INTERVIEWS
AMANDA:‘Simon has a twinkle in his eye!’
Nobody could accuse Amanda Holden of not being enthusiastic enough about her role on BGT. Returning to the judges’ panel for her 17th series, the TV personality is back for what has turned out to be “another bumper year of talent”. Teasing what to expect, Amanda confesses she’s dished out two golden buzzers this year: one to a “super-charming, very charismatic” singer who gave “Adele vibes”, and another to a male act who had her “howling with laughter”.
“I got the giggles because I kept thinking of what my husband and kids would think when they were watching it and saw who I pressed my buzzer for. They won’t see it coming, it’s not an act that anyone would think I’d press the buzzer for!” she laughs.
Another highlight for Amanda was the return of new judge Bruno Tonioli, who joined the panel last year and caused mayhem when he missed the memo that the golden buzzer can be pressed just once at the end of a performance – and buzzed it in the middle of a routine by Ghetto Kids and again in the sixth episode for singer Gamal John.
And Amanda says Bruno is bringing the same energy, if a little less “chaos”.
“I think Simon’s got that twinkle in his eye where he just winks at Bruno to say, ‘Go on, go on. I dare you. I don’t care if you break the rules’. I feel like Bruno’s brought the same infectious energy that he always brings. Auditions were slightly chaotic this year but that’s down to Simon, it’s not really to do with Bruno,” she reveals.
And dishing out advice to anyone who wants to audition next time, Amanda says the secret is winning over the British public. “I absolutely loved [last year’s winner] Viggo [Venn], he won most of the votes, and people voted for him I think because he was fun, humble and made us all smile. These are people that you think, ‘They’re like me’. In our country, we like down-to-earth underdogs.”
SIMON:‘It’s like a party – the energy is electric!’
As the man responsible for making BGT happen, Simon Cowell knows how important it is that the acts who make it through auditions have star quality. Luckily, the class of 2024 have that in spades.
“I watched all the ‘yes’ tapes back and honestly, it’s going to be an amazing show this year. It’s just different and it’s fun and it’s got everything you want from BGT,” he says. When asked what the atmosphere of the live shows is like, he adds, “An absolute party! Those live shows are incredible, the energy is electric. If we had a hundred shows, we could fill that theatre every night given the amount of requests for tickets we get.”
BRUNO: ‘I’m staying as long as they want me!’
