EXCLUSIVE: Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts shared his unfiltered views while discussing two of the acts competing in this year’s final
Celestial are one of the acts hoping to win Britain’s Got Talent (Image: ITV)
Britain’s Got Talent champion Paul Potts believes one act in this year’s final is at an unfair advantage. The singer, who triumphed in the first series back in 2007, has continued to watch the programme since his win and hasn’t shied away from sharing his views about the competition.
As 10 finalists prepare to perform in pursuit of the £250,000 prize and a coveted slot at the Royal Variety Performance, he offered his verdict on two acts.
Those hoping to follow in Paul’s success include The Hawkstone Farmers Choir, Matty Juniosa, Anastasiia and Salsa, Sadeck Berrabah and LMA, Fabian Fox, Liew Yang, Ted Hill, Sonny Green, Rafferty Coope and Celestial.
Celestial are drone display performers who produce captivating shows using LED technology. Given the nature of their act, their semi-final performance was pre-recorded, something Paul believes put them at an advantage.
Discussing the golden buzzer, which the group received from Amanda Holden in the auditions and from all four judges in the semi-final, the opera singer said: “The golden buzzer also takes power away from the audience. In the past, viewers had more influence over who progressed. I also thought the situation with Celestial was controversial.”
Paul Potts won Britain’s Got Talent in 2007 (Image: ITV)
He added via Sky Vegas: “They’re fantastic, but because their performance relied on darkness, it couldn’t really be done fully live in the same way as the other acts.
“What viewers saw was heavily polished and pre-recorded, and that creates an unfair advantage over acts performing live with no safety net.”
He continued: “We don’t know whether there were technical issues or mistakes because editing removes those things.
“I’m not questioning their talent, but there’s a completely different pressure when everyone else is performing live and one act has the benefit of a polished pre-record.”
A representative for Britain’s Got Talent did not respond when approached for comment. Turning his attention to another act, Paul remarked on The Hawkstone Farmers Choir’s links with Jeremy Clarkson.
Welsh members of a farmers’ choir heading into the live Britain’s Got Talent final(Image: Hawkstones Farmers’ Choir / ITV / BGT)
The group, made up of farmers from various parts of the country, was initially brought together during rehearsals for a series of adverts promoting Jeremy’s Hawkstone beer.
Speaking on Heart Radio previously, the former Top Gear star urged viewers to vote for them and thanked Amanda for pressing her golden buzzer.
Speaking about the act, Paul stated: “The Hawkstone Farmers Choir do feel slightly like an advert for Jeremy Clarkson’s brand at times, and normally something that close to branding would raise questions.
“Whether it helps them depends on whether they’ve genuinely got the quality to back it up. Personally, I don’t think they were the best choir in the competition. The gospel choir that some people criticised for being over-produced were stronger vocally and probably deserved the place more.”
Britain’s Got Talent airs tonight at 7.30pm on ITV and ITVX