Britain's Got Talent (series 2)

Britain's Got Talent
Series 2
Broadcast from 12 April – 31 May 2008
Judges Simon Cowell
Amanda Holden
Piers Morgan
Presenter(s) Ant & Dec (ITV)
Co-presenter(s) Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)
Broadcaster ITV
ITV2 (Britain's Got More Talent)
Winner
George Sampson
Origin Warrington, England
Genre(s) Street dance
Runner-up
Signature

The second series of Britain's Got Talent was broadcast from 12 April 2008 and ended on 31 May 2008. Notable differences from the first series included the fact that auditions were held for the first time in Scotland and that there were 40 acts in the live semi-finals, compared to 24 the previous year. This series also ran for longer, this time airing seven weeks instead of one. Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan returned as judges. Ant & Dec returned as hosts with Stephen Mulhern coming back to present Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2. Auditions took place in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Blackpool. It was the first time that auditions were held in Glasgow and Blackpool.

The series was won by street dancer George Sampson, with dance duo Signature coming in second and singer Andrew Johnston in third.

Judges

It was announced that Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan would return as judges for the second series of Britain's Got Talent.

Semi-finalists

On 24 May 2008, the judges announced the 40 acts that have made it through to the live semi-finals.[1] A total of 10 acts made the grand final on 31 May 2008.

fThe winner was George Sampson, who was invited to perform an encore of his 'Singin' in the Rain' routine.

  Winner
  Runner-up
  Third place
  Finalist
  Semi-finalist (lost judges' or public vote)
Name / Name of act Age(s) Genre Act From Semi Position Reached
Andrew Johnston 13 Singing Boy soprano Carlisle 2 Third place
Andrew Muir 24 Singing Pop Fauldhouse, West Lothian 4 Finalist (won judges' vote)
Anya Sparks 42 Dancing Solo Dance London 5 Eliminated
Bang On 34/27 Music Percussionists Hounslow 2 Eliminated
Boogie Babes 8–12 Dancing 19-strong troupe Appleby 4 Eliminated
Boogie Wonderland 12–21 Dancing 16-strong troupe Liverpool 1 Eliminated
Caburlesque 22-26 Dancing Cabaret/Burlesque London 5 Eliminated
Charlie Green 10 Singing Swing music Worcestershire 3 Eliminated (lost judges' vote)
Charlie Wernham 13 Comedy Stand-up comedy Essex 4 Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 8/9 Dancing Junior Couples Dance Burnley 2 Finalist (won judges' vote)
Craig Harper 35 Singing / Comedy Pop / Impressionist Hull 5 Eliminated (lost judges' vote)
Dean Wilson 18 Singing Musical Theatre Middlesbrough 1 Eliminated (lost judges' vote)
Deans of Magic 46/38 Magic Erotic magic Daventry 3 Eliminated
Diva Las Vegas 20-48 Dancing 7-strong cabaret act Runcorn 5 Eliminated
Escala (originally Scala.) 23–26 Music String quartet London 5 Finalist (won public vote)
Faryl Smith 12 Singing Classical Kettering 4 Finalist (won public vote)
Flava 17–28 Dancing Hip-hop Dance Cornwall 2 Eliminated (lost judges' vote)
George Sampson 14 Dancing Breakdancing Warrington 3 Winner[2]
Harlequin Stage School 8–13 Dancing 22-strong troupe Worcester 4 Eliminated
Hoop La La 22/23/24 Dancing Hula hoops Inverness 3 Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj (Mostly credited as just Iona) 27 Contortionist Solo Contortionist London 2 Eliminated
Irresistible 23/21/23 Singing / Dancing Pop Tyne & Wear 3 Eliminated
James Stone 52 Singing Pop Rhyl 4 Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 20 Acrobatics Football skills Essex 4 Eliminated (lost judges' vote)
Kate And Gin 16/6 Dancing/Animals Musical canine freestyle Norbury, Cheshire 1 Finalist (won judges' vote)
Kay And Harvey 56/71 Singing Opera Bristol 2 Eliminated
Madonna Decena 32 Singing Pop Manchester 5 Eliminated
Mandy Ellen Dancers 10–24 Dancing 39-strong troupe Maidstone 2 Eliminated
Mary Halford March 6–9 Dancing 24-strong troupe Liverpool 3 Eliminated
Michael Machell 57 Music Electric Keyboardist Hastings 1 Eliminated
Nemesis 18–22 Dancing 5-strong troupe Milton Keynes 5 Finalist (won judges' vote)
Per Diem 24/23 Music Guitar and voice Liverpool 5 Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 34 Juggling Balancing Act Kingston-upon-Thames 1 Eliminated
Sauris Nandi 64 Magic Deception & Illusion London 2 Eliminated
Signature 29/34 Dancing Michael Jackson / Bhangra London 1 2nd Place
Sophie Mei 20 Dancing Belly-dancing Sheffield 1 Eliminated
Strike 22/19 Dancing Martial arts demo Sheffield 3 Finalist (won judges' vote)
Tracy Lee Collins 44 Singing Drag act Leicester 1 Eliminated
Urban Gypsies 35–50 Dancing 7-strong belly-dancing troupe Blackpool 3 Eliminated
Vizage 34/30 Magic/Singing Quick change artists and singers Hull 4 Eliminated

