Britain’s Got Talent is back on our screens but are we starting to fall out of love with one of the nation’s favourite shows?
Now in its 11th series, BGT relies on the tried and tested format that has seen Susan Boyle, Diversity and Ashleigh & Pudsey scoop the big prize and a slot on the Royal Variety Show. While the show is still hugely popular its audiences have dropped from a peak of 13 million in 2009 to less than 10 million. These are still impressive numbers but what is it that is turning us off?
BGT is capable of jaw-dropping surprises. Susan Boyle’s original audition has racked up over 200 million views on YouTube. As well as the singing itself, we still remember the look on the judges faces as she performed.
The panel still has that same look of surprise when a song is superbly delivered but perhaps that predictability is part of the problem. As the years have gone by, the judges’ comments have become increasingly staged and sterile.
Simon Cowell is the main man. He devised the format, which has grown into a global franchise. But don’t be fooled. His is not on an altruistic quest to better the lives of others. All he wants is to fill his own, already very deep, pockets.
The other judges are also more concerned with massaging their own egos than with giving themselves up to the “wow” factor of the latest teenage prodigy.
David Walliams, the lord of camp, relentlessly cultivates his image as the country’s favourite “gay but not gay” icon, constantly badgering Simon, his not so willing stooge. His comments are cliché-ridden and clearly scripted, further destroying the pretence of spontaneity.
Famous for a reason that no-one can quite put their finger on, Amanda Holden is just as bad. Her facial expressions lurch between extremes. One moment she is gushing crocodile tears, as a nine-year-old belts out a tune from Les Mis. The next minute she is leering with barely-controlled lust at the latest Chippendales wannabe. She tops it all off with a raucous witch’s cackle as a pensioner comedian delivers a one-liner.
The final judge is Alesha Dixon. She’s pleasant enough but another who hovers in the twilight world of the “almost” celebrity. She acts as the younger foil to Holden’s drooling and has even adopted her own barking laugh, regularly prompted by the latest spectacular failure on stage.
Unfortunately, Britain’s Got Talent is now more about the judges than the acts. We spend more time in the off-stage area, watching their “hilarious” interplay, than we do participating in the actual substance of the show. We really don’t want to know whether David Walliams has a man-crush on Simon Cowell.
All we want to see is the latest talent, good and bad. That is what has made the show so popular over the years. Maybe it’s time for a shake-up in the judging panel?
Simon has to stay, as it’s his show after all. Why don’t we bring in Mickey Flanagan, Emma Bunton and hopefully even Adele to freshen things up? Keep Ant and Dec though – they really are national treasures!
by Ian Hine
The post What’s On TV: No Holden Back, Britain Had Talent appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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