BGT Take Hoff And Laughs For Judging Panel
Britain’s Got Talent is set for a revamp for the upcoming series, and with the judging panel now being vacated by Piers Morgan to take over the Larry King show, his spot will be taken over by not one but two star names, with stand-up comedian Michael McIntyre, and American actor David Hasselhoff, joining Amanda Holden on the BGT judging panel for the audition stage of series 5.
Show boss Simon Cowell, said to have a busy schedule from his other committments, will also be returning to the ITV1 show, but only as a fourth judge during the final week of the series, when the live shows take place. The show hosts Ant & Dec will also retain their roles.
New judge Michael, who found fame on BBC1 shows such as Live At The Apollo (and is now helping upcoming comedians to do similar with his own series (Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow)) was delighted at his appointment, stating: “I’m a massive fan of Britain’s Got Talent and am extremely excited to be a judge on the new series. I was so thrilled when Simon Cowell asked me that I immediately wanted to run in to Ant and Dec’s arms to celebrate.”
ITV director of entertainment and comedy, Elaine Bedell, said: “Michael has established himself as one of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment in this country and, as someone who made his big breakthrough on the Royal Variety Performance, he knows exactly the pressures facing the acts on Britain’s Got Talent.”
The stand-up has been described by some older comics as being unexciting and ‘middle class’, although the majority of his audience appreciate that he can vary his style so well and adapt to a more family-friendly approach better than many of his rivals in the industry. This nature has meant that McIntyre was selected as the host of this year’s Royal Variety Performance, where a performing slot on this show is the prize for the winner of BGT (along with a cash prize of £100,000).
Elaine also praised other new judge Hasselhoff, who has “been immersed in show business for many years”.
The American actor, star of hit shows in the 80′s and 90′s such as Knight Rider and Baywatch, was previously a judge on the American version of the show, America’s Got Talent (at the time, alongside Piers Morgan and Sharon Osbourne).
The final of series 4 was a ratings hit, with 15 million unique viewers. The selection of hopefuls for this year’s show (which might include controversial X Factor contestant Wagner, who wants to star in his favoured style of music, opera) will hope to emulate the success of previous winners such as opera singer Paul Potts, breakdancer George Sampson, streetdance group Diversity, and most recently, gymnastic troupe Spelbound, as well as other notable contestants like Connie Talbot and the worldwide phenomenon Susan Boyle.
The new series of Britain’s Got Talent will begin to air on ITV1 at some point in early 2011.
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[...] insider for the show mentioned that the revamped judging panel of David Hasselhoff, Michael McIntyre, and Amanda Holden, have not discovered a high-quality successor to previous [...]
[...] year), but yesterday confirmed that replacing David Hasslehoff and Michael McIntyre (who both quit after one series) at the judges table will be comic actor David Walliams and singer Alesha Dixon, joining [...]