Britain's Got Talent chaos after Bruno Tonioli breaks golden buzzer as ITV series sets new record

The new season of Britain’s Got Talent will be coming to our screens this weekend, with plenty of drama already on the cards. The ITV competition has also set a record for the most golden buzzer acts in its history, with judge Bruno Tonioli causing chaos when he broke his in his excitement.

BGT judges, Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli were blown away with the talent on display this year, with a record number of acts being put straight through to the live finals, with Holden likening one Britain’s Got Talent contestant to an iconic music star.

The series is following a new format, with BGT judges and hosts Ant and Dec now having nine golden buzzers between them - which is nearly double than last year’s five. This means that more contestants than ever before have been given the green light to compete for a chance to win the £250,000 cash prize and a spot in the Royal Variety Performance.

When can I watch Britain’s Got Talent?

Britain’s Got Talent will be available to watch on ITV1 and ITVX on Saturday, April 20, from 7.30pm. The first episode will follow the London and Manchester auditions as they are narrowed down to who will be performing in the live final. The series will continue with its second episode on Sunday, April 21 from 7.40pm.

What can I expect from Britain’s Got Talent?

Britain’s Got Talent 2024 has broken the record for the most golden buzzers in the show’s history. Auditions took place in Manchester and London, with Simon Cowell revealing: “I thought there were about another 17 acts who easily could have had a golden buzzer."

The show creator continued: “That's how good the talent is this year. I don't think it matters. I mean, we don't want to get to the point where you've got 20 golden buzzer acts, but I think eight or nine is fine.”

He went on to reveal that fellow judge Bruno Tonioli got so excited that he broke his golden buzzer. Cowell said: "I just knew something like that was going to happen, I love it when things go wrong or the unexpected happens, otherwise it's boring.”

Holden has also likened one of her golden buzzer acts to international pop sensation Adele. Describing the contestant as “really down to earth, very funny”, Holden continued: “she’s a little bit rough around the edges, but super charming, very charismatic, very relatable. I thought, ‘God, she’s a little star’. The version of the song she sang was so amazing - for it to have had such an impact, it really affected me.”

Whilst BGT presenters Ant and Dec also gave an act the golden buzzer treatment. Dec said: “Even in our 17th series, we have had stuff that we’ve never seen before. We’ve certainly not had an extreme pogo stick act before… alongside several other acts that are still surprising us after all these years.” To which Ant added: “We just had to run out there and do it.” Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.