Britain's Got Talent (series 7)
The seventh series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 13 April to 8 June 2013; because of England's international friendly with the Republic of Ireland that year, the show took a break on 29 May to avoid clashing with live coverage of the match. Because of the work schedule of Stephen Mulhern, host of Britain's Got More Talent, filmed auditions had to be pushed back to mid-January that year,[1] while no guest judge was brought in despite the absence of Simon Cowell for an audition session.[2][3][4] Following the previous series, the programme's format was given a minor amendment - the cash prize offered to winners was reduced to £250,000 from this series onwards.
| Britain's Got Talent | |
|---|---|
| Series 7 | |
| Hosted by | Ant & Dec (ITV) Stephen Mulhern (ITV2) |
| Judges | David Walliams Alesha Dixon Amanda Holden Simon Cowell |
| Winner | Attraction |
| Runner-ups | Jack Carroll Richard & Adam |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV ITV2 (BGMT) |
| Original release | 13 April – 8 June 2013 |
| Series chronology | |
| List of episodes | |
The seventh series was won by shadow theatre troupe Attraction, the first foreign national participant to win the competition and finishing in first place and comedian Jack Carroll finishing in second place. During its broadcast, the series averaged around 10.4 million viewers. The programme faced severe criticism from viewers over a number of auditions that were broadcast as part of the sixth series, while production staff had to investigate a breach of security after a protester managed to pelt Cowell with eggs during a live broadcast of a finalist's performance.[5]
Series overview
Following open auditions, the Judges' auditions were held in January and February 2013, within Cardiff, London, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham. Although filming was planned to begin by 7 January,[6] it was pushed back to 16 January due to Stephen Mulhern's schedule – as host for Britain's Got More Talent, he would provide feedback and present additional auditions not featured on the main programme, but filming on the original date would have clashed with his involvement for Catchphrase that month.[1] Most of the auditions that took place were uneventful; although Cowell was forced to miss most of the auditions on the second day in Manchester due to illness, production staff opted to proceed with these without bringing in a guest judge to stand in for him.[2]
Of the participants that took part, only forty five made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals, with nine appearing in each one, and eleven of these acts making it into the live final; the wildcard act chosen by the judges was ventriloquist Steve Hewlett, after he lost out in the Judges' vote in the fifth semi-final.[7] The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:
- Winner | Runner-up | Finalist
- Semi-finalist | Judges' Wildcard Finalist
| Participant | Age(s) 1 | Genre | Act | Semi-final | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Crow | 44 | Danger | Danger Act | 1 | Eliminated |
| AJ & Chloe | 17, 18 | Dance | Dance Duo | 4 | Eliminated |
| Alex Keirl | 20 | Singing | Singer | 4 | Eliminated |
| Alice Fredenham | 28 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
| Aliki | 29 | Singing | Singer | 5 | Eliminated |
| Arisxandra Libantino | 11 | Singing | Singer | 1 | Finalist |
| Asanda | 11 | Singing | Singer | 4 | Finalist |
| Attraction | 19–40 | Dance | Shadow Dance Group | 5 | Winner |
| Band of Voices | 4–7 | Singing | Vocal Group | 1 | Eliminated |
| Bosom Buddies | 29, 48 | Singing | Singing Duo | 1 | Eliminated |
| CEO Dancers | 22–24 | Dance | Dance Trio | 5 | Eliminated |
| Chasing the Dream | 19-50 | Singing | Musical Theatre Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Club Town Freaks | 25–38 | Singing | Vocal Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Francine Lewis | 37 | Comedy | Impressionist | 4 | Finalist |
| Freelusion | 25–39 | Dance | Dance Group | 3 | Eliminated |
| Gabz | 14 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Finalist |
| Gospel Singers Incognito | 17–43 | Singing | Gospel Choir | 5 | Eliminated |
| J-Unity | 19 | Singing | Singing Duo | 1 | Eliminated |
| Jack and Cormac | 13, 14 | Singing | Singing Duo | 2 | Eliminated |
| Jack Carroll | 14 | Comedy | Comedian | 2 | Runner-up |
| James More | 24 | Magic | Magician | 4 | Eliminated |
| Jordan O'Keefe | 18 | Singing | Singer | 5 | Finalist |
| Joseph Hall | 36 | Dance | Dancer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Luminites | 18–21 | Singing | Band | 3 | Finalist |
| Maarty Broekman | 23 | Music | Keytar Player | 5 | Eliminated |
| Martin and Marielle | 32, 36 | Dance | Dance Duo | 2 | Eliminated |
| Martin Healey | 57 | Dance | Dancer | 1 | Eliminated |
| MC Boy | 22 | Singing | Rapper | 3 | Eliminated |
| MckNasty | 27 | Music | Drummer | 2 | Eliminated |
| MD Dancers | 14–22 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 2 | Eliminated |
| Meat Diva | 31, 27 | Singing | Singing Duo | 2 | Eliminated |
| Modupé Obasola | 19 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
