Two Britain’s Got Talent judges given ‘big talking to’ by ITV bosses

While other competition shows fall by the wayside or face uncertain futures, Britain’s Got Talent returns this spring for a spry 19th season.

The ever-changing judging panel on the ITV show, which offers up a prize of £250,000 and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance, has a new fourth face.

Gone is Bruno Toniolo, with former guest judge KSI now on a full-time contract, joining Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and fearsome Simon Cowell.

It’s a change that Dixon told Metro and other press ahead of the premiere brought Cowell’s ‘naughty side’ back out – as became evident when he learned his hotel in Blackpool had a joke shop (as well as a nearby rollercoaster).

Cowell said he went in and bought a trove of stink bombs, which Holden reported did not leave the production team best pleased when they got wind of it.

‘Word got round that the stink bombs had been bought and the producers gave us a big talking to. We weren’t allowed them,’ she explained.

The judging panel have billed this season as an altogether more bonkers and British affair, with competition rife over who would get which act for their prized golden buzzer.  

‘We were fighting over the golden buzzers a lot. That was funny,’ Cowell laughed, prompting Dixon to share the one act that got her to dive across the panel desk for the big button.

‘I could sense Simon getting up, and I literally dived. I’ve never dived before. I dived onto the desk,’ the singer said, then adding of the production team, ‘and then they wanted me to recreate this dive. 

‘I said, How can I recreate this? I injured myself just to stop him getting his way. But it was so funny. 

‘For me overall, this season felt like we were back to the chaos that we love on our show. More than ever it just felt really bonkers.’

From the sounds of things, it is also a vintage year for the acts on stage. Ant McPartlin said he and Dec Donnelly were ‘surprised more this series than ever before’ from their vantage point in the wings of the theatre at auditions.

‘Britain’s Got Talent is the one show on telly where you just don’t know what’s going to come on screen from one week to the next. 

‘We’ve been doing it for 19 seasons now and when they walk around the corner, that’s the first time we’ve seen them. 

‘When we’ve gone into a new series, we think we’ve seen it all. We really haven’t. We’re surprised every series, and we’re surprised more this series than ever before.’

Britain’s Got Talent returns on February 21 at 7pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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