Britain's Got Talent series 6
Britain's Got Talent | |
---|---|
Series 6 | |
Hosted by | Ant & Dec (ITV) Stephen Mulhern (ITV2) |
Judges | David Walliams Alesha Dixon Amanda Holden Simon Cowell Carmen Electra (London auditions) |
Winner | Ashleigh and Pudsey |
Runner-up | Jonathan and Charlotte |
Release | |
Original network | ITV ITV2 (BGMT) |
Original release | 24 March 12 May 2012 | –
Series chronology | |
The sixth series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 24 March to 12 May 2012. The sixth series saw Simon Cowell resume a full commitment to the programme following the previous series,[1] yet neither David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre returned to take part in the new series,[2][3] leading to them being replaced by Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.[4] Because of her pregnancy during filming of the auditions, Amanda Holden was required to miss a number of sessions, leading to producers asking Carmen Electra to step in as a guest judge in her place.[5]
The sixth series of the programme saw a full commitment of incorporating a panel of four judges throughout every stage of the competition. The prize money offered by Britain's Got Talent was increased to £500,000 for this series only,[6] the highest amount offered in the programme's history. In addition, the format of the programme saw a number of changes, including nine semi-finalists in each semi-final, the establishment of a Wildcard format similar to that used in America's Got Talent - in which the judges could appoint a single place in the final to any eliminated semi-finalist they favoured the most - and the incorporation of a mobile voting app, which functioned differently to the system used on The X Factor.[7]
The sixth series was won by dancing dog act Ashleigh and Pudsey, with opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte finishing in second place and choir Only Boys Aloud third. Many of the semi-finalists that took part in the competition were considered some of the best in the programme's history by 2012.[8] During its broadcast, the series averaged around 10.6 million viewers. The programme faced controversy concerning two auditions and a mishap with the new voting system, of which Ofcom had to investigate ITV's handling in regards to two of these incidents that viewers raised complaints against.
Series overview
[edit]Following open auditions held the previous year,[9][10] the Judges' auditions were held during January and February 2012, within Manchester,[11] Blackpool, Cardiff, London, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Like the previous series, a number of acts were invited to audition between 6 and 22 January, after being found via their videos on YouTube.[12] Twenty-five participants from this were picked by the producers and revealed by Britain's Got More Talent host Stephen Mulhern via a live YouTube stream from backstage at the London auditions, in which the YouTube community voted on their favourites between 6 and 13 February, with the winning acts later performing before the judges after the results of the vote on 18 February. Between 25 and 31 January, the sponsors of the show for this series, Virgin Media, ran addition auditions for the show via videos made on YouTube and/or Vimeo, which, while adhering to the same rules, were restricted to only Virgin Media customer, with the five winning acts later performing for the judges during the Birmingham auditions.[citation needed]
Following the previous series, both David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre announced that they wouldn't be returning for another year of the competition.[2][3] Their decision led to the producers seeking out their replacements, after deciding to maintain the use of four judges in the programme following Cowell's announcement in December 2011 that he would be returning to oversee auditions for the sixth series. Both Hasselhoff and McIntyre were eventually replaced by comedian David Walliams, and singer and TV presenter Alesha Dixon, the latter having previously been a judge on BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.[4] Owing to her pregnancy entering its late stages, Holden was forced to be absent from the Blackpool auditions. As a result, the production team brought in Carmen Electra as a guest judge and oversee these in her place, until Holden was cleared by doctors to return to overseeing the remainder of the auditions.[5][13] Apart from a change in the judging panel, the producers decided to increase the prize money offered to the winner of the series to £500,000, with Cowell pledging half of the prize money being offered to the winner.[6]
