Britain’s Got Talent Offers First Look At New Season Ahead Of Launch Next Week

A first-look clip of the upcoming season of Britain’s Got Talent sees the return of theatrical acts, shocking stunts and the coveted golden buzzer.

The talent show – featuring judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams – returns on April 16 after the ITV series was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic.

Filming of the 15th series had been scheduled to begin early last year, however, production was delayed before being postponed until 2022.

The teaser video features the return of the show’s diverse range of acts including dance troupes, cartwheeling performers and singers belting out songs in the hope of impressing the judges.

Presenting duo Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly also feature in the clip as they return to host the show.

In the video, Cowell says: “Two minutes on this show can change your life forever.”

The music mogul, who created the show, missed some of the auditions in February due to testing positive for coronavirus.

This came not long after he took a tumble over his electric bike’s handlebars, while not wearing a helmet, during a ride near his home in west London.

The ITV show typically airs from around April until July, with the semi-final and final stages broadcast live.

Difficulties in filming amid the pandemic were compounded because acts travel from all over the UK and sometimes abroad to take part in the show.

The last series in 2020, saw 2009 winners Diversity perform a Black Lives Matter-inspired routine in which a man in a police uniform knelt on Ashley Banjo, echoing the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd.

The routine, which sparked more than 24,000 complaints to Ofcom, won the must-see moment at the 2021 TV Bafta Awards, which is voted for by the public.

Cowell was also replaced by Banjo on the judging panel for the final and semi-finals of the last series as he was recovering from a back injury.

Britain’s Got Talent launches on April 16 at 8pm and continues on April 17 at 7.35pm on ITV and ITV Hub.