The ITV talent competition was back for the third of five semi-finals
Ant and Dec on Britain’s Got Talent
Britain’s Got Talent viewers were left divided just minutes into the latest semi-final over what they said was a ‘different’ opening to the show than they were expecting.
The annual ITV talent show returned on Saturday night (May 9) with its third of five semi-finals. Given the power of the golden buzzer this week was none other than KSI.
YouTuber and boxer KSI, who replaced Bruno Toniloli on the judging panel, had the ability to choose any act to send straight through to the live final later in the month. ITV brought KSI on board in hopes to entertain Britain’s Got Talent’s younger viewers.
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“What do I do with this power? I could troll with it. It’s all about feeling with me. If it makes sense I’ll press it,” he told Ant and Dec after being informed of his big responsibility.
This week’s semi-final saw glowing performance group Antigravity, daredevil act Liwei Yang, The Lux City Choir, dance group Mega Unity, acrobatic act Mizuki Shinagawa, harpist and singer Niamh Noade, dance group Playground and comedian Ted Hill all looking to secure a place in the final.
The episode kicked off with a guest performance from Avenue Q. Premiering off-Broadway in 2003, the play is a parody of the beloved children’s programme Sesame Street.
The cast of Avenue Q during Britain’s Got Talent’s latest semi-final
However, its content involves adult-oriented themes. It has been praised by fans and critics for its approach to themes of racism, homosexuality and internet pornography.
In spite of some of its more explicit songs, the cast of the current West End run of Avenue Q performed a song that was suitable for the pre-watershed time Britain’s Got Talent airs. Performing with puppets in hand, the judges looked delighted about what was happening around them.
Those tuned in for Britain’s Got took to X, previously known as Twitter, to have their say on the guest performance. Some viewers couldn’t wrap their heads around why the puppeteers could be seen moving their mouths rather than performing ventriloquism.
@RyanSoapKing25 said: “It’s not really ventriloquism if their mouths are moving – still enjoyed that though #BGT.” @asupergav added: “They’re not very good ventriloquists, are they. I can see their lips move. XXXX #bgt.”
@MitchellWebb85 wrote: “What a strange start to the show! #BGT.” @criticaltv1 posted: “They aren’t even trying to not move their mouths #bgt.”
@tvreality93 commented: “Okay this is different #bgt.” @humbug83 stated: “I love Avenue Q #BGT.”
A description for Avenue Q states that the actors move their mouths and sing along while operating the puppets to create a ‘human-puppet fusion’. This process makes the characters feel ‘alive, grounded, and emotionally expressive’.