Britain's Got Talent series 16

Britain's Got Talent
Series 16
Presented by	Ant & Dec
Judges	Bruno Tonioli Alesha Dixon Amanda Holden Simon Cowell
Winner	Viggo Venn
Runner-up	Lillianna Clifton
Release
Original network	ITV
Original release	15 April (2023-04-15) – 4 June 2023 (2023-06-04)
Series chronology
← Previous Series 15 Next → Series 17
List of episodes

The sixteenth series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 15 April to 4 June 2023. Following the previous series, David Walliams resigned from the programme in the wake of criticism to comments he had made of contestants during the 2020 series, ^{[1] [2]} leading to him being replaced by Bruno Tonioli in January 2023. ^{[3] [4] [5]} During auditions, Cowell allowed a change to the Golden Buzzer format, granting more being given than in previous series.

The sixteenth series was won by comedian Viggo Venn, with dancer Lillianna Clifton finishing in second place, and magician Cillian O’Connor placing third. During its broadcast, the series averaged 5.98 million viewers.

Series overview

Following the conclusion of the previous series, ITV announced that the show would return for a sixteenth series. ^{[6] [7]} However, David Walliams was facing an uncertain future with the programme after ten series, ^[8] after it emerged he was facing criticism for comments he had made of contestants that had been poorly received by viewers; Walliams later resigned when it became clear the criticism couldn't be ignored. ^[1] Because of his departure, ITV worked to find a replacement, and signed on former Strictly Come Dancing and current Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli in January 2023 to join with Cowell and the other judges. ^{[3] [9] [10]}

Cowell also announced that month of a change in format, revealing that he had given the audience the right to call for a Golden Buzzer for a contestant they felt deserved it, noting that there had been no set rules regarding the buzzer format since it was first introduced. ^[11] Tonioli also gave an extra Golden Buzzer himself, but by accident after doing so halfway through a contestant's act; something which had never been done before within the Got Talent franchise itself. ^[12]

Judges and Presenter(s) for Britain's Got Talent Series 16

Bruno Tonioli

Alesha Dixon

Amanda Holden

Simon Cowell

Ant & Dec

Color key:

  Winner |   Runner-up |   Third Place |   Semi-finalist

Judges' Wildcard Finalist | Golden Buzzer Audition

Participant	Age(s)	Genre	Performance Type	Semi-final	Finished
Abi Carter-Simpson	30	Singing / Music	Singer & Ukulelist	1	Eliminated
Amy Lou	34	Singing	Singer	1	Finalist
Andrew Stanton	42	Danger	Sword Swallower	2	Eliminated
Boycanto	6–12	Singing	Vocal Group	4	Eliminated
Cammy Barnes	32	Singing / Music	Singer & Guitarist	5	Eliminated
Chickenshed	5–37	Singing	Vocal Group	4	Eliminated
Cillian O'Connor	13	Magic	Close Up Magician	5	Third place
Duo Odyssey	27 & 33	Acrobatics	Aerial Duo	4	Finalist
Dylan B	12	Singing	Singer	3	Eliminated
Enzo Weyne	33	Magic	Magician	1	Eliminated
Felix Clements	24	Dance	Contemporary Dancer	4	Eliminated
Gamal John	36	Singing	Singer	1	Eliminated
Ghetto Kids	5–13	Dance	Dance Group	3	Finalist
Harry Churchill	11	Music	Guitarist	3	Eliminated
Ichikawa Koikuchi	42	Variety	Flatulist	1	Eliminated
Johns' Boys	14–73	Singing	Choir	2	Eliminated
Kimoon Do	31	Magic	Magician	4	Eliminated
Lewis Fuller	24	Singing / Magic	Singer & Magician	2	Eliminated
Lillianna Clifton	13	Dance	Contemporary Dancer	5	Runner-Up
Malakai Bayoh	13	Singing	Opera Singer	4	Finalist
Markus Birdman	52	Comedy	Stand Up Comedian	3	Eliminated
MB14	28	Music	Beatboxer	4	Eliminated
Miki Dark	57	Danger / Magic	Stunt Magician	3	Eliminated
Musa Motha	27	Dance	Contemporary Dancer	1	Finalist
Nathan & Joanne	24 & 28	Dance	Dance Duo	2	Eliminated
Noodle 1	24	Singing	Singer	4	Eliminated
Notorious	8–16	Dance	Dance Group	3	Eliminated
Nurse Georgie Carroll	47	Comedy	Stand Up Comedian	5	Eliminated
Olivia Lynes	11	Singing	Musical Theatre Singer	2	Finalist
Parkour Collective	20–25	Acrobatics	Parkour Trio	1	Eliminated
Romeo & Icy	20 & 21	Dance	Dance Duo	5	Eliminated
The Pixiebelles	6–9	Singing	Theatre Group	5	Eliminated
Tia Connolly	15	Singing	Singer	2	Eliminated
Tonikaku	41	Variety	Novelty Act	5	Finalist
Toy Toy Toy	26 & 34	Variety	Yo-Yo Duo	3	Eliminated
Travis George	22	Singing	Opera Singer	3	Finalist
United 2 Dance	9–11	Dance	Ballroom Dance Group	1	Eliminated
Unity	16–25	Dance	Contemporary Dance Group	5	Eliminated
Viggo Venn	33	Comedy	Comedian	2	Winner
Yo Highness	10–26	Dance	Dance Group	2	Eliminated