Of the participants that took part, only forty five made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals,[14] with nine appearing in each one; this was a significant change after the last four series of the programme. In a change with the format, the live final featured ten acts that made it through the semi-finals, and one additional act dubbed "the Judges' wildcard" - if a semi-finalist was eliminated in their semi-final, they became eligible to be picked as a wildcard act for the final by the judges, with the choice made prior to the live final's broadcast. The wildcard for this series was boyband The Mend, after they lost out in the tied Judges' vote in the first semi-final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:[citation needed]
Participant | Age(s) 1 | Genre | Act | Semi-final | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Analiza Ching | 29 | Music | Violinist | 1 | Eliminated |
Aquabatique 2 | 21–28 | Variety | Synchronised Swimmers | 5 | Finalist |
Area 51 | 23–44 | Dance | Pyrotechnic Dance Group | 3 | Eliminated |
Ashleigh and Pudsey | 17 & 6 3 | Animals | Dog Act | 1 | Winner |
Ashley Elliot | 16 | Music | Xylophonist | 3 | Eliminated |
Be Minor | 13–14 | Singing | Girl Band | 4 | Eliminated |
Beatrix von Bourbon | 27 | Dance | Burlesque Dancer | 4 | Eliminated |
Billy George | 20 | Acrobatics | Cyr Wheel Acrobat | 5 | Eliminated |
Brynolf & Ljung | 35 & 36 | Magic | Magic Duo | 4 | Eliminated |
Callum Oakley | 16 | Comedy | Stand Up Comedian | 5 | Eliminated |
Cascade | 22–35 | Acrobatics | Martial Arts Team | 2 | Eliminated |
Chica Latina | 44 | Singing | Singer | 4 | Eliminated |
Dennis Egel | 41 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
Face Team | 19–28 | Acrobatics | Basketball Stunt Team | 5 | Eliminated |
Fish on Percussion | 24 | Music | Percussionist | 2 | Eliminated |
Four Corners | 17–25 | Dance | Dance Group | 2 | Eliminated |
Gatis Kandis | 31 | Comedy | Stand Up Comedian | 4 | Eliminated |
Graham Blackledge | 42 | Singing / Music | Singer & Organist | 2 | Eliminated |
Greig Stewart | 27 | Music | Laser Harpist | 5 | Eliminated |
Honey Shazad | 21 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
Hope Murphy | 16 | Singing | Singer | 5 | Eliminated |
Jonathan and Charlotte | 17 & 16 | Singing | Opera Duo | 2 | Runner-Up |
Kai & Natalia | 15 & 16 | Dance | Ballroom Dance Duo | 2 | Finalist |
Karizma Krew | 14–38 | Dance | Street Dance Group | 2 | Eliminated |
Lauren Thalia | 12 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | 1 | Eliminated |
Loveable Rogues | 18–20 | Singing / Music | Acoustic Trio | 3 | Finalist |
Lucky | 26 | Acrobatics | Contortionist | 3 | Eliminated |
Malaki Paul | 9 | Singing | Singer | 4 | Eliminated |
Martyn Crofts | 42 | Singing | Raping Darlek Impersonator | 5 | Eliminated |
Molly Rainford | 11 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Finalist |
Nu Sxool | 10–17 | Dance | Dance Group | 4 | Finalist |
Only Boys Aloud | 14–19 | Singing | Choir | 1 | Finalist |
Paige Turley | 14 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
Rachel Knowland | 25 | Singing | Singer | 1 | Eliminated |
Ryan O'Shaughnessy | 19 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | 5 | Finalist |
Sam Kelly | 19 | Singing / Music | Singer & Guitarist | 4 | Finalist |
Strictly Wheels | 39 & 41 | Dance | Dance Duo | 5 | Eliminated |
The Jive Aces | 34–49 | Music | Jazz Band | 1 | Eliminated |
The Mend ![]() | 21–22 | Singing | Boy Band | 1 | Finalist |
The Showbears | 34–53 | Singing | Singing Group | 2 | Eliminated |
The Sugar Dandies | 40 & 40 | Dance | Ballroom Dance Duo | 4 | Eliminated |
The Zimmers | 66–88 | Singing | Rap Group | 3 | Eliminated |
Twist and Pulse Dance Company | 12–20 | Dance | Street Dance Group | 3 | Eliminated |
United We Stand | 17–25 | Dance | Street Dance Group | 1 | Eliminated |
Zipparah Tafari | 49 | Singing | Rapper | 1 | Eliminated |
- ^1 Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this series.
