | 7.54 | 11 |
Semi-final 4 results | 7.09 | 13 | |
Semi-final 5 | 2 June | 8.10 | 9 |
Semi-final 5 results | 6.51 | 15 | |
Final | 3 June | 10.07 | 1 |
Criticism & controversies
Admin blunder
Following the broadcast of the second audition episode, production staff had been double-checking the background of Chinese acrobatics duo Gao Lin and Liu Xin, both of whom had auditioned for the show, when it was found that due to an administrative mistake, the terms and conditions for the show had not been updated on the programme's website with changes that had been made in 2015. Part of these changes included an amendment which required any foreign participant taking part on Britain's Got Talent to have the proper visas that gave them "the right to live and work in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Republic of Ireland". A check of the pair found that they only had visitation rights to the UK on their visas, which would have forbidden them further entry into the competition had the mistake not occurred. Although the pair got no further than the auditions, a spokesperson later stated that while their visas did not deny them entry into the competition, they would have had to change them if they won the series and sought to claim the prize money afterwards.[18]
Lip-synching/miming claims
Following the first semi-final, several viewers took to social media to criticise St. Patrick's Junior Choir of cheating, claiming that they were miming in their performance. These accusations were made, when the choir's performance was immediately stopped by the show's hosts because of technical difficulties, whereupon a piece of recording of them singing played for a short while in the background as they prepared to restart their song. However, the show refuted the claims of miming, explaining that while fixing the technical error, which was caused by the wrong track being provided for the choir to perform to, a recording from their rehearsal had been accidentally played while they were trying to rectify this.[19]
Holden's dress complaint
Following the fourth semi-final, several viewers took to social media to criticise Amanda Holden over her choice of outfit she wore during the live episode. The accusations were against a dress, designed by Julien Macdonald, that featured a plunging neckline that revealed a large part of her chest, which viewers felt was inappropriate to be shown on TV before the 9pm watershed.[20][21] Although Ofcom received over six hundred complaints in regards to this matter, the regulator chose not to investigate the matter further.
References
- Westbrook, Caroline (2 June 2017). "Little Mix cancel Britain's Got Talent final performance after show's switch to Saturday night". Metro. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- "Britain's Got Talent Grand Final moves to Saturday". 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- "Britain's Got Talent". Elstreestudios.co.uk. 28 February 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- "Britain's Got Talent's brand new live set and studio revealed | Britain's Got Talent 2017". TellyMix.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- "Britain's Got Talent 2017 confirm brand new twist for the live shows | Britain's Got Talent 2017". TellyMix.co.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- Anna Francis (5 June 2017). "Simon Cowell reveals BIG change he's making to Britain's Got Talent and viewers aren't happy about it". Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- "Britain's Got Talent Final winner: musician Tokio Myers triumphs - just ahead of magician Issy Simpson". The Telegraph. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- "NEW DATES ADDED: It's audition time and we're coming to a city near YOU!". 14 October 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- "Britain's Got Talent 2017 auditions: Judges' audition dates, venues, tickets". TellyMix. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- Anth, Gee (3 February 2017). "Britain's Got Talent 2017: David Walliams and Amanda Holden press their golden buzzers!". Twit Celeb Gossip. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
- "Little Mix, Diversity, Camila Cabello & more to perform at BGT Semi-Finals". Britain's Got Talent. itv.com. 27 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- @AlfieBoe (27 May 2017). "@AlfieBoe: Don't miss Alfie singing Dame Vera Lynn's iconic 'We'll Meet Again' during Monday's #BGT live results show! Tune in to @ITV from 9.30pm" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- "Britain's Got Talent 2017 voting percentages revealed!". ITV. 3 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- @CamilaCabello (28 May 2017). "@Camila_Cabello: performing #cryinglntheclub on @BGT tuesday may 30th!!! which means my UK cuties i get to see u sooooooooon" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via Twitter.
- @BatOutOfHell (27 May 2017). "@BatTheMusical: The rock'n'roll rumours are true...the cast of @BATtheMusical will PERFORM LIVE on Britain's Got Talent (@BGT) on Wednesday 31st May" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via Twitter.
- @5AM (27 May 2017). "@5AfterMidnight: WE ARE COMING to @BGT on 2nd June! Can't wait to perform #UpInHere live for you guys for the first time" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via Twitter.
- "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- Daly, Helen (26 April 2017). "Britain's Got Talent: Gao Lin and Liu Xin forced to leave competition after show blunder". Daily Express. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- O'Sullivan, Kyle (29 May 2017). "Britain's Got Talent hit by cheat claims after viewers accuse school choir of miming". The Mirror. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- Harris, Niomi (1 June 2017). "Amanda Holden slammed over her 'INAPPROPRIATE' dress as viewers deem it too revealing for a family show". OK Magazine. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
- Minn, Hayley (1 June 2017). "'It's a family show!' Amanda Holden blasted for VERY revealing dress on Britain's Got Talent". The Mirror. Retrieved 2 June 2017.