Britain's Got Talent (series 7)

The seventh series of Britain's Got Talent, a British talent competition series, began broadcasting in the UK during 2013, from 13 April to 8 June on ITV; 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] though no guest judge was brought in due to 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 for this series.

Britain's Got Talent
Series 7
Hosted byAnthony McPartlin (ITV)
Declan Donnelly (ITV)
Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)
JudgesSimon Cowell
Amanda Holden
Alesha Dixon
David Walliams
WinnerAttraction
Runner-upsJack Carroll
Richard & Adam
Release
Original networkITV
ITV2 (BGMT)
Original release13 April (2013-04-13) –
8 June 2013 (2013-06-08)
Series chronology

The seventh series was won by shadow theatre troupe Attraction, the first foreign national participant to win the competition, with comedian Jack Carroll finishing in second place, and opera duo Richard & Adam placing third. 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, in order to avoid clashing with Stephen Mulhern's schedule 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 proceeded 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 |   Third place |   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 Latin 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 Theatre Group 5 Winner
Band of Voices 27–47 Singing Vocal Harmony Group 1 Eliminated
Bosom Buddies 29, 48 Singing / Variety Operatic Drag 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 Harmony Group 4 Eliminated
Francine Lewis 37 Comedy Impressionist 4 Finalist
Freelusion 25–39 Dance Interactive 3D Dance Group 3 Eliminated
Gabz 14 Singing Singer & Pianist 2 Finalist
Gospel Singers Incognito 17–43 Music Gospel Choir 5 Eliminated
J Unity 19 Singing Singing Duet 1 Eliminated
Jack and Cormac 13, 14 Singing Singing Duet 2 Eliminated
Jack Carroll 14 Comedy Comedian 2 Runner-up
James More 24 Magic Magician 4 Eliminated
Jordan O'Keefe 18 Singing Singer & Guitarist 5 Finalist
Joseph Hall 36 Dance Dancer 3 Eliminated
Luminites 18–21 Singing Singing Group 3 Finalist
Maarty Broekman 23 Singing / Music Keytar Player 5 Eliminated
Martin & Marielle 32, 36 Acrobatics / Dance Gymnastic Dance Duo 2 Eliminated
Martin Healey 57 Dance Dancer 1 Eliminated
MC Boy 22 Singing Rapper 3 Eliminated
MckNasty 27 Music Drummer & DJ 2 Eliminated
MD Dancers 14–22 Dance Dance Troupe 2 Eliminated
Meat Diva 31, 27 Singing Cabaret Duet 2 Eliminated
Modupé Obasola 19 Singing Singer 2 Eliminated
Philip Green 21 Comedy Impressionist 1 Eliminated
Poppin' Ron 21 Dance Breakdancer 4 Eliminated
Pre Skool 5–8 Dance Dance Troupe 3 Finalist
Richard & Adam 19, 22 Singing Opera Duo 1 Third place
Robbie Kennedy 22 Singing Singer & Guitarist 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 Illusionist 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 in this column pertain to those of the respective participant(s) for 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 ("Explosions" / "Anything Could Happen") [8]

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result [9]
Cowell Holden Dixon Walliams
Martin Healey 1 Dancer 9th - Eliminated
Band of Voices 2 Vocal Harmony Group 6th - Eliminated
Youth Creation 3 Dance Troupe 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote)
J-Unity 4 Singing Duet 7th - Eliminated
Bosom Buddies 5 Operatic Drag Duo 8th - Eliminated
Philip Green 6 Impressionist 5th - Eliminated
Arisxandra Libantino 7 Singer 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote)
Aaron Crow 8 Danger Act 4th - Eliminated
Richard & Adam 9 Opera Duo 1st (Won Public vote)

Semi-final 2 (28 May)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Jennifer Lopez ("Live It Up") [10]

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result [9]
Cowell Holden Dixon Walliams
Martin & Marielle 1 Gymnastic Dance Duo 8th - Eliminated
MckNasty 2 Drummer & DJ 5th - Eliminated
Jack and Cormac 3 Singing Duet 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Modupé 4 Singer 9th - Eliminated
Meat Diva 5 Cabaret Duet 7th - Eliminated
MD 6 Dance Troupe 6th - Eliminated
Alice Fredenham 7 Singer 4th - Eliminated
Jack Carroll 8 Comedian 1st (Won Public vote)
Gabz 9 Singer & Pianist 2nd (Won Judges' vote)