Semi-final summary

The "Order" columns lists the order of appearance each act made for every episode.

Key Buzz Judges' choice
  Won the public vote
  Won the judges' vote
  Lost the judges' vote

Semi-final 1 (26 May)

Order Result Artist Act Buzzes and judges' choices
Cowell Holden Morgan
1 Eliminated Boogie Wonderland Dance Group
2 Top 3 (won judges' vote) Kate and Gin Dancing Dog Act
3 Eliminated Michael Machell Electric Keyboardist
4 Top 3 (lost judges' vote) Dean Wilson Musical Theatre Performer
5 Eliminated Sophie Mei Belly Dancer
6 Eliminated Tracey Lee Collins Drag Act
7 Eliminated Phil Blackmore Balancer And Juggler
8 1st (won public vote) Signature Michael Jackson/Bhangra Dance Duo

Semi-final 2 (27 May)

Order Result Artist Act Buzzes and judges' choices
Cowell Holden Morgan
1 Eliminated Mandy Ellen Dancers Dance Group
2 Eliminated Iona Luvsandorj Contortionist
3 Top 3 (won judges' vote) Cheeky Monkeys Junior Dance Duo
4 Eliminated Kay and Harvey Opera Singer And Keyboardist
5 Eliminated Bang On! Urban Percussionists
6 Top 3 (lost judges' vote) Flava Hip-Hop Dance Group
7 Eliminated Sauris Nandi Illusionist
8 1st (won public vote) Andrew Johnston Boy soprano

Semi-final 3 (28 May)

Order Result Artist Act Buzzes and judges' choices
Cowell Holden Morgan
1 Eliminated Irresistible Vocal Group
2 Top 3 (won judges' vote) Strike Martial Artists
3 Eliminated Mary Halford March Dance Group
4 Eliminated The Deans of Magic Magician
5 Top 3 (lost judges' vote) Charlie Green Singer
6 Eliminated Urban Gypsies Belly Dancing Group
7 Eliminated Hoop La La Hula Hoop Performers
8 1st (won public vote) George Sampson Breakdancer

Semi-final 4 (29 May)

Order Result Artist Act Buzzes and judges' choices
Cowell Holden Morgan
1 Eliminated James Stone Singer
2 Eliminated Charlie Wernham Stand-up Comedian
3 Eliminated Harlequin Stage School Dance Group
4 Top 3 (won judges' vote) Andrew Muir Singer
5 Eliminated The Boogie Babes Dance Group
6 Eliminated Vizage1 Quick-change
7 Top 3 (lost judges' vote) Jeremy Lynch Football Player
8 1st (won public vote) Faryl Smith Classical Singer

Semi-final 5 (30 May)

Order Result Artist Act Buzzes and judges' choices
Cowell Holden Morgan
1 Eliminated Caburlesque Cabaret/Burlesque Group
2 Eliminated Madonna Decena Singer
3 Eliminated Anya Sparks Dancer
4 Top 3 (lost judges' vote) Craig Harper Vocal Impersonator
5 Eliminated Diva Las Vegas Cabaret Group
6 Top 3 (won judges' vote) Nemesis Dance Group
7 Eliminated Per Diem Singer And Guitarist
8 1st (won public vote) Escala Electric String Quartet

