Upset by what they saw unfold on Saturday night, annoyed Britain's Got Talent viewers have demanded that bosses make an 'urgent' change to the format, after the new Golden Buzzer twist for the semi finals continues to divide opinion.
Some 18 years after made its debut on ITV, BGT continues to pull big ratings in and returned for a new series earlier this year; with weeks and weeks of audition rounds airing every Saturday, as a new batch of hopefuls stepped in front of the judges determined to get enough Yes votes to make it through to the next round.
There has been a massive shake-up to how Britain's Got Talent is working this year; gone is the usual trend of having the live semi finals air one after another in the same week and in its place is a new schedule, which has led to just one semi taking place each week, across five consecutive Saturdays. And another new addition to BGT for 2025 is a Golden Buzzer for the knockouts, giving one judge a week the power to send one act straight through to the final.
By the time Saturday evening's show began, four acts had already landed a spot in the final, as eight more lined up aiming to do the same. Hosts Ant and Dec announced in the opening minutes of the live broadcast that it would be Bruno Tonioli's turn to have the power of the Buzzer, which he then ended up using to put opera singer Jasmine Rice through to the final, after her stunning rendition of Never Enough.
However, after then seeing dance act Ping Pong Pang blow everyone away and Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer act from the auditions, Electric Umbrella, close the show with an uplifting and moving performance, some viewers argued that the Buzzer shouldn't be pressed until ever single act has been on stage.
Making that call, one critic took to X to write: "Really don’t understand the golden buzzer process. Surely it’s fairer to see all the acts, then pick who receives the golden buzzer." In agreement, a second posted: "The @BGT golden buzzer should only be given once all acts have performed! Let’s be fair!"
