Britain's Got Talent series 19
| Britain's Got Talent | |
|---|---|
| Series 19 | |
 Promotional poster for series 19, featuring (L to R): host Ant McPartlin, judges KSI, Holden, Cowell, Dixon and fellow host Declan Donnelly. | |
| Presented by | Ant & Dec |
| Judges | Simon Cowell Amanda Holden Alesha Dixon KSI Stacey Solomon (guest) |
| Winner | The Hawkstone Farmers Choir |
| Runner-up | Celestial |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV1 |
| Original release | 21 February – 30 May 2026 |
| Series chronology | |
The nineteenth series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent began airing on ITV1 on 21 February 2026.[1] Filming for the auditions began in October 2025 in Birmingham and Blackpool. The series is presented by Ant & Dec, with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon returning as judges, alongside KSI, who replaced Bruno Tonioli on the judging panel following his departure after three series.[2][3]
The series concluded on 30 May 2026, and was won by The Hawkstone Farmers Choir, with drone display group Celestial finishing as runner-up and dog act Anastasiia & Salsa finishing in third place. It marks the first time a choir has ever won the show.
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Series overview
[edit]During the previous series, it was announced that the show would return for a nineteenth series with auditions opening whilst it was airing.[4] In July 2025, it was announced that Bruno Tonioli had decided to quit the show after three years, due to his commitments as a judge on Dancing with the Stars in the United States.[5][6] He was subsequently replaced by KSI, who was a guest judge on the previous series and joined Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon on the judging panel.[7][8]
Auditions for the series began on 3 October 2025 at the Birmingham Hippodrome.[9][10] Auditions were originally planned to start filming the day prior, however Cowell suffered a fall and a head injury, so that day's tapings were called off. Stacey Solomon served as a guest judge in his place on the first filming day, and he would later return for the second day in Birmingham (4 October 2025), ending a two day stint in the Hippodrome. The auditions would then move to the Winter Gardens, Blackpool the following week.[11][12][13]
The series began on 21 February 2026, and as in the previous series, would air weekly, excluding 14 March due to ITV airing live coverage of the final match weekend 2026 Six Nations Championship. Additionally, the 4th Semi-Final of the show would be broadcast from 6 - 8 rather than 7 - 9 on 16 May, in order to avoid clashing with the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 final airing at 8.[14] There was a slight controversy over a last minute rule change from Cowell that allowed for Kevin Hogg to go through to the next round, after he received a split decision from the panel (with Dixon and Holden voting 'no', whilst KSI and Cowell voted 'yes'). Normally this would mean acts are eliminated, however Cowell allowed the presenters Ant & Dec to cast 'yes' votes also, subsequently allowing Hogg through. This was seen as unfair by viewers, as other acts, possibly more talented than Hogg, did not get this opportunity.[15]
For the first time since series 5, there was no wildcard act in the final.
Winner
Runner-up
Third Place
Semi-Finalist
Golden Buzzer
Live Show Golden Buzzer
| Participant | Age(s) | Genre | Act | From | Semi-final | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfredo & Coral | 30 & 43 | Danger | Knife Throwing Duo | Brazil & Spain | 2 | Eliminated |
| Anastasiia & Salsa | 35 & 7 | Animals | Dog Act | France | 1 | Third place |
| Antigravity
|
36–40 | Variety | Multimedia Group | Ukraine | 3 | Eliminated |
