Tom Ball: who is BGT 2023’s Noodle the Cat, where did singer finish in 2022, what is he doing now?

The Britain’s Got Talent judges were stunned at the end of the competition’s semi-final as Noodle’s identity was finally revealed to the public.

Noodle is a cartoon cat who has enjoyed great success in this year’s series. The animated animal cruised through the audition stage and competed against the likes of Viggo Venn and Travis George during Thursday’s semi-final on 1 June.

The cartoon cat ultimately fell short, with Malaki Bayoh and Duo Odyssey progressing to the final courtesy of the public vote.

Noodle’s identity was unveiled to the public at the end of the show - and it turned out to be last year’s Britain’s Got Talent contestant Tom Ball.

But who is Tom Ball and how did he fare during last year’s series of Britain’s Got Talent?

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Tom Ball?

Tom Ball is a singer from West Sussex. He grew up listening to the likes of Michael Ball and Elton John, which inspired his passion for music.

Ball sang for charity shows, but never pursued a professional career in music. He graduated from university and ultimately became a secondary school teacher.

He has a following of over 30,000 on Instagram and 12,500 on TikTok.

When did Tom Ball compete on Britain’s Got Talent?

The British singer first appeared on our screens during last year’s series of Britain’s Got Talent, with his cover of the Oscar winning Sam Smith song On The Wall catching the attention of the judges and fans of the show.

Ball was described as a “powerhouse” by judge Amanda Holden who went on to describe him as one of the best singers from the show's history.

Ball enjoyed great success throughout the series and he progressed all the way to the 2022 finale where he performed a rendition of Conchita Wurst’s Rise Like A Phoenix.

While comedian Axel Blake triumphed in the final, Ball won a number of plaudits for his performance in the competition and finished third on the public vote.

Tom Ball’s return to Britain’s Got Talent

Ball returned to the Britain’s Got Talent stage for this year’s competition disguised as Noodle the Cat, where he got all the way to the semi finals.

The mystery cartoon cat performed a powerful cover of the Wing’s hit Live and Let Die and halfway through the performance the voice behind the cat made his identity known.

The judges commended Ball for his performance - Simon Cowell commented: “If you’re going to come back and win the show, you just come back as a cat. But I’ve got to hand it to you, you have never sung better than that.”

How did the public react?

The hosts and judges weren’t the only ones to be left surprised by the reveal and many fans took to social media to express their joy at the unveiling.

One user commented on Ball’s glow up over the last year. 

They posted: “OMG Tom Ball had his glow up! Wow! Bit gutted, there's no more Noodle though.”

Another added: “OMG Noodle is Tom Ball… He sounds and looks amazing!”

However, Ball’s return was met with mixed reaction on social media, with some fans left feeling that it was unfair for him to compete two years in a row.

One user posted: “Don’t get me wrong Tom Ball is an amazing singer, like incredible…But isn’t he just taking the place of a proper contestant. He was runner up last year.”

Another pointed out that Ball has also appeared on the all-star version of the show in America. 

They added: “Tom Ball has had success in the US, an album coming out and already had a record deal and was runner-up last year. Isn’t it a little unfair that he’s entered the competition again?”

Where is Tom Ball now?

Ball has pursued a successful career as a singer since his Britain’s Got Talent debut in last year's show and he released his most recent song Falling Slowly on 1 April 2023.

Ball also competed in America’s Got Talent: All Stars earlier this year, which features a number of fan favourites from previous years across the Got Talent franchise.

The Sussex singer ultimately progressed to the final of the show but the eventual winner was aerialist Aidan Bryant.

Ball has a series of performances lined up for the remainder of the year and he has dates across the UK in Southampton, Eastleigh, Stockport and Nottingham.

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