| Philip Green | 21 | Comedy | Impressionist | 1 | Eliminated |
| Poppin' Ron | 21 | Dance | Dancer | 4 | Eliminated |
| Pre Skool | 5–8 | Dance | Dance Group | 3 | Finalist |
| Richard & Adam | 19, 22 | Singing | Singing Duo | 1 | Finalist |
| Robbie Kennedy | 22 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Rob's Duelling Pianos 2 | 55 | Music | Pianist | 5 | Eliminated |
| Rosie O'Sullivan | 19 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Shockarellas | 12–17 | Dance | Dance Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Steve Hewlett | 37 | Comedy | Ventriloquist | 5 | Finalist |
| Stevie Pink | 45 | Magic | Magician | 3 | Eliminated |
| The Glambassadors | 21–36 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 5 | Eliminated |
| Thomas Bounce | 16 | Variety | Juggler | 3 | Eliminated |
| Youth Creation | 7–14 | Dance | Dance Troupe | 1 | Eliminated |
- ^1 Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this series.
- ^2 Rob's Duelling Pianos became a solo act, after a member of the act left before the semi-final.
Semi-finals summary
- Buzzed out | Judges' vote | Won the public vote
- Won the judges' vote | Lost the judges' vote | Eliminated
Semi-final 1 (27 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Ellie Goulding[8]
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Martin Healey | 1 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Band of Voices | 2 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Youth Creation | 3 | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||||
| J-Unity | 4 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Bosom Buddies | 5 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| Philip Green | 6 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Arisxandra Libantino | 7 | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||||
| Aaron Crow | 8 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Richard & Adam | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Semi-final 2 (28 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Jennifer Lopez[10]
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Martin & Marielle | 1 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| MckNasty | 2 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Jack and Cormac | 3 | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | ||||
| Modupé | 4 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Meat Diva | 5 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| MD | 6 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Alice Fredenham | 7 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Jack Carroll | 8 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
| Gabz | 9 | 2nd (Won Judges' vote) | ||||
Semi-final 3 (30 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Demi Lovato[11]
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Freelusion | 1 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Robbie Kennedy | 2 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Stevie Pink | 3 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| Pre Skool | 4 | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||||
| Thomas Bounce | 5 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Rosie O'Sullivan | 6 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Joseph Hall | 7 | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||||
| MC Boy | 8 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Luminites | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Semi-final 4 (31 May)
Guest Performer, Results Show: Olly Murs[12]
| Semi-Finalist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Club Town Freaks | 1 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Alex Keirl | 2 | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | ||||
| Shockarellas | 3 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Poppin' Ron | 4 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| James More | 5 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Chasing the Dream | 6 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Francine Lewis | 7 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
| Asanda | 8 | 2nd (Won Judges' vote) | ||||
| AJ & Chloe | 9 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
Semi-final 5 (1 June)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Ashleigh and Pudsey[13]
| Artist | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Vote | Result [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| CEO Dancers | 1 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Aliki | 2 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| The Glambassadors | 3 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| Steve Hewlett 3 | 4 | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||||
| Rob's Duelling Pianos | 5 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Maarty Broekman | 6 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Gospel Singers Incognito | 7 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Jordan O'Keefe | 8 | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||||
| Attraction | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
- ^3 Steve Hewlett was later sent through to the final as the judges wildcard.