• ^1 During the fourth semi-final, Noodle was revealed to be series 15 finalist Tom Ball. Ball's identity was kept a secret by production staff throughout the series - all details listed here pertain to his unveiling as the voice of Noodle in the semi-final.

Semi-finals summary

Buzzed out | Judges' vote |   Won the Public's Vote |   Won the Judges' Vote

  Lost Judges' Vote |   Eliminated

Prior to the beginning of the live shows, the semi-finalists were decided following a deliberation stage at the London Palladium.

Semi-final 1 (29 May)

• Guest performance: Diversity

Semi-Finalist	Order	Performance Type	Buzzes and judges' votes				Percentage	Finished [13]
			Cowell	Holden	Dixon	Tonioli
United 2 Dance	1	Ballroom Dance Group					4.3%	6th – Eliminated
Gamal John	2	Singer					4.1%	7th – Eliminated
Ichikawa Koikuchi	3	Flatulist					1.0%	8th – Eliminated
Enzo Weyne	4	Magician					10.0%	4th – Eliminated
Parkour Collective	5	Parkour Trio					7.5%	5th – Eliminated
Abi Carter-Simpson	6	Singer & Ukulelist					16.6%	3rd (Judges' Vote tied – Lost on Public Vote)
Amy Lou	7	Singer					18.3%	2nd (Judges' Vote tied – Won on Public Vote)
Musa Motha	8	Contemporary Dancer					38.2%	1st (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 2 (30 May)

• Guest performance: The cast of We Will Rock You ("Don't Stop Me Now"/"We Will Rock You"/"We Are the Champions")

Semi-Finalist	Order	Performance Type	Buzzes and judges' votes				Percentage	Finished [13]
			Cowell	Holden	Dixon	Tonioli
Yo Highness	1	Dance Group					5.1%	6th – Eliminated
Olivia Lynes	2	Musical Theatre Singer					16.4%	2nd (Won Judges' Vote)
Nathan & Joanne	3	Dance Duo					7.2%	4th – Eliminated
Lewis Fuller	4	Magician & Singer					6.8%	5th – Eliminated
Tia Connolly	5	Singer					3.9%	7th – Eliminated
Andrew Stanton	6	Sword Swallower					3.6%	8th – Eliminated
Johns' Boys	7	Choir					13.3%	3rd (Lost Judges' Vote)
Viggo Venn	8	Comedian					43.7%	1st (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 3 (31 May)

Guest performance: James Arthur ("A Year Ago")

Semi-Finalist	Order	Performance Type	Buzzes and judges' votes				Percentage	Finished [13]
			Cowell	Holden	Dixon	Tonioli
Harry Churchill	1	Guitarist					9.5%	3rd (Judges' Vote tied – Lost on Public Vote)
Miki Dark	2	Stunt Magician					5.1%	7th – Eliminated
Travis George	3	Opera Singer					19.4%	2nd (Judges' Vote tied – Won on Public Vote)
Notorious	4	Dance Group					8.0%	4th – Eliminated
Markus Birdman	5	Stand Up Comedian					2.8%	8th – Eliminated
Ghetto Kids	6	Dance Group					39.7%	1st (Won Public Vote)
Toy Toy Toy	7	Yo-yo Duo					8.0%	5th – Eliminated
Dylan B	8	Singer					7.5%	6th – Eliminated

Semi-final 4 (1 June)

Guest performance: Axel Blake

Semi-Finalist	Order	Performance Type	Buzzes and judges' votes				Percentage	Finished [13]
			Cowell	Holden	Dixon	Tonioli
Noodle	1	Singer					9.0%	5th – Eliminated
Chickenshed	2	Vocal Group					8.6%	6th – Eliminated
Kimoon Do	3	Close Up Magician					2.8%	8th – Eliminated
MB14	4	Beatboxer					13.1%	3rd (Judges' Vote tied – Lost on Public Vote)
Boycanto	5	Vocal Group					7.2%	7th - Eliminated
Duo Odyssey	6	Aerial Duo					21.8%	2nd (Judges' Vote tied – Won on Public Vote)
Felix Clements	7	Contemporary Dancer					10.0%	4th – Eliminated
Malakai Bayoh	8	Opera Singer					27.5%	1st (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 5 (2 June)

