Audience interruption leaves Simon Cowell speechless
The final audition round of Britain’s Got Talent took an unexpected turn when an audience member interrupted proceedings to ask for a chance to perform.
During Saturday night’s episode (19 April), the ITV show saw singer Max Fox bring the audition process to a halt when he shouted out from the audience and addressed Simon Cowell directly.
Max Fox takes his chance
© ITVAs the judges — Simon, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and guest panellist KSI — prepared to continue with the scheduled acts, Max shouted from his seat: "19 years I’ve tried to get in front of you and I’ve never ever had that chance. Can you give me one opportunity? I can show you what I’ve got."
The outburst caused visible confusion on the panel. Simon stood up and asked: “Come here, are you serious? Hang on, is this a wind-up?”
Security steps in
© ITVAs Max approached the front of the stage, security guards moved quickly to stop him. But Simon appeared to recognise the genuine nature of the request and signalled for the team to stand down.
Max explained: “I’m a local singer. My name’s Max, Max Fox. I feel like it’s my last time.”
Simon responded: “Alright, go do it. So this isn’t a set up? You just chanced it?”
Max replied: “I just chanced it, yeah. I got to the front of the audience and I just got lucky with this jacket, I think!”
Judges react to shock interruption
© ITVThe moment clearly took the judges by surprise. Alesha and Amanda remained silent throughout the exchange, visibly unsure what to make of it.
KSI, who was stepping in as a guest judge, commented: “I’ve never seen this happen before.”
While audience interruptions are rare on the show, spontaneous auditions are almost unheard of — especially during a high-profile round of taping.
Simon’s reaction sparks debate
© ShutterstockSimon, who has served as a judge since BGT launched in 2007, appeared open to the interruption. Whether Max Fox impressed once on stage remains to be seen, but the judge’s willingness to give him a platform has already sparked conversation online.
Some fans have praised Simon’s flexibility and openness to talent, while others questioned whether the moment had been staged for dramatic effect.
However, there has been no confirmation from ITV or the production team that Max’s interruption was planned.
Who is Max Fox?
© ITVVery little is currently known about Max. He introduced himself only as a “local singer” and did not elaborate further during the episode preview.
It remains unclear whether Max had previously auditioned during the official process or if he had simply decided to take a chance while seated in the audience.
Social media users have already begun to speculate about Max’s backstory. Some believe he may be a semi-professional performer, while others think he could be a total newcomer.