Final (8 June)
Guest Performers, Results Show: Psy,[14] and Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran[15]
- Winner | Runner-up
| Finalist | Order | Finished [9] |
|---|---|---|
| Pre Skool | 1 | 9th |
| Asanda | 2 | 11th |
| Gabz | 3 | 7th |
| Steve Hewlett | 4 | 4th |
| Jordan O'Keefe | 5 | 6th |
| Arisxandra | 6 | 8th |
| Francine Lewis | 7 | 10th |
| Richard & Adam | 8 | 3rd |
| Jack Carroll | 9 | 2nd |
| Luminites | 10 | 5th |
| Attraction | 11 | 1st |
Ratings
| Episode | Date | Total ITV viewers (millions) [16] | Weekly rank [16] | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 13 April | 12.13 | 1 | 36.9 [17] |
| Auditions 2 | 20 April | 11.86 | 1 | 43.9 [18] |
| Auditions 3 | 27 April | 11.08 | 1 | 43.9 [19] |
| Auditions 4 | 4 May | 11.59 | 1 | 45.0 [20] |
| Auditions 5 | 11 May | 12.36 | 1 | 45.2 [21] |
| Auditions 6 | 18 May | 10.88 | 1 | 38.1 [22] |
| Auditions 7 | 26 May | 9.74 | 3 | 38.0 [23] |
| Semi-final 1 | 27 May | 11.48 | 1 | 41.5 [24] |
| Semi-final 1 results | 9.27 | 10 | 31.4 [24] | |
| Semi-final 2 | 28 May | 10.20 | 6 | 36.5 [25] |
| Semi-final 2 results | 8.39 | 14 | 28.5[25] | |
| Semi-final 3 | 30 May | 9.76 | 8 | 37.5 [26] |
| Semi-final 3 results | 8.51 | 13 | 32.3 [26] | |
| Semi-final 4 | 31 May | 9.98 | 7 | 37.5 [27] |
| Semi-final 4 results | 8.71 | 12 | 32.7 [27] | |
| Semi-final 5 | 1 June | 9.74 | 9 | 41.9 [28] |
| Semi-final 5 results | 9.04 | 11 | 32.8 [28] | |
| Live final | 8 June | 12.85 | 1 | 48.9 [29] |
Criticism & incidents
Unsuitable, and "sexualised" auditions
The seventh series faced criticism from viewers, covering two sets of complaints regarding auditions that were conducted in the 2013 contest. The first set concerned the nature of auditions made by Scarlet Cuffs, Keri Graham and Kelly Fox, that were deemed unsuitable for a family-orientated programme and for broadcast before the 9pm watershed - both Cuffs and Graham conducted a provocative striptease as part of their auditions, while Fox used lyrics that were considered vulgar. Ofcom investigated the editing of the auditions by the striptease acts, and ruled that while Graham's had been carefully censored to an acceptable level,[30] they found in contrast that censoring of Cuffs' audition was insufficient and that the footage breached broadcasting codes in regards to protecting children from unsuitable content, with it made clear that the act should not have been shown.[31][32] Fox refuted criticism on her performance,[33] yet a member of the National Association of Head Teachers raised questions over the "morality" of allowing the audition footage to be shown.[34]
The second set focused on the audition of two young children, Arisxandra Libantino, and Asanda, who used songs in their performances that were deemed inappropriate for their age - Libantino's performance involved singing Jennifer Hudson's "One Night Only",[30] while Asanda's involved the singing of Rihanna's "Diamonds" alongside a provocative dance routine.[35] The release of the footage by ITV raised questions from Vivienne Pattison, director of Mediawatch UK, over the programme's portrayal of children, deeming the auditions as effectively "sexualising children" on television.[30]
Cowell's "egg attack" in final
Security arrangements for the programme came under questioning during the latter half of the series, after a protester managed to infiltrate the live finals and conduct a protest against both miming on live television shows and Simon Cowell's influence in the music industry. The programme had to make clear that the protester, Natalie Holt, was not conducting a publicity stunt, when she took to the stage during the performance of finalists Richard & Adam in order to throw eggs at Cowell.[36][37] The investigation into the breach found that Holt managed not only to circumvent security processes by posing as a backing musician for the finalists, but was able to smuggle in the eggs due to inadequate examinations of her possessions. The motive for her protest was later revealed to be in part over her failure to secure a place during the 2012 contest, when she auditioned with her classical band.[36]
References
- ^ a b Fletcher, Alex (13 December 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' 2013 judge audition dates revealed". Digital Spy.
