Stephen has cured Simon of his allergy to magicians
Britain’s Got More Talent returns with its ever mischievous host Stephen Mulhern.
We cornered him for a chat where he revealed that Ant and Dec’s antics on the show would have a retro theme this year and we would be seeing even more of the Judges.
You have unprecedented access to the Judges on tour, what’s the most bizarre thing you’ve seen them doing during auditions?
One of the most bizarre things was this year, when I bought a ‘virtual baby’ in for Simon to practice with (this was before Eric was born, obviously!) I ended up sitting on David’s lap and he was ‘burping’ me to show Simon how it’s done. Simon was not amused!
What can people expect from BGMT this year?
Every year we’ve done something with Ant and Dec pitted against one another but this year it’s very nostalgic. One week we’re playing Blankety Blank, another week we play Going For Gold, another one Give Us A Clue. All classic shows and the boys are so competitive about the games, it’s amazing.
We’ve done a lot more with the Judges. All the Judges are always very giving with us but Simon in particular has been very good this year. One of the most memorable moments in particular was him asking me ‘How do mind readers read minds?’ and then I did it, I read his mind.
He had a pack of cards and I said to him I would turn over the pack and one card would be facing down, so he had to think about which card it would be…. And he did, he named the card and it was the only one facing down. He was very impressed; I think we got one step closer to making him love magicians! Because one year he did say to me he was allergic to magicians. It would be great for a magician to win the show, and there is one magician this year who is amazing, and I mean amazing!
What are you looking for in your BGT winner this year?
A variety act, rather than a singer or a dancer.
What makes you come back to present BGMT each year?
I just really enjoy it. I obviously love working with Ant and Dec, that’s one of the biggest pulls. Also my background is variety, that’s what I have always been part of and being part of that within a TV show makes it even better. But out of all the shows I do on television it’s the hardest.
On ITV2 what we do is interview virtually all of the acts, because we don’t want the viewers turning over and seeing the same acts they have just seen on ITV. I always say that Britain’s Got More Talent get all the acts that are far too talented to be shown on ITV… Take that how you will.
Do you have any secret talents?
Not many people know, but I play piano and the violin!