Britain’s Got Talent Betting Odds, Tips & Predictions – The Complete Guide

The first, Open Auditions, are staged in autumn in different cities around the UK, where producers play the role of judges.

The second round of auditions is known as the Judges' Auditions which are held early the following year, most regularly in Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, and London. As the name suggests, this second round represents the hopefuls’ first chance to perform whatever their talent is in front of the judges, as well as a live audience. This is also where filming begins, with the footage to be broadcast at a later date. Performances are over when their time runs out, or if or all of the judges use their buzzers in a vote of disapproval. After the performance, judges explain their reasoning before casting a yes/no vote. Should the performers receive a majority ‘yes' vote, they then proceed onto the next stage in the contest. If not, they are eliminated.

There is also a Golden Buzzer which was introduced in the eighth series, the idea originating from Germany's Got Talent. This Golden Buzzer allows for automatic approval without the need to go to a vote, but may only be used once by each judge and cannot be used again by them for the rest of the series.

Prior to the next round starting, the judges review contestants who have made it this far and decide who will progress to the live shows. When they have made their decision, the hopefuls are called back to find out their fate. With the final list confirmed, the acts are divided up between the semi-finals, usually in groups of eight.

The semi-finals and the final are filmed in front of a live audience as well as the judges, and are broadcast live. A few weeks before the live shows start, footage harvested from the judge’s auditions is broadcast to get the television series started. Typically, this footage will include the best, the worst, and the funniest of the auditions. At the live shows, the contestants must perform a new routine, and judging works in the same way as the judge’s auditions, where buzzers can be used by each judge.

Semi-finals allow for two participants to advance into the final by way of two votes: public phone-in and judges' decision, where they pick their favourite of the two performers who came in 2nd and 3rd in the public vote. The winner of the public vote goes straight into the final, where the public vote will determine that year’s winner.

Strictly Come Dancing: Featuring a combination of pro dancers, such as Dianne Buswell as well as amateur dancers, the programme has been a long-standing success on BBC, presented by Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly.

Eurovision: This is arguably the biggest singing competition in Europe, with the 2023 Final having taken place in Liverpool. Sweden stormed to glory in front of a record-breaking TV audience, marking a second victory in the competition for Loreen, with the winning song entitled “Tattoo”.

Dancing on Ice: Another popular UK TV show, this sees professionals and media celebrities team up to perform a range of ice skating routines, and each couple will be awarded a score of 0 to 10. After a hiatus, it was restored to TV screens in 2018.