Britain’s Got Talent winners: full list of BGT winners through the years - where are they now?

The likes of Diversity, Susan Boyle and Axel Blake have all enjoyed great success after the show
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The winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2023 has been crowned and Norwegian comedian Viggo Venn triumphed in a spectacular final.

Venn was one of 10 acts to perform in the final and he faced strong competition from various performers throughout the night including Lilliana Clifton, Cillian O’Connor and Travis George.

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The comedian received a lucrative cash prize of £250,000 for his efforts and a slot at the Royal Variety Performance.

Britain’s Got Talent is synonymous with catapulting its contestants to new found fame and many of the show's winners have gone on to have hugely successful careers in the limelight.

Here we take a look back at all the winners from Britain’s Got Talent from Paul Potts to Viggo Venn to see where they are now.

Season 1 - Paul Potts (2007)

Opera singer Paul Potts became the first ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007. Potts stunned the judges with his impressive rendition of Nessun Dorma in the final.

Paul Potts was the first ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent. (Getty Images)Paul Potts was the first ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent. (Getty Images)
Paul Potts was the first ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent. (Getty Images)
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Since winning the show the 52-year-old has gone on to produce the album One Chance which topped the sales chart in 13 countries.

Potts’ has also released a film called One Chance and a memoir in 2013. In 2019 he competed in a spin-off series called America’s Got Talent: The Champions but he failed to make the final five.

Season 2: George Sampson (2008)

Breakdancer George Sampson impressed the judges with his moves to become the second ever winner of the show at just 15 years of age.

His performance of Mint Royale’s remix of Singin in the Rain helped the song itself re-enter the UK music charts.

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After the show, Sampson became an actor and he has featured in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale.

Season 3: Diversity (2009)

Season three of Britain’s Got Talent proved to be one of the most iconic finals in the history of the show.

Dance troupe Diversity were the eventual winners of the series but they faced strong competition from Susan Boyle in the final.

Dance group “Diversity” have enjoyed great success since 2009. (Getty Images0Dance group “Diversity” have enjoyed great success since 2009. (Getty Images0
Dance group “Diversity” have enjoyed great success since 2009. (Getty Images0

After the show Diversity went on to have huge success performing tours and numerous TV shows. Perri Kiely won ITV reality series Splash, won star baker on the celebrity special of The Great British Bake Off and starred in Celebs Go Dating.

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Ashley Banjo also forged a successful TV career, most recently as a judge on Dancing on Ice.

Season 4: Spelbound (2010)

Gymnastic wizards Spelbound were the fourth act to win Britain’s Got Talent. The gymnasts went on to release a DVD and they also performed at the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012.

Season 5: Jai McDowall (2011)

Scottish singer Jai McDowell became the second singer to win Britain’s Got Talent in 2011. Mcdowall beat early favourite for the competition Ronan Parke in the final after his impressive cover of Bring Me To Life by Evanescence.

McDowall released his first album titled Believe in 2011 but struggled to find success in the charts. Since leaving the show it is reported that he had a rift with judge Simon Cowell and he was dropped by record company Syco a year after the show.

Season 6: Ashleigh and Pudsey (2012)

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Ashleigh Butler and her dog Pudsey were the first ever canine winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2012. The pair performed a flawless routine of the Mission Impossible theme to impress the judges.

After BGT, Pudsey went on to star in his own movie called Pudsey The Dog: The Movie where he was voiced by David Walliams.

Pudsey passed away in 2017. Butler now competes in Crufts and won the agility competition with her dog Sully in 2018.

Season 7: Attraction (2013)

Shadow artists Attraction were the seventh act to win Britain’s Got Talent in 2013.

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The Hungarian group have gone on to perform live theatre shows around the world and have featured on a number of European TV adverts.

Season 8: Collabro (2014)

The three finalists of season eight were all singers, but it was classical five-piece Collabro who won the most votes.

Collabro were the winners of Britain’s Got Talent season 8. (Getty Images)Collabro were the winners of Britain’s Got Talent season 8. (Getty Images)
Collabro were the winners of Britain’s Got Talent season 8. (Getty Images)

Collabro have gone on to release three albums although one member Richard Hadfield has since left the group amid rumours of a rift between him and other members.

Season 9: Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse (2015)

Season 9 of Britain’s Got Talent is often remembered for it’s double dog controversy.

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Dog trainer, Jules O’Dwyer and her mutt Matisse seemingly performed a tightrope act and narrowly won the public vote. However, it later emerged that the trainer was using a different dog called Chase.

Over 1000 people complained to Ofcom after the incident with many viewers feeling that they had been misled.

Season 10: Richard Jones (2016)

Richard Jones became the first ever magician to win Britain’s Got Talent in 2016 and secured his victory in the final with a moving tribute to the armed forces.

After his victory, Jones landed a one-off TV special called Operation Magic. He has also toured the UK to do magic acts.

Season 11: Tokio Myers (2017)

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Musician and pianist Tokio Myers impressed the judges with his mixture of classical and electronic music.

Since winning the show, Myers has released a debut album called Our Generation. He also starred in Simon Cowell’s charity single Bridge Over Troubled Water which raised money for the families affected during the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Season 12: Lost Voice Guy (2018)

Stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy otherwise known as Lee Ridley performed with a speech synthesiser after being diagnosed with cerebral palsy at six months old.

Lost Voice Guy has continued to perform on stage since his victory and he co-wrote the Radio 4 sitcom Ability.

Season 13: Colin Thackery (2019)

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Chelsea pensioner Colin Thackery became the oldest ever winner of Britain’s Got Talent at 89 years of age.

Thackery stunned the judges with his impressive singing skills in 2019. After winning the show he released an album called Love Changes which peaked at number 13 in the UK charts.

Season 14: Jon Courtenay (2020)

Musical comedian Jon Courtenay impressed judges with his comical songs which reflected on the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 47-year-old was Ant and Dec’s golden buzzer act and he dedicated his performance in the final to Sir Captain Tom Moore.

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Courtenay has remained friends with Ant and Dec after the show and he featured on the presenting duo’s show Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway in 2021.

Season 15: Axel Blake (2022)

Axel Blake became the first winner of Britain’s Got Talent in two years after the show took a brief hiatus.

Axel Blake at the 2022 Royal Variety Performance. (Getty Images)Axel Blake at the 2022 Royal Variety Performance. (Getty Images)
Axel Blake at the 2022 Royal Variety Performance. (Getty Images)

The 33-year-old comedian was Simon Cowell’s golden buzzer act - the judge said: “I really believe that we have just discovered a star.”

Blake is now a full time comedian - he has over 100,000 followers on Instagram and performs in a series of venues across the UK.

Season 16: Viggo Venn (2023)

Viggo Venn was crowned the winner of Britain's Got Talent 2023. (YouTube)Viggo Venn was crowned the winner of Britain's Got Talent 2023. (YouTube)
Viggo Venn was crowned the winner of Britain's Got Talent 2023. (YouTube)
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Viggo Venn won the hearts of audiences around the UK to win season 16 of Britain’s Got Talent.

Venn is an energetic comedian who is known for wearing a trademark high-vis jacket in all of his performances.

The Norwegian is regarded as a rising star in the world of comedy and he is set to appear in numerous shows around the UK this summer with dates announced in London, Brighton, Edinburgh and Bristol.

He has amassed 57,800 followers on Instagram and 375,400 on TikTok.

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