Britain's Got Talent (series 2)

The second series 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, ITV commissioned the programme for additional episodes, which allowed production staff to increase the number of auditions and semi-finals that the competition incorporated, and thus subsequently increase the number of participants that secured a place in the final. Auditions that were filmed took place across a larger variety of cities across the United Kingdom. Both the judges from the first series - Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan - and the hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially known as 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.

Britain's Got Talent
Series 2
Broadcast from12 April –
31 May 2008
JudgesSimon Cowell
Amanda Holden
Piers Morgan
Presenter(s)Anthony McPartlin (ITV)
Declan Donnelly (ITV)
Co-presenter(s)Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)
BroadcasterITV
ITV2 (BGMT)
Winner
George Sampson
OriginWarrington, England
Genre(s)Breakdancer
Runner-up
Signature

The second series was won by street dancer George Sampson,[1] with dance duo Signature finishing in second place, and singer Andrew Johnston placing third. During its broadcast, the series proved to be a greater ratings success, averaging 10.2 million viewers.[2] ITV was forced to defend the programme during its second series, after viewers criticised the involvement of a professional group in the contest.

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,[3] 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
Participant Age(s) 1 Genre Act From Semi-Final Result
Andrew Johnston 13 Singing Boy Soprano Carlisle, Cumbria 2 Third place
Andrew Muir 24 Singing Singer Fauldhouse, West Lothian 4 Finalist
Anya Sparks 42 Dance Dancer London 5 Eliminated
Bang On 34, 27 Music Urban Percussionists Hounslow, London 2 Eliminated
Boogie Babes 8–12 Dance Dance Troupe Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria 4 Eliminated
Boogie Wonderland 12–21 Dance Dance Troupe Liverpool 1 Eliminated
Caburlesque 22-26 Dance Cabaret & Burlesque Group London 5 Eliminated
Charlie Green 10 Singing Singer Worcestershire 3 Eliminated
Charlie Wernham 13 Comedy Stand-up Comedian Essex 4 Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 8, 9 Dance Junior Dance Duo Burnley, Lancashire 2 Finalist
Craig Harper 35 Singing / Comedy Singer & Impressionist Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire 5 Eliminated
Dean Wilson 18 Singing Musical Theatre Performer Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire 1 Eliminated
Deans of Magic 46, 38 Magic Erotic Magicians Daventry, Northamptonshire 3 Eliminated
Diva Las Vegas 20-48 Dance Cabaret Dance Group Runcorn, Cheshire 5 Eliminated
Escala 23–26 Music Electric String Quartet London 5 Finalist
Faryl Smith 12 Singing Classical Singer Kettering, Northamptonshire 4 Finalist
Flava 17–28 Dance Hip-hop Dance Group Cornwall 2 Eliminated
George Sampson 14 Dance Breakdancer Warrington, Cheshire 3 Winner
Harlequin Stage School 8–13 Dance Dance Troupe Worcester, Worcestershire 4 Eliminated
Hoop La La 22, 23, 24 Dance / Variety Hula Hoopers Inverness 3 Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj 27 Variety Contortionist London 2 Eliminated
Irresistible 23, 21, 23 Singing Pop Group Tyne & Wear 3 Eliminated
James Stone 52 Singing Singer Rhyl, Denbighshire 4 Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 20 Variety Football Freestyler Essex 4 Eliminated
Kate And Gin 16, 6 2 Animals / Dance Musical Canine Freestyle Norbury, Cheshire 1 Finalist
Kay And Harvey 56, 71 Singing / Music Opera Singer & Keyboardist Duo Bristol 2 Eliminated
Madonna Decena 32 Singing Singer Manchester 5 Eliminated
Mandy Ellen Dancers 10–24 Dance Dance Troupe Maidstone, Kent 2 Eliminated
Mary Halford March 6–9 Dance Dance Troupe Liverpool 3 Eliminated
Michael Machell 57 Music Electric Keyboardist Hastings, East Sussex 1 Eliminated
Nemesis 18–22 Dance Dance Group Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire 5 Finalist
Per Diem 24, 23 Singing / Music Guitarist & Singer Duo Liverpool 5 Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 34 Danger / Variety Balancer & Juggler London 1 Eliminated
Sauris Nandi 64 Magic Illusionist London 2 Eliminated
Signature 29, 34 Dance Michael Jackson & Bhangra Dance Duo London 1 Runner-up
Sophie Mei 20 Dance / Variety Belly Dancer Sheffield 1 Eliminated
Strike 22, 19 Variety Martial Artists Sheffield 3 Finalist
Tracy Lee Collins 44 Singing Drag act Leicester, Leicestershire 1 Eliminated
Urban Gypsies 35–50 Dance Belly-dancing Troupe Blackpool 3 Eliminated
Vizage 34, 30 Magic / Singing Quick-change Artists & Singers Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire 4 Eliminated
  • ^1 Ages denoted in this column pertain a participant(s) age in their final performance for this series.
  • ^2 The latter value pertains to the age of the dog, as disclosed by its owner.

