The most watched Britain’s Got Talent auditions of all time

With BGT back on our screens this Saturday, take a look back at some of the show’s best-loved auditions...
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Kimberley Bond10 April 2020

Britain’s Got Talent is finally back to put a smile on all our faces.

While the live finals have been delayed for the foreseeable future, we’ve still got several weeks’ worth of auditions to sink our teeth into – with Alesha Dixon teasing that this year will see more outstanding kids’ acts than ever before.

As series 14 kicks off, we look back at the most popular Britain’s Got Talent auditions of all time – with a few surprises sneaking their way into the top 10.

10. James More: 2013 – 90 million views on YouTube

The illusionist, who took part in the 2013 series of BGT, was one of the hot favourites to win the show after his nail-biting audition (but the series was taken by shadow act Attraction).

While he failed to make the live finals in the end, we’ll never forget terrifying act. Don’t try this at home.

9. Asanda Jezile: 2013- 96 million views on YouTube

Also from the 2013 series, then 11-year-old Asanda stunned the judges with her performance of Rihanna’s Diamonds – and getting all the way to the final after a pitch-perfect rendition of Beyonce’s Halo, but sadly finishing in last place. It wasn’t the last we saw from Asanda, who also competed to represent the UK in 2018 Eurovision – losing out to SuRie.

8. Darcy Oake: 2014 - 109 million views on YouTube

Starring in series 8 of Britain’s Got Talent, Canadian performer Darcy wowed with his dove-summoning magic. Getting all the way to the final, Darcy unfortunately lost out to Collabro – but landed his one-off magic show, Darcy Oake: Edge of Reality on ITV, and returned for Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions.

7. Boogie Storm: 2016 – 118 million views on YouTube

Who can forget the butt-shaking Storm Troopers who won Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer in 2016? While they finished third in the competition overall (losing to magician Richard Jones) Boogie Storm have gone to bring joy all around the world, taking part in America’s Got Talent: The Champions (winning another golden buzzer) and BGT: The Champions last year.

6. Natalie Okri: 2009 – 121 million views on YouTube

Then just 10 years old, Natalie wowed Britain with her soulful cover of Alicia Key’s No One. While she was cut after the semi-final, Natalie has since kept singing, posting her original songs on Instagram and TikTok.

5. Charlotte and Jonathan: 2012 - 125 million views on YouTube

They were a strange couple to walk on the stage together eight years ago, with nobody really expecting them to be any good – until they started belting out opera together. The pair rocketed straight through to the finals and took second place, losing out to Ashley and Pudsey. After releasing two albums, which both were in the UK Top 10 album charts, the pair went their separate ways in 2014 – with Jonathan saying in 2017 the pair were no longer as close.

4. Bonetics: 2015 – 150 million views on YouTube

Then 17, the dancer known as Junior stunned with his loose-limned performance that left Amanda Holden speechless. While he made it to the semi-finals, where he contorted his way through Spirit Soldier by Agathodaimon, Bonetics was eliminated from the competition after failing to secure the public vote. He is still performing today, posting videos on his Instagram account.

3. Bars and Melody: 2014 – 216 million views on YouTube

Simon Cowell’s first ever golden buzzer act, the cute duo won hearts across the nation with their self-penned rap version of Hope by Twista and Faith Evans. While they came third in this series, the pair signed a £500,000 record contract with Syco, have since released three albums and returned to perform together again for BGT: The Champions last year.

2. Susan Boyle: 2009 – 242 million views on YouTube

Arguably the most iconic Britain’s Got Talent act of all time, Susan Boyle’s “Susan Boyle moment” when she opened her mouth and sung Les Miserables I Dreamed a Dream is a moment in TV history. Since then, she’s become a global superstar, having released eight albums and even singing for the queen at the Commonwealth Games.

1. Calum Scott: 2015 – 282 million views on YouTube

Calum’s audition started on an awkward note – another singer had auditioned just before him and been given three noes. But undeterred, he belted out a cover of Robyn’s Dancing on My Own, which saw a standing ovation from the judges an earned him Simon Cowell’s gold buzzer.

His standout audition saw support from celebrities including Little Mix, and saw his Twitter followers leap from 400 to 25,000 overnight. While he placed sixth in the live finals, his own version of Dancing on My Own became the best-selling song of summer 2015.

Britain's Got Talent returns on Saturday at 8pm on ITV followed by Britain's Got Talent Unseen on the ITV Hub.

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