- ^2 Due to the nature of Aquabatique's performance, their live round performances had to be performed outside of the studio, with the judges and studio audience watching via screens.
- ^3 The latter value pertains to the age of the dog, as disclosed by its owner.
Semi-finals summary
[edit]Buzzed out |
Judges' vote | Won the public vote
- Won the judges' vote | Lost the judges' vote | Eliminated
Semi-final 1 (6 May)
[edit]Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [15] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
Zipparah Tafari | 1 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
The Jive Aces | 2 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Lauren Thalia | 3 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
United We Stand | 4 | ![]() | ![]() | 9th - Eliminated | ||
Analiza Ching | 5 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
The Mend 4 | 6 | ![]() | ![]() | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public Vote) | ||
Rachel Knowland | 7 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Ashleigh & Pudsey | 8 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Only Boys Aloud | 9 | ![]() | ![]() | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) |
- ^4 The Mend were later sent through to the final as the judges' wildcard.
Semi-final 2 (7 May)
[edit]- Guest performance: The Wanted ("Chasing The Sun")
Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [15] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
Cascade | 1 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
Paige Turley | 2 | ![]() | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | |||
Karizma Krew | 3 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
The Showbears | 4 | ![]() | 7th - Eliminated | |||
Fish on Percussion | 5 | ![]() | 9th - Eliminated | |||
Graham Blackledge | 6 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Kai and Natalia | 7 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 2nd (Won Judges' vote) | |
Four Corners | 8 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Jonathan and Charlotte | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) |
Semi-final 3 (8 May)
[edit]- Guest performance: LMFAO ("Party Rock Anthem"/"Sexy and I Know It")[16]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [15] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
The Zimmers | 1 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Area 51 | 2 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
Ashley Elliot | 3 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 5th - Eliminated | |
Molly Rainford | 4 | ![]() | ![]() | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||
Lucky | 5 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Loveable Rogues | 6 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Honey Shazad | 7 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
Twist and Pulse Dance Company | 8 | ![]() | ![]() | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||
Dennis Egel | 9 | 4th - Eliminated |
Semi-final 4 (9 May)
[edit]- Guest performance: Labrinth ("Express Yourself")
Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [15] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
Chica Latina | 1 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
Brynolf and Ljung | 2 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Malaki Paul | 3 | ![]() | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | |||
Gatis Kandis | 4 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
The Sugar Dandies | 5 | ![]() | 7th - Eliminated | |||
Nu Sxool | 6 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 2nd (Won Judges' vote) | |
Beatrix von Bourbon | 7 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
Sam Kelly | 8 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Be Minor | 9 | 4th - Eliminated |
Semi-final 5 (10 May)
[edit]- Guest performance: Rebecca Ferguson ("Teach Me How to Be Loved")
Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [15] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
Face Team | 1 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Greig Stewart | 2 | ![]() | ![]() | 9th - Eliminated | ||
Billy George | 3 | ![]() | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | |||
Martyn Crofts | 4 | ![]() | 8th - Eliminated | |||
Callum Oakley | 5 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Hope Murphy | 6 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Strictly Wheels | 7 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Aquabatique | 8 | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | 2nd (Won Judges' vote) | |