Semi-final summary
Buzzed out | Judges' vote |   Advanced - Public Vote
  Advanced - Judges' Vote |   Eliminated - Judges' Vote |   Eliminated

Semi-final 1 (26 May)
Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Boogie Wonderland 1 Dance Troupe Eliminated
Kate and Gin 2 Musical Canine Freestyle Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Michael Machell 3 Electric Keyboardist Eliminated
Dean Wilson 4 Musical Theatre Performer Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Sophie Mei 5 Belly Dancer Eliminated
Tracey Lee Collins 6 Drag Act Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 7 Balancer & Juggler Eliminated
Signature 8 Michael Jackson & Bhangra Dance Duo Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 2 (27 May)
Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Mandy Ellen Dancers 1 Dance Troupe Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj 2 Contortionist Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 3 Junior Dance Duo Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Kay and Harvey 4 Opera Singer & Keyboardist Duo Eliminated
Bang On 5 Urban Percussionists Eliminated
Flava 6 Hip-hop Dance Group Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Sauris Nandi 7 Illusionist Eliminated
Andrew Johnston 8 Boy Soprano Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 3 (28 May)
Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Irresistible 1 Pop Group Eliminated
Strike 2 Martial Artists Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Mary Halford March 3 Dance Troupe Eliminated
The Deans of Magic 4 Erotic Magicians Eliminated
Charlie Green 5 Singer Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Urban Gypsies 6 Belly-dancing Troupe Eliminated
Hoop La La 7 Hula Hoopers Eliminated
George Sampson 8 Breakdancer Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 4 (29 May)
Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
James Stone 1 Singer Eliminated
Charlie Wernham 2 Stand-up Comedian Eliminated
Harlequin Stage School 3 Dance Troupe Eliminated
Andrew Muir 4 Singer Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
The Boogie Babes 5 Dance Troupe Eliminated
Vizage 6 Quick-change Artists & Singers Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 7 Football Freestyler Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Faryl Smith 8 Classical Singer Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 5 (30 May)
Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Caburlesque 1 Cabaret & Burlesque Group Eliminated
Madonna Decena 2 Singer Eliminated
Anya Sparks 3 Dancer Eliminated
Craig Harper 4 Singer & Impersonator Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Diva Las Vegas 5 Cabaret Dance Group Eliminated
Nemesis 6 Dance Troupe Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Per Diem 7 Singer & Guitarist Duo Eliminated
Escala 8 Electric String Quartet Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Final (31 May)
  Winner |   Runner-up |   3rd place
Finalist Order Act Result 3
Cheeky Monkeys 1 Junior Dance Duo Finalist
Andrew Muir 2 Singer Finalist
Kate and Gin 3 Musical Canine Freestyle Finalist
Nemesis 4 Dance Troupe Finalist
Strike 5 Martial Artists Finalist
Andrew Johnston 6 Boy Soprano 3rd
George Sampson 7 Breakdancer 1st
Faryl Smith 8 Classical Singer Finalist
Escala 9 Electric String Quartet Finalist
Signature 10 Michael Jackson & Bhangra Dancer Duo 2nd
  • ^3 The results did not declare any other position than that of the winner, 2nd place, and 3rd place.

Ratings
Main article: List of Britain's Got Talent episodes
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

The involvement of the group Escala in the second series of Britain's Got Talent, left the programme facing accusations of unfair conduct for the involvement of performers that were professionals in their talent. The controversy of the accusation was highlighted by the media through evidence that the group had performed during the wrap party for the fourth series of The X Factor in 2007. In response, ITV refuted the allegations, arguing in their defence that the programme applied the same process for everyone who auditioned, and that the programme was open to any performer regardless of their experience with the talent they chose to perform with.[18]

References
  1. "Breakdancer wins TV talent contest". The Press Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  2. "Reality TV hurts too much – WalesOnline". Icwales.icnetwork.co.uk. 31 May 2008.
  3. Top 40 Acts Archived 29 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "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. "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. Scala Are Bunch Of Real Pros Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
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