ITV pull Saturday night's Britain’s Got Talent semi final from schedule
Britain's Got Talent will not be shown on ITV on Saturday night as the show has been pulled from the schedule and moved to Sunday instead in a major shake-up
Britain's Got Talent fans will be disappointed to hear that it will not be airing in its usual slot on ITV this weekend. The channel have pulled the popular talent show hosted by Ant and Dec on Saturday, May 16 to make way for a significant change in the schedule.
Football enthusiasts on the other hand will be over the moon as they will be showing the FA Cup Final instead. Worry not BGT fans as the live semi finals will instead be broadcasted on Sunday, May 18 instead.
Football enthusiasts can tune into ITV on Saturday to watch the FA Cup Final from 3pm featuring Crystal Palace against Manchester City. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter.
This will then be followed by a line-up including Deal or No Deal Celebrity Special, Beat The Chasers, and The 1% Club.
It seems like the decision to move BGT's regular slot has also been done to avoid clashing with a bigger and more global talent competition, the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest which will take place on the BBC on Saturday from 8pm. Instead, Britain's Got Talent will now air on Sunday from 7 to 9pm, followed by ITV's new thriller Code of Silence.
The biggest talent show in the UK returned for its third semi-final last weekend on Saturday, May 11 , with fans eagerly anticipating the reveal of the two acts that have secured a spot in the grand finale later this month.
The show kicked off with a performance by the cast of Just For One Day – a musical that delves into the behind-the-scenes story of Live Aid, one of the most significant global music events in history, created by Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure OBE. Show champion Sydnie Christmas also made a return to the stage, impressing both the judges and audience.
After a series of stunning performances from various acts, dance act Ping Pong Pang secured a spot in the final alongside drag queen opera singer, Jasmine Rice who won Bruno Tonioli's semi final golden buzzer.
Ping Pong Pang just missed out on the coveted Golden Buzzer as Amanda Holden urged show viewers to back the dance troupe after being captivated by their performance. "If I had another Golden Buzzer, I would give it to you," Bruno Tonioli enthused.
Simon Cowell was particularly impressed, commenting, "We have never seen an act like this and we have been doing it a long time. This is my favourite live show so far."
In contrast, Bruno sent drag queen opera singer Jasmine Rice directly into the final with his Golden Buzzer following her spellbinding rendition of "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman.
The Golden Buzzer, available to judges Bruno, Amanda, Alesha Dixon, Simon, as well as presenters Ant and Dec, offers a fast track to the finals for one act each and is a new addition to this year's competition. New York's own performer Jasmine clinched their place in the final round to high acclaim from both live audience and judges.
Yet, some fans expressed their dissatisfaction with yet another singer reaching the final stages, suggesting that the competition is veering too close to other singing-focused shows.
One viewer aired their frustration on social media, complaining, "Bgt should be renamed to #xfactor. The final is predominantly made up of singers. Yes Jasmine can sing, but it's another b****y singer!".
Besides Ping Pong Pang and Jasmine Rice, the grand final will see performances from the likes of Stacey Leadbeatter, Olly Pearson, Vinnie McKee and The Blackouts.