Britain's Got Talent series 7
Template:Infobox reality talent competition
The seventh series of Britain's Got Talent, a British talent competition series, began broadcasting in the UK during 2013, from 13 April to 8 June on ITV; because of England's international friendly with the Republic of Ireland that year, the show took a break on 29 May to avoid clashing with live coverage of the match. Because of the work schedule of Stephen Mulhern, host of Britain's Got More Talent, filmed auditions had to be pushed back to mid-January that year,[1] though no guest judge was brought in due to the absence of Simon Cowell for an audition session.[2][3][4] Following the previous series, the programme's format was given a minor amendment - the cash prize offered to winners was reduced to £250,000 for this series.
The seventh series was won by shadow theatre troupe Attraction, the first foreign national participant to win the competition, with comedian Jack Carroll finishing in second place, and opera duo Richard & Adam placing third. During its broadcast, the series averaged around 10.4 million viewers. The programme faced severe criticism from viewers over a number of auditions that were broadcast as part of the sixth series, while production staff had to investigate a breach of security after a protester managed to pelt Cowell with eggs during a live broadcast of a finalist's performance.[5]
Series overview
Following open auditions, the Judges' auditions were held in January and February 2013, within Cardiff, London, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham; although filming was planned to begin by 7 January,[6] it was pushed back to 16 January, in order to avoid clashing with Stephen Mulhern's schedule for Catchphrase that month.[1] Most of the auditions that took place were uneventful; although Cowell was forced to miss most of the auditions on the second day in Manchester due to illness, production proceeded with these without bringing in a guest judge to stand in for him.[2]
Of the participants that took part, only forty five made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals, with nine appearing in each one, and eleven of these acts making it into the live final; the wildcard act chosen by the judges was ventriloquist Steve Hewlett, after he lost out in the Judges' vote in the fifth semi-final.[7] The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:
Participant | Age(s) 1 | Genre | Act | Semi-final | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aaron Crow | 44 | Danger | Danger Act | 1 | Eliminated |
AJ & Chloe | 17, 18 | Dance | Latin Dance Duo | 4 | Eliminated |
Alex Keirl | 20 | Singing | Singer | 4 | Eliminated |
Alice Fredenham | 28 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
Aliki | 29 | Singing | Singer | 5 | Eliminated |
Arisxandra Libantino | 11 | Singing | Singer | 1 | Finalist |
Asanda | 11 | Singing | Singer | 4 | Finalist |
Attraction | 19–40 | Dance | Shadow Theatre Group | 5 | Winner |
Band of Voices | 27–47 | Singing | Vocal Harmony Group | 1 | Eliminated |
Bosom Buddies | 29, 48 | Singing / Variety | Operatic Drag Duo | 1 | Eliminated |
CEO Dancers | 22–24 | Dance | Dance Trio | 5 | Eliminated |
Chasing the Dream | 19-50 | Singing | Musical Theatre Group | 4 | Eliminated |
Club Town Freaks | 25–38 | Singing | Vocal Harmony Group | 4 | Eliminated |
Francine Lewis | 37 | Comedy | Impressionist | 4 | Finalist |
Freelusion | 25–39 | Dance | Interactive 3D Dance Group | 3 | Eliminated |
Gabz | 14 | Singing | Singer & Pianist | 2 | Finalist |
Gospel Singers Incognito | 17–43 | Music | Gospel Choir | 5 | Eliminated |
J Unity | 19 | Singing | Singing Duet | 1 | Eliminated |
Jack and Cormac | 13, 14 | Singing | Singing Duet | 2 | Eliminated |
Jack Carroll | 14 | Comedy | Comedian | 2 | Runner-up |
James More | 24 | Magic | Magician | 4 | Eliminated |
Jordan O'Keefe | 18 | Singing | Singer & Guitarist | 5 | Finalist |
Joseph Hall | 36 | Dance | Dancer | 3 | Eliminated |
Luminites | 18–21 | Singing | Singing Group | 3 | Finalist |
Maarty Broekman | 23 | Singing / Music | Keytar Player | 5 | Eliminated |
Martin & Marielle | 32, 36 | Acrobatics / Dance | Gymnastic Dance Duo | 2 | Eliminated |
Martin Healey | 57 | Dance | Dancer | 1 | Eliminated |
MC Boy | 22 | Singing | Rapper | 3 | Eliminated |
MckNasty | 27 | Music | Drummer & DJ | 2 | Eliminated |
MD Dancers | 14–22 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 2 | Eliminated |
Meat Diva | 31, 27 | Singing | Cabaret Duet | 2 | Eliminated |
Modupé Obasola | 19 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
Philip Green | 21 | Comedy | Impressionist | 1 | Eliminated |
Poppin' Ron | 21 | Dance | Breakdancer | 4 | Eliminated |
Pre Skool | 5–8 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 3 | Finalist |
Richard & Adam | 19, 22 | Singing | Opera Duo | 1 | Third place |
Robbie Kennedy | 22 | Singing | Singer & Guitarist | 3 | Eliminated |
Rob's Duelling Pianos 2 | 55 | Music | Pianist | 5 | Eliminated |
Rosie O'Sullivan | 19 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
Shockarellas | 12–17 | Dance | Dance Group | 4 | Eliminated |
Steve Hewlett ![]() |
37 | Comedy | Ventriloquist | 5 | Finalist |
Stevie Pink | 45 | Magic | Illusionist | 3 | Eliminated |
The Glambassadors | 21–36 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 5 | Eliminated |
Thomas Bounce | 16 | Variety | Juggler | 3 | Eliminated |
Youth Creation | 7–14 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 1 | Eliminated |
- ^1 Ages denoted in this column pertain to those of the respective participant(s) for their final performance for this series.
