Bigger, Greater...& even more Talent

Judges & hosts say this year's chaotic BGT is the best ever

- NICOLA METHVEN

AFTER 17 years, you'd have thought Britain would run out of talent by now but according to the judges 2024 is shaping up to be one of the strongest series so far.

Promising an "absolute party" in which the rulebook appears to have been chucked out the window, Britain's Got Talent head judge Simon Cowell also reckons he's already worked out who this year's winner will be.

He let slip that he and fellow judges Amanda Holden, Bruno Tonioli and Alesha Dixon, plus hosts Ant and Dec, have their eye on a particular solo performer to triumph.

And while he's keeping tight-lipped over who that person is, one very strong contender is an opera singer who has been described as the best classical vocalist since Paul Potts was crowned the first winner.

Simon said: "When we were discussing the finals, we went round the room and said who we think might win and there was one person everyone gravitated towards. It's going to be interesting. I'm excited for this year, let's see who the public picks as their winner."

That said, he admits they could all be way off the mark when it comes to who clinches the £250,000 cash and Royal Variety Performance slot.

"You can just never predict who the public will love," he said.

Amanda said the singer in question blew them all away: "His voice was, I think, one of the most beautiful, classic and enriching voices we've ever heard. I was like, 'Wow, there's a potential winner." This year's show is also charting new territory with the largest number of golden buzzer acts, who will go straight through to the live finals.