Britain's Got Talent: Huge format change for semi-finals as Golden Buzzer makes comeback to later stages
Fans of Britain’s Got Talent will watch as a huge new format change comes to the semi-finals of the hit ITV competition show.
The Golden Buzzer is already a key part of the auditions but ITV has now confirmed that for the first time in the show’s history, it will feature in the semi-finals, giving a handful of acts the chance to reach the final without facing the public vote.
The buzzer has been used in the audition stages since 2014 and gives each judge, plus hosts Ant & Dec, one chance per series to send an act straight through to the semi-finals, avoiding having to get a ‘yes’ from the majority of the panel and avoiding the cuts before the semi-finalists are chosen.
However, the new rule change will see the buzzer added to the live semi-finals shows. Only one judge or the show’s presenters will have control of the buzzer per episode, meaning that they can choose which act they want to avoid elimination from the competition.
Each semi-final will see the Golden Buzzer act joined in the grand final by the act who wins the public vote.
The semi-final stage of Britain's Got Talent is set to kick off on Saturday, April 26. In a scheduling change from previous years, semi-finals will be held weekly until the grand final on May 31. Previously, semi-finals were held every week night before the final was held on the Sunday of the same week.
This year, the winner will walk away with a £250,000 cash prize and a spot to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.
The final Britain’s Got Talent auditions for 2025 will air on Saturday, April 19 at 7pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.