Ryan O'Shaughnessy | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) |
Final (12 May)
[edit]Guest Performers, Results Show: Susan Boyle, Diversity & Paul Gbegbaje,[17] and The Show Bears (featuring David Walliams)
- Winner | Runner-up
Finalist | Order | Finished [15] |
---|---|---|
The Mend | 1 | 7th |
Sam Kelly | 2 | 9th |
Nu Sxool | 3 | 8th |
Molly Rainford | 4 | 6th |
Loveable Rogues | 5 | 4th |
Kai and Natalia | 6 | 11th |
Aquabatique | 7 | 10th |
Ryan O'Shaughnessy | 8 | 5th |
Only Boys Aloud | 9 | 3rd |
Ashleigh and Pudsey | 10 | 1st |
Jonathan and Charlotte | 11 | 2nd |
Ratings
[edit]Episode | Air Date | Total viewers (millions) [18] | ITV1 Weekly rank [18] | Viewer Share (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Auditions 1 | 24 March | 11.57 | 3 | 39.2 [19] |
Auditions 2 | 31 March | 12.17 | 1 | 41.3 [20] |
Auditions 3 | 7 April | 11.95 | 1 | 38.7 [21] |
Auditions 4 | 14 April | 12.18 | 1 | 39.5 [22] |
Auditions 5 | 21 April | 11.60 | 1 | 38.2 [23] |
Auditions 6 | 28 April | 11.97 | 1 | 41.8 [24] |
Auditions 7 | 5 May | 11.27 | 1 | 38.9 [25] |
Semi-final 1 | 6 May | 11.01 | 2 | 35.5 [26] |
Semi-final 2 | 7 May | 10.77 | 2 | 35.6 [27] |
Semi-final 2 results | 9.44 | 9 | 32.4 [27] | |
Semi-final 3 | 8 May | 9.12 | 12 | 33.5 [28] |
Semi-final 3 results | 7.91 | 15 | 27.8 [28] | |
Semi-final 4 | 9 May | 10.15 | 3 | 37.6 [29] |
Semi-final 4 results | 7.95 | 14 | 27.3 [29] | |
Semi-final 5 | 10 May | 9.90 | 7 | 36.6 [30] |
Semi-final 5 results | 8.83 | 13 | 30.2 [30] | |
Live final | 12 May | 13.12 | 1 | 46.4 [31] |
Criticism, controversies & incidents
[edit]Beatrix Von Bourbon audition
[edit]On 23 April 2012, Ofcom launched an investigation into the programme after receiving complaints from viewers regarding the audition of burlesque performer Beatrix Von Bourbon. The complaints focused on the nature of her performance - which her stripping down until she wore only nipple tassels and a corset - and thus its suitability for a family audience and being aired before the 9pm watershed. The investigation lasted two months, and concluded on 23 July with the regulator ruling that ITV had not breached its broadcasting codes on protecting children from unsuitable material, stating that the broadcaster's measures to censor the footage of the audition had been within acceptable parameters.[32]
Ryan O'Shaughnessy audition
[edit]Researchers for Britain's Got Talent were forced to inform production staff that the participation of Ryan O'Shaughnessy, who auditioned for the sixth series, was heavily controversial due to his failure to disclose information in his application form for the show. Per the programme's terms and conditions, O'Shaughnessy had not disclosed that his involvement would be ineligible, due to him signing a contract with Universal Music and securing a place on the first series of The Voice of Ireland that same year. Although the singer was confronted with this information and stated in his defence that he wished to express his own music, Simon Cowell had to make clear that his involvement on the programme was a direct conflict of interest.[33][34] O'Shaughnessy was only able to continue his participation after dropping out of The Voice of Ireland and his contract with Universal Music before his semi-final appearance.[citation needed]
Voting app mishap
[edit]Although voting prior to the sixth series had been mainly conducted via phone votes, production staff decided to incorporate a second method of voting for viewers, in the form of a mobile app. The concept was that viewers could use the app to purchase a set of three votes for a small fee and use for any act within the semi-finals - if a viewers used two mobile votes in one semi-final, the third could be used in another, with viewers able to buy more votes after using up their initial set. However, the implementation of this voting method for the first semi-final saw technical difficulties arise, which could not be fixed and led to the app being discontinued for the rest of the series. Ofcom was forced to investigate the incident after viewers complained about the difficulty of making votes with the app. Although the regulator reprimanded ITV for the failures in the operation of the app, it acknowledged that the concept was an original idea and that the broadcaster was not at fault for the technical issues that occurred per the actions taken to deal with the resulting problems.[35]
References
