Britain’s Got Talent fakes scandal after bosses secretly created acts from scratch for show including huge fan favourite
BRITAIN’S Got Talent has been plunged into a fakes scandal as The Sun can reveal producers have secretly created acts from scratch.
Bosses have been accused of conning fans after it emerged they concocted mystery performers The Witch for 2022 and last year’s scary Clown.
The Sun has seen scripts including lines attributed to the judges and musical suggestions.
Those in the know were sworn to secrecy, with non-disclosure agreements being used in some cases.
The revelation will lead to speculation over the authenticity of the current series of BGT which is supposed to showcase hopeful punters and semi-professional acts.
Sources insist The Batman, whose singing vowed viewers, is the real deal but it is believed bosses may have developed others for this year’s auditions.
An insider said: “Scouting for talent on shows is nothing new but to actually be creating acts out of thin air is ridiculous.
“The Witch went down so well bosses wanted to recreate the hype. They thought playing on Simon’s clown phobia would be ideal so pulled ideas together.
“After auditioning potentials they pitched the idea to freelance actor Andrew Fletcher who spent weeks perfecting a scary clown act.”
While The Witch, a magic act, made the live finals, the Scary Clown, also a magician, did less well.
The public will feel the wool is being pulled if this sort of things goes on
Insider
Simon told fellow judges Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli he found the act “fairly scary” and failed to send it through to the next round.
The insider said: “The public will feel the wool is being pulled if this sort of things goes on.
“It’s as if they’ve been lied to — even if the goal was to make the best show possible.”
Now in its 18th year, BGT is still one of the biggest shows on TV, 5.6million watching Saturday’s episode.
BGT said: “Contestants all have their own established talents.
“We support the production of their performance to help make it the best it can be for our stage.”
BGT's Best Golden Buzzer Moments
BGT have handed out many Golden Buzzer's over the years, can you remember some of the most famous
- Loren Allred – Loren Allred, 32, from Brooklyn, New York jetted to London to audition after recording the vocals for The Greatest Showman. The stunning singer got a standing ovation and a Golden Buzzer from the judges as she delivered a stirring rendition of Never Enough from the popular film. Loren came out on stage and revealed to the judges they would have heard her voice many times before that moment. “I was hired to record the vocals for The Greatest Showman as a guide for the actors to know how to sing the songs,” she explained. Loren then revealed actress Rebecca Ferguson was so stunned by her singing that she decided to let her vocals be heard in the movie. “So she lip-synced,” Loren said.
- Chicken Shed Theatre Company – Comprised of individuals aged between 5 and 37, the group was set up to welcome anyone irrespective of background to get up on stage and perform and fulfil their dream. Chicken Shed prides itself on accepting anyone and does not hold auditions to make the group a safe and inclusive space. The group wowed as they performed Wonder by Naughty Boy featuring Emeli Sande. It meant that Alesha wasted no time as she decided to hit her golden buzzer for the young performers. She told them it was her “honour” to reward their inclusiveness with her golden buzzer.
- The Dancing Granny – Granny Paddy Jones and her professional partner Niko Espinosa first hit headlines when they won the Spanish talent show Tú sí que vales in 2009, before going on to appear on Britain’s Got Talent in 2014 where they came ninth. Amanda Holden was so impressed with Paddy that she gave her the Golden Buzzer, which sent them straight through to the semi-finals. But things took a worrying turn when Paddy cracked a rib while rehearsing a new move and her place on the show was under doubt. She was given the all-clear to perform in the end but didn’t quite live up to expectations.
- Bars and Melody – They will forever be remembered for their anti-bullying song on the talent show. Bars and Melody were first seen on the 2014 series of Britain’s Got Talent, getting shuttled into the semi-finals when Simon Cowell pressed his Golden Buzzer. They made it to the final thanks to a performance of I’ll Be Missing You but lost out on the crown to Collabro. These days Charlie Lenehan – known as Melody – is covered in tattoos, with inkings on his neck, arms and chest. But he is as close as ever to co-star Leondre Devries – who is Bars – with the pair seen enjoying themselves in exotic locations all over the world.