It’s a celebrity spat that’s out of this world… Simon Cowell and Sir Richard Branson are in a row – over space!
In 2012 the Britain’s Got Talent boss announced he had struck a deal to send the winner up in a Virgin Galactic rocket. The move could have seen champs Ashleigh Butler and her pooch Pudsey going stratospheric – but 12 years on no BGT winner has launched their career off Earth.
Simon claimed: “Richard told me he would send the winner into space. He said, ‘We’ll sponsor the show and the first act will appear in space’.
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“I was thinking, ‘This is perfect’. But then after the series, I kept calling him and saying, ‘Erm, when is the spacecraft ready?’”
(Image: Getty Images)
The media mogul claims he has even confronted Richard in person to get the “deal” back on track. He added: “I saw Richard and mentioned it and he kind of brushed me off.
“He owes me an act in space.” The defiant 64-year-old is still determined to make it happen and hopes an act from this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, which returns to screens on Saturday, will impress Richard and finally be the first one to perform in space.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
And he is confident many of the wannabes on the new series have what it takes. Simon said: “It’s going to be an amazing show this year. This show has evolved now where you’ve got acts coming from all over the world to compete – I think that makes it more exciting.”
In a bid to pull Gen Z viewers away from their phones and social media, Simon has roped in his 10-year-old
son Eric to help give BGT a more youthful edge.
(Image: ITV)
He said: “I watch footage of the acts on the TV and if Eric walks straight past, I’m thinking, ‘Maybe this act isn’t very good’. Occasionally he’ll creep back in and put his head round to watch, so I’ll think, ‘Maybe this act is better than I thought’.
With kids, you can’t cheat it. They like what they like, and what they don’t like, they don’t like. I’m not saying I make every decision based on him, but when he likes something, I take note. Kids think differently to us – they have no filter.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The lad even got to have a stint on the panel during auditions for the 17th series. Simon recalled: “Eric did judge one act this year and he was actually really, really good saying, ‘Hmm, not so sure about the first song, but I liked the second song’.
“I thought, ‘That’s my boy!’”. Simon is also making social media central to BGT’s success. Clips will be posted on TikTok, Snap-chat, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and X to attract an even bigger audience and help generate “watercooler moments”, such as Susan Boyle’s first audition.
(Image: PA)
Simon said: “It’s not just about winning the show, it’s about having the viral moment that can literally change your life. That’s why people are going to come back year after year.”
A Virgin spokesperson said whoever wins might well get a shot at universal stardom. They said: “Virgin Galactic’s first commercial flight took place in 2023 with six successful commercial space flights in just six months. Now commercial service has started, the Virgin Galactic team would be delighted to welcome Britain’s Got Talent winners on board in future!”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
