The drama was backstage at Britain’s favourite talent show when Ant McFarlane found himself on the wrong end of a coconut. It is a legitimate question to ask how the presenter came into contact with the coconut. Had someone been throwing them at him, was he trying out a bizarre reverse coconut shy trick? No, he was trying to replicate an on-stage act and was being egged on by his co-presenter Dec.
The antics led to him needing the medics to come and bandage his head. Backstage footage shows the pair fooling around trying to break open a coconut. Unlike the onstage contestant who was a specialist at cracking open coconuts in the shortest possible time, Ant did not have a clue how to go about it. The video shows him trying his hand, his arm and eventually his forehead before Dec points out that Ant has cut his head.
Undoubtedly the bandage that was administered was over the top and the incident was all part and parcel of the duo’s hilarious charm. It certainly shows, however, that Britain’s Got Talent contestants do have some extraordinary skills and while smashing coconuts might not get the Golden Buzzer treatment, it certainly led to some funny outtakes from the show.
BGT, the massively popular TV show, returned to British TV screens over the Easter weekend. Fans of the show had been kept waiting after the Covid-19 pandemic interrupted the format. Screenings with shows in front of a live audience had been unable to take place. Now, even though the latest series has only been running for three weeks, three judges have already deployed their Golden Buzzers. This has seen three acts covered in golden confetti and advanced straight through to the semi-finals without needing the majority approval of the panel.
So far Amanda Holden buzzed for Greatest Showman singer Loren Allred. The world had been introduced to her voice in 2018 but she did not get the recognition she deserved as her voice was dubbed over actress, Rebecca Ferguson’s, performance in the film. Simon Cowell was wowed by comedian Axel Blake who already has his own show on Amazon Prime. David Walliams hit his golden buzzer for dance act Born to Perform. This inclusive, accessible dance school supports children and adults with special educational needs and disabilities. Unlike the other two acts, they have had no previous media attention and less than ten followers on social media. That all looks set to change for them.
Over the years BGT has catapulted talented acts from relative obscurity to become household names and motivated millions of people to try out their talents be that at a local show or a bigger event on holiday. The talent show is a staple, after all, of a British summer holiday or the school end of year performance. There has been a successful spin off of the show with an interactive board game that people can play with family and friends. For those who fancy their chances on some popular online slots, there is even a Britain’s Got Talent video slot which does its very best to whisk you from your desktop to the auditions with attention grabbing graphics and unique features. There is even a Live Show Bonus where the louder the applause, the bigger the win will be.
The audience will be applauding loudly throughout the weeks on the latest show. Who will go on to win the title and appear at The Royal Variety Performance is still very much in the hands of the judges. Eventually, it is the public, however, who will decide. The most recent winner of the show was Jon Courtenay, a comic pianist who was the first-ever act who got the Golden Buzzer treatment and went on to claim the title. Ant and Dec spotted him early on and described him as a ‘real winner’. While the coconuts might have caused amusement backstage the performer cracking them did not receive the same acclaim from the hosts.
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