| Baron & Vesper | 39 & 44 | Danger | Sideshow Duo | Finland | 5 | Eliminated |
| Braunstone Community Primary School
|
8–46 | Singing / Dance | Choir & Dance Group | Braunstone, Leicester | 2 | Eliminated |
| Celestial
|
20–42 | Variety | Drone Display Group | Somerset | 5 | Runner-up |
| Celtic Beat | 6-11 | Dance | Dance Group | Wales | 1 | Eliminated |
| Christy Coysh | 35 | Singing | Novelty Singer | Wakefield | 1 | Eliminated |
| Epic Sax Guy | 41 | Music | Saxophonist | Moldova | 4 | Eliminated |
| Fabian Fox | 26 | Magic | Magician | Austria | 2 | Finalist |
| Fraser Penman | 35 | Magic | Mentalist | Glasgow, Scotland | 1 | Eliminated |
| Glantaf Boys Choir | 11–18 | Singing | Choir | Cardiff, Wales | 4 | Eliminated |
| Jake Banfield | 37 | Magic | Magician | Essex | 5 | Eliminated |
| James Miller | 12 | Singing | Singer | Rye, East Sussex | 5 | Eliminated |
| Juan Carlos | 12 | Dance | Dancer | Spain | 5 | Eliminated |
| Katherine O’Malley | 42 | Singing | Singer | Salford, Greater Manchester | 2 | Eliminated |
| Kristel Herrera | 32 | Singing | Singer | Halifax, West Yorkshire | 4 | Eliminated |
| Liwei Yang
|
32 | Variety | Foot Juggler | Taiwan | 3 | Finalist |
| Macshane & Delby | 34 & 38 | Singing | Freestyle Rap Duo | Australia | 2 | Eliminated |
| Matty Juniosa
|
27 | Singing | Singer | Glasgow, Scotland | 1 | Finalist |
| Mega Unity | 16–25 | Dance | Dance Group | France | 3 | Eliminated |
| Mizuki Shinagawa | 27 | Acrobatics | Aerialist | Japan | 3 | Eliminated |
| Mr Cherry
|
45 | Variety | Novelty Act | Japan | 5 | Eliminated |
| Nancy Tilley | 12 | Music | Drummer | Scarborough, North Yorkshire | 1 | Eliminated |
| Niamh Noade | 17 | Singing / Music | Singer & Harpist | County Armagh, Northern Ireland | 3 | Eliminated |
| Nic Vani | 41 | Singing | Singer | Maidstone, Kent | 2 | Eliminated |
| Paul Nunnari
|
52 | Acrobatics | Aerialist | Sydney, Australia | 1 | Eliminated |
| Playground | 16–25 | Dance | Dance Group | London | 3 | Eliminated |
| Rafferty Coope
|
17 | Magic | Magician | Winchester, Hampshire | 4 | Finalist |
| Ren DMC | 35 | Singing | Rapper | North London | 4 | Eliminated |
| Sadeck Berrabah & LMA
|
19–34 | Dance | Dance Group | France & Liverpool | 2 | Finalist |
| Sonny Green
|
30 | Variety | Poet | Southend, Essex | 4 | Finalist |
| SOS | 29–33 | Singing / Music | Band | Bournemouth | 5 | Eliminated |
| Ted Hill
|
31 | Comedy | Stand Up Comedian | London | 3 | Finalist |
| The Hawkstone Farmers Choir
|
27–74 | Singing | Choir | Various | 5 | Winner |
| The Lux City Choir | 24–40 | Singing | Gospel Choir | Various | 3 | Eliminated |
| The Rafikiz | 20-31 | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Group | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 1 | Eliminated |
| Wei Yamin | 27 | Music | PVC Pipe Drummer | Taiwan | 4 | Eliminated |
| Welsch Master Team | 18–39 | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Group | Switzerland | 4 | Eliminated |
| World Wings
|
17–28 | Dance | Dance Group | Japan | 2 | Eliminated |
Semi-finals summary
[edit]
Buzzed out
Golden Buzzer
Won the Public Vote
2nd in Public Vote
3rd in Public Vote
Eliminated
Prior to the beginning of the live shows, the semi-finalists were announced after a deliberation stage.[16]
Semi-final 1 (25 April)
[edit]- Guest performance: The Cast of I'm Every Woman - The Chaka Khan Musical ("Ain't Nobody"/"I Feel for You"/"I'm Every Woman")
| Semi-finalist | Order | Performance type | Buzzes and judges' votes | Percentage | Finished | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | KSI | |||||
| Nancy Tilley | 1 | Drummer | 3rd - Eliminated | |||||
| The Rafikiz | 2 | Acrobatic Group | 5th - Eliminated | |||||
| Fraser Penman | 3 | Mentalist | 4th - Eliminated | |||||