[edit]- ^ Tobin, Christian (7 December 2011). "Simon Cowell to return to 'Britain's Got Talent', confirms ITV boss". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ a b Tobin, Christian (20 November 2011). "Michael McIntyre quits 'Britain's Got Talent'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ a b Sperling, Daniel (29 November 2011). "David Hasselhoff confirms 'Britain's Got Talent' exit". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ a b Emma Hallett (2 January 2012). "Alesha Dixon quits Strictly Come Dancing for Britain's Got Talent". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Carmen Electra confirmed as 'Britain's Got Talent' guest judge". Digital Spy. UK. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ^ a b Hooton, Christopher (3 January 2012). "Simon Cowell added 250,000 of his own money to Britain's Got Talent-prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ Britain's Got Talent - Short Codes
- ^ Darvill, Josh (30 April 2012). "Britain's Got Talent 2012 semi-finalists 'the best in years' say Ant and Dec". tellymix. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent to hold first ever 'open audition' at London's Oval on January 22". tellymix. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ "BGT holds first ever Open Audition". ITV. itv.com. 4 January 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ "Simon Cowell 'finds a star' on day one of Britain's Got Talent auditions in Manchester". menmedia.co.uk. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Audition NOW through YouTube!". itv.com. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ Daniels, Colin (27 November 2011). "Dannii Minogue, David Walliams 'join Britain's Got Talent'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ McGarry, Lisa (26 February 2012). "Britain's Got Talent 2012 semi finalists all chosen". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Britain's Got Talent 2012 voting results revealed". ITV. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ @BGT (8 May 2012). "RT @polydorrecords: yo! @LMFAO are on @GotTalent tonight at 9.30pm on ITV... Come Party Rock with us Party Rockerrrrrrrs!!! Woop!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent 2012: Wildcard revealed and Diversity perform! | Unreality TV". Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ Millar, Paul (25 March 2012). "'The Voice' UK, 'Britain's Got Talent' launch with colossal ratings". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (1 April 2012). "'The Voice' UK, 'Britain's Got Talent' ratings soar in second week". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (8 April 2012). "'The Voice' UK closes ratings gap on 'Britain's Got Talent'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (15 April 2012). "'The Voice' UK overtakes 'Britain's Got Talent' in ratings". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (22 April 2012). "Britain's Got Talent pips The Voice as ratings battle intensifies". Digital Spy. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (29 April 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' extends lead over 'The Voice' UK". Digital Spy. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (6 May 2012). "'The Voice' UK anchored BBC One's night with 8.16m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (7 May 2012). "'Homeland' first season bows out in style with nearly 3m for C4". Digital Spy. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
- ^ a b Lee, Ben (8 May 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' secures 9.4 million for ITV1". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
- ^ a b Lee, Ben (9 May 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' dips in ratings for third semi-final". Digital Spy. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- ^ a b Lee, Ben (10 May 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' results show beats 'The Apprentice'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 10 May 2012.
- ^ a b Millar, Paul (11 May 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' last semi-final results show rebounds to 8.2m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
- ^ Millar, Paul (13 May 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' final is most watched show of 2012". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ "Ofcom clears Britain's Got Talent burlesque act". BBC News. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
- ^ "BGT's latest find Ryan O'Shaughnessy may be axed because he has contract with The Voice". Daily Mirror. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ "Simon Cowell drops Ryan O'Shaughnessy from 'Britain's Got Talent'?". Digital Spy. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ^ https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/47502/obb210.pdf [bare URL PDF]