Final (31 May)

Key
  Winner
  Runner-up
  Third Place
Order[3] Finished Artist Act
1 Finalist Cheeky Monkeys Dance to "We Go Together" from Grease
2 Finalist Andrew Muir Performance of "Imagine"
3 Finalist Kate and Gin Canine freestyle to James Bond Theme
4 Finalist Nemesis Dance to "Pump It" by The Black Eyed Peas
5 Finalist Strike Martial arts routine to "I Like the Way (You Move)"
6 3rd Andrew Johnston Performance of Pie Jesu
7 1st George Sampson Breakdancing (Singin' in the Rain)
8 Finalist Faryl Smith Performance of Ave Maria
9 Finalist Escala Performance of Palladio
10 2nd Signature Billie Jean bhangra

Ratings

Show Date Official ITV1 rating
(millions)[4]		 Weekly rank[4] Share
Auditions 1 12 April 9.44 6 37.0%[5]
Auditions 2 19 April 10.96 1 43.3%[6]
Auditions 3 26 April 9.86 3 41.3%[7]
Auditions 4 3 May 9.12 5 39.1%[8]
Auditions 5 10 May 8.17 6 37.9%[9]
Auditions 6 17 May 9.11 2 37.5%[10]
Auditions 7 24 May 8.27 5 37.2%[11]
Semi-final 1 26 May 11.33 4 42.0%[12]
Semi-final 2 27 May 9.29 9 35.3%[13]
Semi-final 3 28 May 10.03 6 35.9%[14]
Semi-final 4 29 May 10.13 5 41.9%[15]
Semi-final 5 30 May 11.86 2 50.0%[16]
Live final 31 May 11.52 3 51.1%[17]
Live final results 13.88 1 55.1%[17]
Series average 2008 10.21 4 (4.14) 41.8%

The second series of Britain's Got Talent was a huge ratings success, officially averaging 10.2m for the entire series.[18]

The Final Results episode was the third most watched programme of 2008, officially averaging 13.88m. The moment when George Sampson was announced winner, in front of 14.4 million viewers, was the 4th most watched moment of 2008.

This series of Britain's Got Talent had the third highest series average out of any talent show this century.

Controversies

Andrew Johnston

In an article on 18 April 2008 by British newspaper the Daily Mail, the mother of young contestant Andrew Johnston admitted that their story had been "over-egged" and the truth in the reality is, they do not live in a stereotypical council estate – like he had claimed during a previous interview for the talent show. He pulled on even more heartstrings when he claimed he was bullied but in fact, the bullying he allegedly sustained was early on in his life, and it was not a recent and regular occurrence. The show's producers were accused of misleading the viewers and enhancing a "sob story".[19]

Michael Machell

The first live show attracted considerable complaint due to the treatment of keyboardist Michael Machell, whose appearance was greeted with open mockery and hostility by the crowd and judging panel,[20] with claims that the show's producers encouraged the audience to boo and deride the performer from the beginning of his appearance. Michael was visibly upset immediately afterwards, and also later that evening in his appearance in Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2. In his first audition, he was buzzed by Simon who then pressed the buzzers of Amanda and Piers, in the semi-final he buzzed again but did not press any other buzzer.

Andrew Muir

Having made it to the final, Muir sang Imagine by John Lennon, and was heavily criticised after his performance for a bad choice of song. In both the main show, and the later ITV2 show, Muir stated that the choice of song had been made by producers, and that he had been given no choice but to accept. On both shows, the hosts were seen by viewers to swiftly change the subject or speak to other contestants rather than allow this point to be made further.[21]

Escala

"Scala" (now Escala) also attracted attention from the press as the four members of the band are professional musicians who played for McFly as part of a large orchestra on their UK tour in 2005. They are signed to an entertainment agency, and were invited to audition for Britain's Got Talent by Simon Cowell after they played at The X Factor wrap party in late 2007. An ITV1 spokesman refused claims this was unfair, stating "Scala went through the same application and audition process as everyone else. Britain's Got Talent is open to any performer be it professional or amateur, with any talent."[22] Two of the four members of Escala were part of a similar five-piece classical group called Wild, who were signed to EMI and released an album with the label in 2005.[23] The quartet were then required to change their name from Scala to Escala. According to a report published in the Daily Mirror. "Scala were forced to change their name because it belongs to a female voice choir in Belgium. The girls changed to Escala after EMI threatened to sue, despite having used it for two years."[24]

