Britain’s Got Talent is finally back on our screens after being away for two years.
The popular ITV talent show will see Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams take their seats on the judging panel.
All of this year’s hopefuls will be wanting to follow in the footsteps of the successful acts who have won the show so far.
The show launched in 2007, quickly becoming one of the most talked about shows on TV.
It has produced a whole range of stars from comedians, dancers, singers and magicians.
Now we’re taking a look at the past winners of the hit show and what they’ve done since.
Paul Potts, 2007
Paul won the first series of Britain’s Got Talent 15 years ago.
Before finding fame as an opera singer, he was a mobile phone salesman.
Paul wowed the judges with his rendition of Nessun Dorma in his audition, which earned him a standing ovation.
After winning the show Paul secured a recording contract and his debut album One Chance went double platinum, reaching number one in nine countries.
He has performed all over the world and had a film made about his rise to fame, starring James Corden.
In 2019, he appeared on the BGT: The Champions where past winners battled it out to be crowned the best of the best. Recently, he has appeared on the German version of the ITV show The Masked Singer.
George Sampson, 2008
George was just 14 years old when he claimed victory on the talent show. He had previously auditioned in series one but failed to make it through.
He won the second series after performing to The Mint Royale version of Singin’ in the Rain.
In 2008, George made his stage debut on the West End, starring in the musical Into The Hoods.
He went on to star in the Streetdance film series and was cast in the popular BBC drama Waterloo Road.
He is currently on tour with the hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Diversity, 2009
(Image: Ken McKay)
Diversity won the show in 2009 with a surprise victory over Susan Boyle.
Since then, the dance troupe has performed in arenas across the country.
Frontman Ashley Banjo is now a judge on Dancing on Ice, having taken up the role in 2018.
Ashley has also been a stand-in judge for the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals, after Simon’s back injury.
Ashley’s brother, Jordan Banjo, appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2016. He was also the first celebrity to be unmasked on The Masked Dancer.
Diversity member Perri Kiely has won Splash and appeared on Celebs Go Dating on E4.
Diversity sparked a huge reaction with their Black Lives Matter performance in 2020, receiving 24,500 Ofcom complaints. However, the performance has the full support of ITV.
Sadly, one of Diversity’s members was killed in a car accident in 2017.
Before his death, Robert had appeared in the Bring It On film and worked with The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing.
Spelbound, 2010
(Image: GETTY)
The gymnastics group Spelbound claimed victory thanks to a routine which saw one member leap over the judges’ heads.
The group has since performed at the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012. They have also won gold at the 2015 World Acrobatic Championships.
Several members were also involved in BBC gymnastic series Tumble.
Over the years, many members of the original group have decided to leave to follow different career paths. Adam McAssey left to be a coach and Katie Axten left to go to Portsmouth University.
Jai McDowall, 2011
(Image: ITV)
Jai McDowall won the series in 2011 with his take on the ballad To Where You Are.
After his triumph, he signed a record deal with Syco Music and released his debut album Believe in December 2011. The album included covers of songs such as Bring Me To Life and There You’ll Be.
A year later, Jai was dropped by the record label after his album failed to sell enough copies.
In 2019, Jai appeared on BGT: The Champions and Simon Cowell offered a public apology for the lack of support Jai received after winning Britain’s Got Talent.
He went on to support Susan Boyle on her UK arena tour in 2020 and began releasing music again the following year.
Ashleigh & Pudsey, 2012
(Image: Getty Images)
In 2012, Ashleigh & Pudsey made Britain’s Got Talent history by becoming the first dog act to win the show.
After winning, they performed at Epsom Downs Racecourse to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
The pair have also performed at multiple theatres across the UK.
Ashleigh & Pudsey became the second Britain’s Got Talent act to have a film made about them, with Pudsey: The Movie being released in 2014.
They appeared as guest judges on the ITV2 show Top Dog Model and the ITV talent show That Dog Can Dance.
They made an emotional last appearance at Crufts in 2016, before Pudsey’s death in July 2017.