| Celtic Beat | 4 | Dance Group | 6th - Eliminated | |||||
| Anastasiia & Salsa | 5 | Dog Act | 1st (Won Public Vote) | |||||
| Paul Nunnari | 6 | Aerialist | 7th - Eliminated | |||||
| Christy Coysh | 7 | Novelty Singer | 
|
|
2nd - Eliminated | |||
| Matty Juniosa | 8 | Singer |
|
Golden Buzzer Advancement | ||||
Semi-final 2 (2 May)
[edit]- Guest performance: Sydnie Christmas & The Great Ormond Street Hospital Choir ("You're the Voice")
| Semi-finalist | Order | Performance type | Buzzes and judges' votes | Percentage | Finished | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | KSI | |||||
| World Wings | 1 | Dance Group | 6th - Eliminated | |||||
| Fabian Fox | 2 | Magician | 1st (Won Public Vote) | |||||
| Braunstone Community Primary School | 3 | Choir & Dance Group | 5th - Eliminated | |||||
| Sadeck Berrabah & LMA | 4 | Dance Group |
|
N/A | Golden Buzzer Advancement | |||
| Katherine O'Malley | 5 | Singer |
|
|
7th - Eliminated | |||
| Macshane & Delby | 6 | Freestyle Rap Duo | 2nd - Eliminated | |||||
| Nic Vani | 7 | Singer | 4th - Eliminated | |||||
| Alfredo & Coral | 8 | Knife Throwing Duo | 3rd - Eliminated | |||||
Semi-final 3 (9 May)
[edit]- Guest performances: The Cast of Avenue Q ("For Now"), Westlife ("Swear It Again"/"Flying Without Wings"/"World Of Our Own"/"Uptown Girl")
| Semi-finalist | Order | Performance type | Buzzes and judges' votes | Percentage | Finished | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | KSI | |||||
| Playground | 1 | Dance Group | 5th - Eliminated | |||||
| The Lux City Choir | 2 | Choir | 6th - Eliminated | |||||
| Mizuki Shinagawa | 3 | Aerialist | 4th - Eliminated | |||||
| Mega Unity | 4 | Dance Group | 7th - Eliminated | |||||
| Niamh Noade | 5 | Singer & Harpist | 2nd - Eliminated | |||||
| Ted Hill | 6 | Stand Up Comedian | 1st (Won Public Vote) | |||||
| Liwei Yang | 7 | Foot Juggler |
|
N/A | Golden Buzzer Advancement | |||
| Antigravity | 8 | Multimedia Group | 3rd - Eliminated | |||||
Semi-final 4 (16 May)
[edit]Guest performance: The Cast of Jesus Christ Superstar & Sam Ryder
| Semi-finalist | Order | Performance type | Buzzes and judges' votes | Percentage | Finished | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | KSI | |||||
| Wei Yamin* | 1 | PVC Pipe Drummer |
|
|
7th - Eliminated | |||
| Welsch Master Team | 2 | Acrobatic Group | 6th - Eliminated | |||||
| Ren DMC | 3 | Rapper | 2nd - Eliminated | |||||
| Glantaf Boys Choir | 4 | Choir | 3rd - Eliminated | |||||
| Sonny Green | 5 | Poet |
|
N/A | Golden Buzzer Advancement | |||
| Rafferty Coope | 6 | Magician | 1st (Won Public Vote) | |||||
| Epic Sax Guy1 | 7 | Saxophonist | 5th - Eliminated | |||||
| Kristel Herrera | 8 | Singer | 4th - Eliminated | |||||
* On the ITV2 repeat for 23 May 2026 the first act Wei Yamin was not shown due to a technical difficulty at the beginning.
Semi-final 5 (23 May)
[edit]Guest performance: The Cast of Matilda the Musical "(Revolting Children"/"When I Grow Up)"
| Semi-finalist | Order | Performance type | Buzzes and judges' votes | Percentage | Finished | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | KSI | |||||
| Juan Carlos | 1 | Dancer | 5th - Eliminated | |||||
| Jake Banfield | 2 | Magician | 2nd - Eliminated | |||||
| Mr Cherry | 3 | Novelty Act | 2
|
|
|
6th - Eliminated | ||
| James Miller | 4 | Singer | 3rd - Eliminated | |||||
| SOS | 5 | Band | 4th - Eliminated | |||||
| Celestial | 6 | Drone Display Group |
|
|
|
|
N/A | Golden Buzzer Advancement |
| Baron & Vesper | 7 | Sideshow Duo | 7th - Eliminated | |||||
| The Hawkstone Farmers Choir | 8 | Choir | 1st (Won Public Vote) | |||||
- ^2 Although Mr Cherry pressed Cowell's buzzer as part of his act, Cowell indicated that he would have done so himself regardless of this.