Faryl Smith

The Sunday Mirror and Digital Spy both reported that Simon Cowell arranged for free singing lessons to be delivered by X Factor vocal coach Yvie Burnett to 12-year-old vocalist Faryl Smith. Burnett previously coached 2007 Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts and 2006 The X Factor winner Leona Lewis.[25][26]

Voting

Britain's Got Talent bosses were accused of fixing the show by manipulating the viewers’ vote, by the fans. In all five semi-finals of series 2, the semi-finalist performing last won the public vote and made it through to the final. The same thing happened in the first series, with the last performer receiving the top acclaim, including in the final. Readers of the Daily Star say complaints have been flooding in, but bosses have denied all allegations. A spokeswoman for the hit TV show claimed that the pattern noticed by viewers was "nothing more than a coincidence". She also added: "The judges have no say over the running order on the show."[27][28] This pattern also continued in the first three semi-finals of series 3, but was broken by saxophanist Julian Smith, who won the public vote in semi-final 4 as act number six out of eight.

References

  1. ↑ Top 40 Acts Archived 29 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "Breakdancer wins TV talent contest". The Press Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  3. ↑ http://watchwithmothers.net/2008/06/03/britains-got-talent-live-final/
  4. 1 2 "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  5. ↑ Brook, Stephen (14 April 2008). "Britain's Got Talent back with 8.8m". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Brook, Stephen (21 April 2008). "Ratings soar for Britain's Got Talent". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  7. ↑ Reevell, Philip (30 April 2008). "International formats bolster ITV weekend". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  8. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (6 May 2008). "Talent shines but viewers head outdoors". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  9. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (12 May 2008). "Talent sizzles as heat hits ratings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  10. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (19 May 2008). "FA Cup final scores a ratings victory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  11. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: 7.1m UK viewers tune in to Eurovision". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  12. ↑ Holmwood, Leigh (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent dances off with honours". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  13. ↑ Rogers, Jon (28 May 2008). "ITV1 delivers masterclass to The Apprentice". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  14. ↑ Rogers, Jon (29 May 2008). "2.8m get the Mary Whitehouse experience". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  15. ↑ Rogers, Jon (30 May 2008). "Thursday peaktime blues for BBC1". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  16. ↑ Dowell, Ben (2 June 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent semi-final shines for ITV". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  17. 1 2 "Britain's Got Talent wins ratings war – Showbiz – News – Manchester Evening News". Manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 18 April 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008.
  18. ↑ "Reality TV hurts too much – WalesOnline". Icwales.icnetwork.co.uk. 31 May 2008.
  19. ↑ "Is the Britain's Got Talent choirboy REALLY a bullied kid from a sink estate?". Daily Mail. 18 April 2008.
  20. ↑ "Well now we know.. Britain's dog talent; POLLY HUDSON ON THE FIRST BGT SEMI-FINAL". Thefreelibrary.com. 27 May 2008.
  21. ↑ Kevan Christie (2 June 2008). "I'll be a star, says Britain's Got Talent finalist Andrew Muir". Daily Record. Scotland.
  22. ↑ Scala Are Bunch Of Real Pros Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  23. ↑ Stuart Husband (16 May 2008). "Scala on Britain's Got Talent electrify Simon Cowell". Daily Mail.
  24. ↑ Britain's Got Talent: row over Scala's name
  25. ↑ Simon Cowell's secret singing lessons for Britain's Got Talent's Faryl Smith Archived 4 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine.
  26. ↑ "Young 'Talent' star gets secret coaching". Digital Spy. 11 May 2008.
  27. ↑ PETER DYKE /Published 29 May 2008 (29 May 2008). "TV Talent Show Rigged, Say Fans". Daily Star. United Kingdom.
  28. ↑ "Britain's Got Talent embroiled in rigging scandal: Viewers accuse bosses of fixing show". Daily Mail. 30 May 2008.
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