Attraction, 2013
Attraction, a shadow theatre group originally from Hungary, became the first – and only – foreign contestants to win Britain’s Got Talent.
The group would use their bodies to create shadows and tell a story with music.
When they won the show, they invested the prize money into their act, purchasing a new projector and screen.
Attraction has performed on CCTV New Year’s Gala on China Central Television and appeared alongside Paul Potts on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.
The theatre group has also performed in Las Vegas and fronted a TV ad campaign for insurance.
Collabro, 2014
Collabro formed just one month before auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent.
They ended up beating fellow opera act Lucy Kay in the final thanks to their rendition of Stars from Les Miserables.
After winning the show, they signed a record deal with Syco and reached number one with their debut album. They have since gone on to land two more top 10s.
In 2016, member Richard Hadfield made the decision to leave the group.
Jules & Matisse, 2015
(Image: PA/SYCO/THAMES TV)
Jules O’Dwyer and Matisse went on to win the show in a victory over magician Jamie Raven, something which proved quite controversial with some viewers.
In the final, Jules included a move which saw a dog scale a tightrope before the duo were announced as the winners.
The next day, Jules said in an interview that her dog Chase did the tightrope trick and not Matisse.
The viewers were unaware of this with some saying they felt that they were tricked and had thought one dog did all the tricks.
Ofcom later received 200 complaints over the revelation but Simon Cowell stated that they would not be stripped of the prize money.
In 2015, Ofocm ruled that the show had misled the public but acknowledged that this was not what ITV intended.
Since appearing on the show, Jules has kept a low profile and has moved to Belgium with her dogs.
Richard Jones, 2016
(Image: ITV)
Lance Corporal Richard Jones won BGT in 2016.
A month after the final, he performed as a bandsman in the Trooping The Colour for the 90th birthday celebrations of the Queen.
In 2017, he had his own one-off show on ITV called Operation Magic.
Richard has performed magic on tours across the UK and recently revealed that he’s working on a new show for 2022.
Tokio Myers, 2017
(Image: SYCO/THAMES/DYMOND)
Before his victory in 2017, pianist Tokio Myers has supported well-known artists such as Kanye West and Amy Winehouse.
After winning Britain’s Got Talent, Tokio went on to tour the UK with his debut album Our Generation.
In 2017, he released a charity single to raise money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower Fire.
He also released an EP in support of Black Lives Matter in 2020.
He has since announced that he has been given his own show on BBC Sounds.
Lost Voice Guy, 2018
(Image: Tom Dymond/REX/Shutterstock)
Lost Voice Guy – real name Lee Ridley – won Britain’s Got Talent in 2018 with his stand-up comedy routine.
At just six months old, Lee was diagnosed with a neurological form of cerebral palsy which affected his movement and left him unable to speak.
However, when he was eight, he received his first communication device.
Lost Voice Guy has been very busy following his time on the talent show.
In 2019, he had a successful stint at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and landed his own Christmas special on ITV at the end of last year.
He also released his first book, I’m Only In It For The Parking, in 2019.
Colin Thackery, 2019
(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)
Colin Thackery became the thirteenth winner of the show, thanks to his audition of Wind Beneath My Wings in honour of his late wife.
He is the oldest ever Britain’s Got Talent winner, coming out top at 89 years of age.
Colin is a war veteran and served during the Korean War in Malaysia and Korea.
He lives in the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where he moved following the death of his wife in 2016.
Jon Courtenay, 2020
Jon Courtenay made it through the first stage of Britain’s Got Talent thanks to Ant and Dec hitting the Golden Buzzer.
After winning, Jon revealed he had hidden a cancer scare from producers and viewers.
He had found a mole on his head and was given a cancer diagnosis just days before the semi-final.
The mole was spotted early and removed.
Jon has now turned his story into a musical comedy show to be performed at the Edinburgh Fringe festival later this year.
Since his victory, he has performed on Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Good Morning Britain.
He also won ‘Best Performer’ at the 2021 National Reality TV Awards.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