Semi-final 3 (30 May)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Demi Lovato ("Heart Attack") [11]

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result [9]
Cowell Holden Dixon Walliams
Freelusion 1 Interactive 3D Dance Group 7th - Eliminated
Robbie Kennedy 2 Singer & Guitarist 5th - Eliminated
Stevie Pink 3 Illusionist 8th - Eliminated
Pre Skool 4 Dance Troupe 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote)
Thomas Bounce 5 Juggler 9th - Eliminated
Rosie O'Sullivan 6 Singer 4th - Eliminated
Joseph Hall 7 Dancer 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote)
MC Boy 8 Rapper 6th - Eliminated
Luminites 9 Singing Group 1st (Won Public vote)

Semi-final 4 (31 May)

Guest Performer, Results Show: Olly Murs ("Right Place Right Time") [12]

Semi-Finalist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result [9]
Cowell Holden Dixon Walliams
Club Town Freaks 1 Vocal Harmony Group 9th - Eliminated
Alex Keirl 2 Singer 3rd (Lost Judges' vote)
Shockarellas 3 Dance Group 6th - Eliminated
Poppin' Ron 4 Breakdancer 8th - Eliminated
James More 5 Illusionist 4th - Eliminated
Chasing the Dream 6 Musical Theatre Group 7th - Eliminated
Francine Lewis 7 Impressionist 1st (Won Public vote)
Asanda 8 Singer 2nd (Won Judges' vote)
AJ & Chloe 9 Latin Dance Duo 5th - Eliminated

Semi-final 5 (1 June)

Guest Performers, Results Show: Ashleigh and Pudsey [13]

Artist Order Act Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result [9]
Cowell Holden Dixon Walliams
CEO Dancers 1 Dance Trio 7th - Eliminated
Aliki 2 Singer 4th - Eliminated
The Glambassadors 3 Dance Group 8th - Eliminated
Steve Hewlett 3 4 Ventriloquist 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote)
Rob's Duelling Pianos 5 Keyboardist 9th - Eliminated
Maarty Broekman 6 Keytar Player 6th - Eliminated
Gospel Singers Incognito 7 Gospel Choir 5th - Eliminated
Jordan O'Keefe 8 Singer & Guitarist 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote)
Attraction 9 Shadow Theatre Group 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 ("Gentleman"),[14] and Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran ("Everything Has Changed")[15]

  Winner |   Runner-up |   3rd place
Finalist Order Act Finished [9]
Pre Skool 1 Dance Troupe 9th
Asanda 2 Singer 11th
Gabz 3 Singer & Pianist 7th
Steve Hewlett 4 Ventriloquist 4th
Jordan O'Keefe 5 Singer & Guitarist 6th
Arisxandra 6 Singer 8th
Francine Lewis 7 Impressionist 10th
Richard & Adam 8 Opera Duo 3rd
Jack Carroll 9 Comedian 2nd
Luminites 10 Vocal group 5th
Attraction 11 Shadow Theatre Act 1st

Ratings
Main article: List of Britain's Got Talent episodes
Episode Date Total ITV viewers (millions) [16] Weekly rank [16] Share (%)
Auditions 1 13 April12.13136.9 [17]
Auditions 2 20 April11.86143.9 [18]
Auditions 3 27 April11.08143.9 [19]
Auditions 4 4 May11.59145.0 [20]
Auditions 5 11 May12.36145.2 [21]
Auditions 6 18 May10.88138.1 [22]
Auditions 7 26 May9.74338.0 [23]
Semi-final 1 27 May11.48141.5 [24]
Semi-final 1 results 9.271031.4 [24]
Semi-final 2 28 May10.20636.5 [25]
Semi-final 2 results 8.391428.5[25]
Semi-final 3 30 May9.76837.5 [26]
Semi-final 3 results 8.511332.3 [26]
Semi-final 4 31 May9.98737.5 [27]
Semi-final 4 results 8.711232.7 [27]
Semi-final 5 1 June9.74941.9 [28]
Semi-final 5 results 9.041132.8 [28]
Live final 8 June12.85148.9 [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 sungs 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 by production staff, after a protester, Natalie Holt, managed to conduct a protest against miming on live television shows and Simon Cowell's influence in the music industry during the performance of finalists Richard & Adam, in which she threw eggs at Cowell before she was removed; the programme had to make clear the incident was not a publicity stunt.[36][37] The investigation into the breach by Holt showed that she managed to circumvent security processes by posing as a backing musician for the finalists, and had smuggled in the eggs due to a failure over proper checks of her possessions. Holt was later revealed to have been a rejected audition from the previous year, when she attempted to secure a place in the 2012 competition with her classical band RaVen Quartet, and that her protest was motivated in part by this failure.[36]

