Ant and Dec make their judging panel debut
Everybody’s favourite Geordie duo return to host this year’s Britain’s Got Talent.
We grabbed Ant and Dec to get the lowdown on their judging panel debut, Simon and David’s bromance and just what the boys would perform if they got a chance to take to the BGT stage.
You both sat on the judging panel while Simon was off, how was that and did you buzz many acts?
Ant: It was hard. It’s not nice being nasty. Obviously Dec and I can never believe it when the Judges buzz, but now having sat in the chair, I can understand the pain they’re in sometimes. I did end up buzzing one comedian as he just rambled on.
Dec: It was really hard because we'd been talking to all the acts backstage and we were on their side, so to go and sit at the Judges’ desk and then to hit the buzzer was tough. You end up immediately apologising to the act and saying, “I'm really sorry.” We’ve got a new found respect for the Judges. I don't think we'll be rushing back to be Judges any time soon!
What do you think of the new Golden Buzzer?
Dec: The Golden Buzzer is the biggest change we’ve had this series and it’s brilliant. It’s a beautiful moment on stage when the buzzer’s pressed and the audience go wild and get right behind the act.
Ant: It’s really exciting as there are acts that you want to go through and you are willing them, as a viewer, to go through but not all the Judges agree. Pressing the Golden Buzzer stops the arguments and puts the act straight through.
Without giving too much away, what can you tell us about the act you pressed your Golden Buzzer for?
Dec: We waited until the very last day of auditions to press ours. We didn’t do that on purpose, there were a few acts that we would have gone for but the Judges got there first. We were on the last session of the last day and we said, “if there’s not anything we really want to go for then we don’t have to press the Golden Buzzer”. But we were very impressed with our act, he got a great audience reaction, everybody loved him and we thought he deserved to go through to the live shows.
What’s it been like being reunited with the Judges?
Ant: The Judges work so well together, so it’s great to have them all back.
Dec: The bromance between Simon and David isn’t as strong as it has been in the past couple of years. They’ve definitely been bickering more than they have done before.
Have you joined in with any of the acts on stage this time?
Dec: We did join in with one act who was trying to break the world record for the fastest time eating a raw onion. It’s not something we’ll be looking to repeat any time soon.
What type of act are you hoping will win BGT this year?
Ant: We’d love to see a magician or a comedian or a variety act win. We’re big fans of variety acts, especially ones that have an updated style or a modern take on variety, so it would be great to have one of these win.
If you auditioned for BGT what would you do to impress the Judges?
Dec: We always said we might do ‘Let’s Get Ready to Rumble’ but we’ve retired that now, since we did it on Saturday Night Takeaway. So we now have no act to go on BGT with.
Ant: I’m very good at making fish finger sandwiches so you never know… that might get me through. No one’s ever tried that before and they’re always looking for something new.
Dec: He’s not that good at slicing potatoes though, so it’s quite dangerous.