- ^ a b Harmsworth, Andrei (3 February 2013). "Britain's Got Talent judges taunt poorly no-show Simon Cowell". Metro.
- ^ Bassett, Sean (26 July 2012). "Alesha Dixon confirms she will be back for Britain's Got Talent 2013". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (13 December 2012). "Simon Cowell returns to 'Britain's Got Talent': 'I want a global star'". Digital Spy.
- ^ Ensor, Josie (9 June 2013). . The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013.
- ^ Sperling, Daniel (4 September 2012). "Stephen Mulhern confirms 'Britain's Got More Talent' return". Digital Spy.
- ^ McGarry, Lisa (4 June 2013). . Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Goulding, Ellie (27 May 2013). "Big day today. Heading down to rehearsals for Britain's Got Talent soon for the show tonight. #BGT". Twitter.
- ^ a b c d e f . ITV. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ^ Lopez, Jennifer (28 May 2013). "Up early ... Are u ready London!!! Excited about my performance tonight. Who's tuning in? #BritainsGotTalent #LIVEITUP #gonnabefun #jetlag :)". Twitter.
- ^ "OH YEAH! The awesome @ddlovato will be joining us live tonight! #BOOM #DemisGotTalent #BGT". Twitter. 30 May 2013.
- ^ "Watch Olly on Britain's Got Talent". ollymurs.com. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
- ^ "In dance rehearsals today for my @GotTalent performance next Saturday. All I can say is #zombie". Twitter. 24 May 2013.
- ^ Duff, Seamus (27 May 2013). "Gangnam style to doggy style: Will Psy perform with former BGT champ Pudsey?". Metro. Associated Newspapers.
- ^ Rigby, Sam (31 May 2013). "Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran 'to perform on Britain's Got Talent final'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (14 April 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' makes triumphant return to ITV with 9.35m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (21 April 2013). "'The Voice' UK ratings continue to grow with 7.9m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (28 April 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' tops Saturday night ratings". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (5 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' tops Saturday ratings with 9.51m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (12 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' scores series high of 10.54m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (19 May 2013). "Eurovision Song Contest seen by 7.7m on BBC One". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Eames, Tom (27 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' wins Sunday with 8.14m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (28 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' first live semi-final climbs to 9.9m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (29 May 2013). "'The Apprentice' loses 900,000 viewers on Tuesday". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Eames, Tom (31 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' third semi-final attracts 8.5m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Hilton, Beth (1 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' latest semi-final scores 8m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b Hilton, Beth (2 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' brings 8.13m to ITV for last semi-final". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ Hilton, Beth (9 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' final watched by 10.6m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
- ^ a b c McGarry, Lisa (15 April 2013). . Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014.
- ^ Nissim, Mayer (9 September 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' spinoff criticised by Ofcom for naked dancing". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- ^ "It's a bum rap: regulator Ofcom ticks off ITV2". Evening Standard. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ Shales, Mark (22 May 2013). "Kiss my ass! Rochdale's Britain's Got Talent grandmother Kelly Fox defends controversial audition song". Mancunian Matters.
- ^ Michael Hogan (31 May 2017). "Britain's Got Talent: the biggest controversies of all time". www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ McKnight, Jenni (29 April 2013). "Britain's Got Talent contestant Asanda Jezile shocks viewers with 'sexualised' Rihanna performance". Metro. Associated Newspapers.
- ^ a b Watts, Halina; Tonks, Owen (9 June 2013). "Natalie Holt apologises for throwing eggs". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror.
- ^ Simons, Jake Wallis (9 June 2013). "Violinist reveals motivation behind Simon Cowell egg attack". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.