- ^2 Rob's Duelling Pianos became a solo act, after a member of the act left before the semi-final.
Semi-finals summary
Buzzed out |
Judges' vote | Won the public vote
- Won the judges' vote | Lost the judges' vote | Eliminated
Semi-final 1 (27 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Ellie Goulding ("Explosions" / "Anything Could Happen") [8]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Martin Healey | 1 | Dancer | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
Band of Voices | 2 | Vocal Harmony Group | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Youth Creation | 3 | Dance Troupe | ![]() |
![]() |
3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||
J-Unity | 4 | Singing Duet | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Bosom Buddies | 5 | Operatic Drag Duo | ![]() |
8th - Eliminated | |||
Philip Green | 6 | Impressionist | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Arisxandra Libantino | 7 | Singer | ![]() |
![]() |
2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||
Aaron Crow | 8 | Danger Act | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Richard & Adam | 9 | Opera Duo | 1st (Won Public vote) |
Semi-final 2 (28 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Jennifer Lopez ("Live It Up") [10]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Martin & Marielle | 1 | Gymnastic Dance Duo | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
MckNasty | 2 | Drummer & DJ | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Jack and Cormac | 3 | Singing Duet | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | ||||
Modupé | 4 | Singer | ![]() |
9th - Eliminated | |||
Meat Diva | 5 | Cabaret Duet | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
MD | 6 | Dance Troupe | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Alice Fredenham | 7 | Singer | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Jack Carroll | 8 | Comedian | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Gabz | 9 | Singer & Pianist | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
2nd (Won Judges' vote) |
Semi-final 3 (30 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Demi Lovato ("Heart Attack") [11]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
Freelusion | 1 | Interactive 3D Dance Group | ![]() |
7th - Eliminated | |||
Robbie Kennedy | 2 | Singer & Guitarist | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Stevie Pink | 3 | Illusionist | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
8th - Eliminated | |
Pre Skool | 4 | Dance Troupe | ![]() |
![]() |
2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||
Thomas Bounce | 5 | Juggler | ![]() |
![]() |
9th - Eliminated | ||
Rosie O'Sullivan | 6 | Singer | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Joseph Hall | 7 | Dancer | ![]() |
![]() |
3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||
MC Boy | 8 | Rapper | ![]() |
6th - Eliminated | |||
Luminites | 9 | Singing Group | 1st (Won Public vote) |
Semi-final 4 (31 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Olly Murs ("Right Place Right Time") [12]
Semi-Finalist | Order | Act | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elton | Alfonso | Liam | Sophie | ||||
Club Town Freaks | 1 | Vocal Harmony Group | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
Alex Keirl | 2 | Singer | ![]() |
3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | |||
Shockarellas | 3 | Dance Group | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
Poppin' Ron | 4 | Breakdancer | ![]() |
8th - Eliminated | |||
James More | 5 | Illusionist | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
Chasing the Dream | 6 | Musical Theatre Group | ![]() |
![]() |
7th - Eliminated | ||
Francine Lewis | 7 | Impressionist | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Asanda | 8 | Singer | ![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
2nd (Won Judges' vote) | |
AJ & Chloe | 9 | Latin Dance Duo | 5th - Eliminated |
Semi-final 5 (1 June)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Ashleigh and Pudsey [13]
Artist | Order | Act | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | ||||
CEO Dancers | 1 | Dance Trio | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
Aliki | 2 | Singer | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
The Glambassadors | 3 | Dance Group | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
Steve Hewlett 3 | 4 | Ventriloquist | ![]() |
![]() |
3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||
Rob's Duelling Pianos | 5 | Keyboardist | ![]() |
![]() |
9th - Eliminated | ||
Maarty Broekman | 6 | Keytar Player | ![]() |
6th - Eliminated | |||
Gospel Singers Incognito | 7 | Gospel Choir | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Jordan O'Keefe | 8 | Singer & Guitarist | ![]() |
![]() |
2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||
Attraction | 9 | Shadow Theatre Group | 1st (Won Public vote) |
- ^3 Steve Hewlett was later sent through to the final as the judges wildcard.