Final (30 May)
[edit]Guest performance: The Cast of Sinatra: The Musical, Mis-Teeq ("One Night Stand"/"All I Want"/"Scandalous")
| Finalist | Order | Performance type | Percentage | Finished |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liwei Yang | 1 | Foot Juggler | 2.88% | 10th |
| Rafferty Coope | 2 | Magician | 9.01% | 5th |
| Anastasiia & Salsa | 3 | Dog Act | 9.28% | 3rd |
| The Hawkstone Farmers Choir | 4 | Choir | 28.72% | 1st |
| Fabian Fox | 5 | Magician | 4.34% | 9th |
| Sonny Green | 6 | Poet | 8.66% | 6th |
| Sadeck Berrabah & LMA | 7 | Dance Group | 6.73% | 8th |
| Ted Hill | 8 | Stand Up Comedian | 7.88% | 7th |
| Celestial | 9 | Drone Display Group | 13.36% | 2nd |
| Matty Juniosa | 10 | Singer | 9.16% | 4th |
Ratings
[edit]| Episode | Air date | Total viewers (millions)[17] |
ITV weekly rank[17] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 21 February | 4.70 | 1 |
| Auditions 2 | 28 February | 4.88 | 1 |
| Auditions 3 | 7 March | 5.17 | 1 |
| Auditions 4 | 21 March | 5.08 | 1 |
| Auditions 5 | 28 March | 5.38 | 1 |
| Auditions 6 | 4 April | 5.28 | 1 |
| Auditions 7 | 11 April | 4.55 | 1 |
| Auditions 8 | 18 April | 4.33 | 1 |
| Semi-Final 1 | 25 April | 3.77 | 7 |
| Semi-Final 2 | 2 May | 3.72 | 7 |
| Semi-Final 3 | 9 May | 3.76 | 7 |
| Semi-Final 4 | 16 May | 3.44 | 8 |
| Semi-Final 5 | 23 May | ||
| Final | 30 May |
References
[edit]- ^ Cotton, Elizabeth (12 February 2026). "Britain's Got Talent returns as first episode date confirmed". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Ant & Dec almost quit Britain's Got Talent after not "having a very nice time" with Simon Cowell". Digital Spy. 27 January 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent start date confirmed - here's when 2026 series will be on TV and streaming". Digital Spy. 11 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Mensah, Katelyn. "When is Britain's Got Talent 2026 on TV? Release date and latest news | Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Hurst, Ben (26 July 2025). "Bruno Tonioli 'quits' as BGT judge with replacement 'lined up'". Wales Online. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "KSI is Britain's Got Talent's new judge". BBC. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "KSI is Britain's Got Talent's newest judge after Bruno Tonioli moves on". BBC News. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent confirms new judge after Bruno Tonioli exit". Digital Spy. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Eales, Courtney (12 February 2026). "Britain's Got Talent return date confirmed by ITV". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent auditions are back - here's everything you need to know". Blackpool Gazette. 9 October 2025. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Sansome, Jessica (17 October 2025). "Simon Cowell admits real reason for Britain's Got Talent absence". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent series 19 start date confirmed". Rayo. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Zone, T. V. (29 June 2025). "Britain's Got Talent heads back to Birmingham and returns to Blackpool for next series". TV Zone UK. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ Sport, Telegraph (14 February 2026). "Six Nations 2026: Fixtures, results, squads and how to watch on TV". The Telegraph. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
- ^ "BGT viewers fume after Ant and Dec intervene in last-minute rule change". Metro. 28 March 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent: Everything you need to know about the popular TV show". Planet Radio. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ a b "BARB Weekly Top Programmes on Four Screens". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
