'Bruno brings a great energy'

The stars of BGT talk about new judge Bruno Tonioli and what he adds to the show, and the standard of this year's talent

- JEN PHARO

With some extra razzle-dazzle, Britain’s Got Talent is back for an incredible 16th series and ex-Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli has joined the panel!

The dance maestro, 67, is bringing his unique brand of enthusiasm and expertise to the judging desk as he reunites with fellow former Strictly judge Alesha Dixon, 44, alongside Simon Cowell, 63, and Amanda Holden, 52.

And while Bruno has been welcomed with open arms by his fellow judges, co-hosts Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly have given him a cheekier reception.

“We, quite mischievously, kept telling him different rules,” admits Dec, 47. “So when he hit his golden buzzer on the first session of the first day, midway through an act, we told him not to worry because he had another golden buzzer tomorrow, and that he had one every day!

“That might have something to do with the fact we have more golden buzzers this year!”

But it wasn’t long before they were enlisting Bruno to help wind up the other judges.

“We also played a prank on the rest of the judges by going into their room and doing a BGT quiz, but secretly gave Bruno all the answers in advance,” confides Dec. “That was quite fun to see the look on everyone else’s face.”

The joke certainly paid off, with Simon predictably taking the bait. Ant, 47, laughs, “Much to Simon’s annoyance that somebody else would win a quiz about his show. He quickly worked out it was a prank and didn’t like it! But we loved it.”

Here, the dream team reveal everything you need to know about the exciting new series and which act they predict could scoop the £250,000 prize…