References
  1. Fletcher, Alex (13 December 2012). "'Britain's Got Talent' 2013 judge audition dates revealed". Digital Spy.
  2. Harmsworth, Andrei (3 February 2013). "Britain's Got Talent judges taunt poorly no-show Simon Cowell". Metro.
  3. 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.
  4. Fletcher, Alex (13 December 2012). "Simon Cowell returns to 'Britain's Got Talent': 'I want a global star'". Digital Spy.
  5. Ensor, Josie (9 June 2013). "Britain's Got Talent: Woman storms the stage and pelts Simon Cowell with Eggs". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.
  6. Sperling, Daniel (4 September 2012). "Stephen Mulhern confirms 'Britain's Got More Talent' return". Digital Spy.
  7. McGarry, Lisa (4 June 2013). "Bruce Forsyth wants to manage Steve Hewlett – Britain's Got Talent judges argue but pick 'surprising' wildcard!". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  8. Goulding, Ellie (27 May 2013). "Big day today. Heading down to rehearsals for Britain's Got Talent soon for the show tonight. #BGT". Twitter.
  9. "Revealed: How you voted". ITV. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  10. 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.
  11. "OH YEAH! The awesome @ddlovato will be joining us live tonight! #BOOM #DemisGotTalent #BGT". Twitter. 30 May 2013.
  12. "Watch Olly on Britain's Got Talent". ollymurs.com. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013.
  13. "In dance rehearsals today for my @GotTalent performance next Saturday. All I can say is #zombie". Twitter. 24 May 2013.
  14. Duff, Seamus (27 May 2013). "Gangnam style to doggy style: Will Psy perform with former BGT champ Pudsey?". Metro. Associated Newspapers.
  15. Rigby, Sam (31 May 2013). "Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran 'to perform on Britain's Got Talent final'". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  16. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  17. Hilton, Beth (14 April 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' makes triumphant return to ITV with 9.35m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  18. Hilton, Beth (21 April 2013). "'The Voice' UK ratings continue to grow with 7.9m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  19. Hilton, Beth (28 April 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' tops Saturday night ratings". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  20. Hilton, Beth (5 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' tops Saturday ratings with 9.51m". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  21. Hilton, Beth (12 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' scores series high of 10.54m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  22. Hilton, Beth (19 May 2013). "Eurovision Song Contest seen by 7.7m on BBC One". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  23. Eames, Tom (27 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' wins Sunday with 8.14m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  24. Eames, Tom (28 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' first live semi-final climbs to 9.9m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  25. Eames, Tom (29 May 2013). "'The Apprentice' loses 900,000 viewers on Tuesday". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  26. Eames, Tom (31 May 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' third semi-final attracts 8.5m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  27. Hilton, Beth (1 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' latest semi-final scores 8m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  28. Hilton, Beth (2 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' brings 8.13m to ITV for last semi-final". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  29. Hilton, Beth (9 June 2013). "'Britain's Got Talent' final watched by 10.6m on ITV". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK.
  30. McGarry, Lisa (15 April 2013). "Britain's Got Talent 2013: Bosses defend Arisxandra Libantino & Keri Graham over 'inappropriate' claims". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014.
  31. 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.
  32. "It's a bum rap: regulator Ofcom ticks off ITV2". Evening Standard. 9 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  33. Shales, Mark (22 May 2013). "Kiss my ass! Rochdale's Britain's Got Talent grandmother Kelly Fox defends controversial audition song". Mancunian Matters.
  34. Michael Hogan (31 May 2017). "Britain's Got Talent: the biggest controversies of all time". www.telegraph.co.uk.
  35. McKnight, Jenni (29 April 2013). "Britain's Got Talent contestant Asanda Jezile shocks viewers with 'sexualised' Rihanna performance". Metro. Associated Newspapers.
  36. Watts, Halina; Tonks, Owen (9 June 2013). "Natalie Holt apologises for throwing eggs". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror.
  37. Simons, Jake Wallis (9 June 2013). "Violinist reveals motivation behind Simon Cowell egg attack". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group.
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