Guest performance: The cast of The Wizard of Oz ("We're Off to See the Wizard"/"Over the Rainbow"/"If I Only Had a Brain"/"The Merry Old Land of Oz")

Semi-Finalist	Order	Performance Type	Buzzes and judges' votes				Percentage	Finished [13]
			Cowell	Holden	Dixon	Tonioli
Romeo & Icy	1	Dance Duo					1.2%	8th – Eliminated
Lillianna Clifton	2	Contemporary Dancer	2				17.7%	3rd (Won Judges' Vote)
Nurse Georgie Carroll	3	Stand Up Comedian					5.9%	6th – Eliminated
Cillian O'Connor	4	Close Up Magician					29.4%	1st (Won Public Vote)
The Pixiebelles	5	Theatre Group					4.4%	7th – Eliminated
Cammy Barnes	6	Singer & Guitarist					10.6%	5th – Eliminated
Unity	7	Contemporary Dance Group					12.5%	4th – Eliminated
Tonikaku	8	Novelty Act					18.3%	2nd (Lost Judges' Vote) 3

• ^2 Due to the majority vote for Lillianna Clifton, Cowell's voting intention was not revealed.
• ^3 Tonikaku was later sent through to the final as the judges' wildcard.

Final (4 June)

Guest performance: Susan Boyle & the cast of Les Misérables ("I Dreamed a Dream"/"Finale")

Finalist	Order	Performance Type	Percentage	Finished [13]
Ghetto Kids	1	Dance Group	10.1%	6th
Olivia Lynes	2	Musical Theatre Singer	4.2%	9th
Amy Lou	3	Singer	5.8%	7th
Tonikaku	4	Novelty Act	2.9%	11th
Travis George	5	Opera Singer	4.4%	8th
Duo Odyssey	6	Aerial Duo	3.0%	10th
Cillian O'Connor	7	Close Up Magician	11.8%	3rd
Lillianna Clifton	8	Contemporary Dancer	13.1%	2nd
Viggo Venn	9	Comedian	22.5%	1st
Musa Motha	10	Contemporary Dancer	10.9%	5th
Malakai Bayoh	11	Opera Singer	11.3%	4th

Ratings

Main article: List of Britain's Got Talent episodes

Episode	Air date	Total viewers (millions) [14]	ITV Weekly rank [14]
Auditions 1	15 April	7.10	1
Auditions 2	16 April	6.42	2
Auditions 3	22 April	7.32	1
Auditions 4	29 April	6.49	1
Auditions 5	6 May	6.63	5
Auditions 6	14 May	5.70	3
Auditions 7	20 May	5.96	1
Auditions 8	27 May	5.92	1
Semi-Final 1	29 May	5.58	2
Semi-Final 2	30 May	5.38	3
Semi-Final 3	31 May	5.00	5
Semi-Final 4	1 June	4.80	6
Semi-Final 5	2 June	5.04	4
Final	4 June	6.33	1

References

1. "David Walliams made 'disrespectful comments' about Britain's Got Talent contestants". BBC. 10 November 2022.
2. Starkey, David (10 November 2022). "David Walliams apologises for "disrespectful" comments about 'Britain's Got Talent' contestants". NME . Retrieved 16 April 2023.
3. "David Walliams replaced by Bruno Tonioli as Britain's Got Talent judge". BBC News. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
4. Davda, Rishi (13 April 2023). "Britain's Got Talent returns to screens with a judging shakeup". ITV News. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
5. "Why did Bruno Tonioli replace David Walliams on Britain's Got Talent?". 15 April 2023.
6. "Britain's Got Talent 2023: Release date, judges, contestants and news". Radio Times.
7. "Britain's Got Talent 2023: Everything you need to know about the new series of BGT". BBC. 11 April 2023.
8. "David Walliams' future as Britain's Got Talent judge unclear ahead of final decision on panel". ITV News. 25 November 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
9. "Former Strictly Come Dancing star Bruno Tonioli joins Britain's Got Talent as a brand new judge!". BBC. 25 January 2023.
10. Ambrose, Tom (24 January 2023). "Bruno Tonioli to replace David Walliams as Britain's Got Talent judge". The Guardian.
11. "Britain's Got Talent's Simon Cowell reveals he gave the audience an extra Golden Buzzer this year". Radio Times.
12. "First Britain's Got Talent Golden Buzzer Act Confirmed After New Judge Bruno Tonioli Does Something Never Done Before".
13. "Britain's Got Talent 2023 voting percentages REVEALED!".
14. "BARB Weekly Top Programmes on Four Screens". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.