It’s been an intense round of auditions for the Britain’s Got Talent judges and hopefuls – but now it’s time to gear up for the all new semi-finals
Britain’s Got Talent has been filled with drama and surprises this year – but the auditions have now come to a close. Now, it’s time for the successful stars to fight their way to the all important finals, as the semi-finals begin next week.
However, this year fans will see a number of huge differences in the upcoming semi-finals. This year saw the arrival of new guest judge KSI, but he’s not the only new addition. Here’s what changes of the talent show can expect to see starting from next Saturday…
Schedule changes
Usually, fans would be used to watching the semi-final during an intense week of back to back live shows. This would often coincide with the school holidays to allow any young performers to take part. However, this year things are looking slightly different as the semi-finals will be airing weekly.
Earlier this week, ITV announced that the semi-finals will be airing every Saturday across five weekends, which means that fans will get five extra weeks of Britain’s Got Talent.
“Britain’s Got Talent will be more entertaining than ever before, not only with the addition of the Golden Buzzer for the live shows, but the semi-finals will now air live every Saturday night, claiming the weekends as the home of BGT. Be prepared for unpredictable, unmissable and unbeatable event television,” the channel said.
This now means that the final will be airing at a much later date than usual – with the 2025 series likely to crown its champion on Saturday 31 May. The BGT final has typically aired in June, however this year’s series began much earlier as it kicked off in February instead of the usual April date.
New Golden Buzzer rules
The Golden Buzzer has been a main feature of the audition rounds since it was launched back in series eight. Each judge, and hosts Ant and Dec get a press of the buzzer – meaning their favourite acts goes straight through to the semi-final without the risk of being cut by the judges.
Now, for the first time ever, the golden buzzer will be back for the semi-finals, meaning the judges or and Ant and Dec will be able to send one act straight through to the final.
Richard Arnold announced the exciting news on Good Morning Britain earlier this week. “For the first time in BGT history, the buzzer will now appear during the live rounds. It has already been pressed eight times this series,” he said.
ITV added: “In each semi-final, either one of the judges or Ant and Dec will be given control of the golden buzzer, and as soon as they see a performance worthy of a place in the final, they will have just one opportunity to press it.”
That act will be granted a one-way ticket to the final, along with one other act from that night who will be voted in by the public.”
Britain’s Got Talent Live Semi-Finals begin Saturday, April 26 at 7pm on ITV, ITVX and STV.