Britain’s Got Talent’s first live semi-final will take place at 7pm on Saturday on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, with the hopefuls doing the best to impress the judges and make it all the way to the final.
The semi-finals will consist of eight acts performing live for the chance to reach the final, where they could win a £250,000 cash prize and a spot on the bill of the Royal Variety Performance.
The five live shows will see judges Tonioli, Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon given a golden buzzer to send a contestant straight through to the final. But how does the buzzer work?
If an act is awarded the Golden Buzzer at the end of their audition, it grants them a place in one of the live semi-finals of the show. This means they skip past the bootcamp stage of the competition, giving them a head start
The Golden Buzzer is pressed by a judge or host when they decide they want a particular audition to go straight through to the live shows. Last year, the judges overdid it and gave themselves extra Golden Buzzer acts – so it remains to be seen if they stick to the rules this year.
All four judges Bruno, Alesha, Simon and Amanda get to press the buzzer and secure an act. Hosts Ant and Dec share a buzzer. It’s not clear if guest judge KSI was given the chance to press the buzzer too, while last year even the audience got a go as the judges pressed the buzzer for an act and said it was on behalf of the crowd.
During Saturday’s first episode of the new series on ITV1, the first Golden Buzzer was gifted by judge Simon to singer Vinnie McKee. The Scottish singer and songwriter performed The Proclaimers hit I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), and he left Simon “speechless”.
We then saw hosts Ant and Dec award the second Golden Buzzer. They were emotional with their decision as the chosen act told them that they had changed his life.
The Golden Buzzer was awarded to comedian and impressionist Will Burns. Charity fundraiser Will, from Leeds, has been a huge fan of BGT since it first launched in 2007. “Growing up, I was obsessed. I had a Britain’s Got Talent themed bedroom. I got a hoodie for Christmas one year that said ‘William’s Got Talent’ on it. I have always dreamed of being on the show,” he told The Mirror.
Delivering a comedy routine through impressions of BGT voiceover Peter Dickson, Gogglebox’s Craig Cash and David Attenborough, he got the crowd and judges on their feet.
Britain’s Got Talent 2025 airs Saturdays at 7PM on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
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