Final (8 June)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Psy ("Gentleman"),[14] and Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran ("Everything Has Changed")[15]
- Winner | Runner-up | 3rd place
Finalist | Order | Act | Finished [9] |
---|---|---|---|
Pre Skool | 1 | Dance Troupe | 9th |
Asanda | 2 | Singer | 11th |
Gabz | 3 | Singer & Pianist | 7th |
Steve Hewlett | 4 | Ventriloquist | 4th |
Jordan O'Keefe | 5 | Singer & Guitarist | 6th |
Arisxandra | 6 | Singer | 8th |
Francine Lewis | 7 | Impressionist | 10th |
Richard & Adam | 8 | Opera Duo | 3rd |
Jack Carroll | 9 | Comedian | 2nd |
Luminites | 10 | Vocal group | 5th |
Attraction | 11 | Shadow Theatre Act | 1st |
Ratings
Episode | Date | Total ITV viewers (millions) [16] | Weekly rank [16] | Share (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Auditions 1 | 13 April | 12.13 | 1 | 36.9 [17] |
Auditions 2 | 20 April | 11.86 | 1 | 43.9 [18] |
Auditions 3 | 27 April | 11.08 | 1 | 43.9 [19] |
Auditions 4 | 4 May | 11.59 | 1 | 45.0 [20] |
Auditions 5 | 11 May | 12.36 | 1 | 45.2 [21] |
Auditions 6 | 18 May | 10.88 | 1 | 38.1 [22] |
Auditions 7 | 26 May | 9.74 | 3 | 38.0 [23] |
Semi-final 1 | 27 May | 11.48 | 1 | 41.5 [24] |
Semi-final 1 results | 9.27 | 10 | 31.4 [24] | |
Semi-final 2 | 28 May | 10.20 | 6 | 36.5 [25] |
Semi-final 2 results | 8.39 | 14 | 28.5[25] | |
Semi-final 3 | 30 May | 9.76 | 8 | 37.5 [26] |
Semi-final 3 results | 8.51 | 13 | 32.3 [26] | |
Semi-final 4 | 31 May | 9.98 | 7 | 37.5 [27] |
Semi-final 4 results | 8.71 | 12 | 32.7 [27] | |
Semi-final 5 | 1 June | 9.74 | 9 | 41.9 [28] |
Semi-final 5 results | 9.04 | 11 | 32.8 [28] | |
Live final | 8 June | 12.85 | 1 | 48.9 [29] |
Criticism & incidents
Unsuitable, and "sexualised" auditions
The seventh series found itself receiving considerable criticism over two groups of auditions that applied for Britain's Got Talent that year. The first group concerned the involvement of Scarlet Cuffs, Keri Graham and Kelly Fox. The auditions of Cuffs and Graham primarily involved conducting a provocative striptease, which led viewers to send complaints to Ofcom regarding for the broadcast of footage that was unsuitable for a family audience and being aired before the 9pm watershed. Although ITV's efforts to edit Graham's audition carefully were deemed acceptable,[30] the regulator ruled that the censoring of Cuffs audition was insufficient and thus breached broadcasting codes in regards to protecting children from unsuitable content, with it made clear that the act should not have been shown.[31][32] Fox's auditioned received considerable criticism for the use of lyrics that she sung in her performance, and the behaviour of two judges during her audition. While Fox refuted criticism over her performance,[33] a member of the National Association of Head Teachers raised questions over the "morality" of allowing the audition footage to be shown.[34]
The second group concerned the involvement of Arisxandra Libantino, and Asanda, two young children participating in the programme. The nature of their auditions raised serious questions amongst viewers over the use of songs that were inappropriate for their age - Libantino's performance involved singing Jennifer Hudson's "One Night Only",[30] while Asanda's involved the singing of Rihanna's "Diamonds" alongside a provocative dance routine.[35] The release of the footage by ITV raised questions from Vivienne Pattison, director of Mediawatch UK, over the programme's portrayal of children, deeming the auditions as effectively "sexualising children" on television.[30]
Cowell's "egg attack" in final
Security arrangements for the programme came under questioning by production staff, after a protester, Natalie Holt, managed to conduct a protest against miming on live television shows and Simon Cowell's influence in the music industry during the performance of finalists Richard & Adam, in which she threw eggs at Cowell before she was removed; the programme had to make clear the incident was not a publicity stunt.[36][37] The investigation into the breach by Holt showed that she managed to circumvent security processes by posing as a backing musician for the finalists, and had smuggled in the eggs due to a failure over proper checks of her possessions. Holt was later revealed to have been a rejected audition from the previous year, when she attempted to secure a place in the 2012 competition with her classical band RaVen Quartet, and that her protest was motivated in part by this failure.[36]
References
- ^ a b Fletcher, Alex (13 December 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' 2013 judge audition dates revealed". Digital Spy.
- ^ a b Harmsworth, Andrei (3 February 2013). "Britain's Got Talent judges taunt poorly no-show Simon Cowell". Metro.
- ^ Bassett, Sean (26 July 2012). "Alesha Dixon confirms she will be back for Britain's Got Talent 2013". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (13 December 2012). "Simon Cowell returns to 'Britain's Got Talent': 'I want a global star'". Digital Spy.
- ^ Ensor, Josie (9 June 2013). "Britain's Got Talent: Woman storms the stage and pelts Simon Cowell with Eggs". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.
- ^ Sperling, Daniel (4 September 2012). "Stephen Mulhern confirms 'Britain's Got More Talent' return". Digital Spy.
- ^ McGarry, Lisa (4 June 2013). "Bruce Forsyth wants to manage Steve Hewlett – Britain's Got Talent judges argue but pick 'surprising' wildcard!". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Goulding, Ellie (27 May 2013). "Big day today. Heading down to rehearsals for Britain's Got Talent soon for the show tonight. #BGT". Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f "Revealed: How you voted". ITV. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ Lopez, Jennifer (28 May 2013). "Up early ... Are u ready London!!! Excited about my performance tonight. Who's tuning in? #BritainsGotTalent #LIVEITUP #gonnabefun #jetlag :)". Twitter.
- ^ "OH YEAH! The awesome @ddlovato will be joining us live tonight! #BOOM #DemisGotTalent #BGT". Twitter. 30 May 2013.
- ^ "Watch Olly on Britain's Got Talent". ollymurs.com. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
- ^ "In dance rehearsals today for my @GotTalent performance next Saturday. All I can say is #zombie". Twitter. 24 May 2013.
- ^ Duff, Seamus (27 May 2013). "Gangnam style to doggy style: Will Psy perform with former BGT champ Pudsey?". Metro. Associated Newspapers.
- ^ Rigby, Sam (31 May 2013). "Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran 'to perform on Britain's Got Talent final'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (14 April 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' makes triumphant return to ITV with 9.35m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (21 April 2013). "'The Voice' UK ratings continue to grow with 7.9m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (28 April 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' tops Saturday night ratings". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (5 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' tops Saturday ratings with 9.51m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (12 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' scores series high of 10.54m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (19 May 2013). "Eurovision Song Contest seen by 7.7m on BBC One". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Eames, Tom (27 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' wins Sunday with 8.14m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (28 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' first live semi-final climbs to 9.9m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (29 May 2013). "'The Apprentice' loses 900,000 viewers on Tuesday". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (31 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' third semi-final attracts 8.5m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Hilton, Beth (1 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' latest semi-final scores 8m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Hilton, Beth (2 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' brings 8.13m to ITV for last semi-final". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (9 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' final watched by 10.6m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b c McGarry, Lisa (15 April 2013). "Britain's Got Talent 2013: Bosses defend Arisxandra Libantino & Keri Graham over 'inappropriate' claims". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014.
- ^ Nissim, Mayer (9 September 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' spinoff criticised by Ofcom for naked dancing". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "It's a bum rap: regulator Ofcom ticks off ITV2". Evening Standard. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ Shales, Mark (22 May 2013). "Kiss my ass! Rochdale's Britain's Got Talent grandmother Kelly Fox defends controversial audition song". Mancunian Matters.
- ^ Michael Hogan (31 May 2017). "Britain's Got Talent: the biggest controversies of all time". www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ McKnight, Jenni (29 April 2013). "Britain's Got Talent contestant Asanda Jezile shocks viewers with 'sexualised' Rihanna performance". Metro. Associated Newspapers.
- ^ a b Watts, Halina; Tonks, Owen (9 June 2013). "Natalie Holt apologises for throwing eggs". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror.
- ^ Simons, Jake Wallis (9 June 2013). "Violinist reveals motivation behind Simon Cowell egg attack". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.