Britain's Got Talent, semi-final 1: A technical fault, Dec without Ant, and a worthy winner of the public vote

There were technical disasters at the talent contest’s new home of Hammersmith Apollo. Here are all the talking points from the first live Britain's Got Talent semi-final of 2018…

Ad break after technical fault took the biscuit

”We’re sorry for the disruption”. Viewers were left staring at this on-screen caption for more than 10 minutes when the show dramatically went off-air after the first act had performed, apparently due to the storms in West London. Well, that’s both the beauty and risk of live TV.

With the annoying muzak and infuriating wait, it felt like phoning a hotline and being put on hold. The announcer promised to screen some audition highlights in the interim but even this back-up VT took several minutes to kick in. Heads might roll at ITV after this whopping howler.

When we finally returned live to the Hammersmith Apollo, presenter Declan Donnelly soon announced they’d be cutting to a break, which was a bit rich. Hadn’t we just had rather a long one? Advertisers were prioritised over viewers and it left a sour taste. 

Lost Voice Guy’s win was well-earned

Lee Ridley, who performs under the name Lost Voice Guy, was “disabled before it was popular”. His cerebral palsy has left him unable to speak but with the use of an iPad speech app, he delivers zingy stand-up comedy.

His gag-packed, self-mocking routine had everyone in stitches and went down a storm in the studio. Even the judges’ faintly patronising comments couldn’t dampen spirits. Such unlikely success stories are - cliché alert - what this contest is all about. 

It was a heart-warming moment when he was revealed to have won the public vote, sailing through to Sunday’s final on a wave of mirth and goodwill. Now he quickly needs to write some new jokes and type them into his tablet. 

Dec without Ant still feels strange

Co-presenter Ant McPartlin had been at partner Dec’s side as per usual during the contest’s audition phase, which was recorded back in January. However, Ant stepped down from all TV commitments after his drink-driving arrest and return to rehab in March. 

Helming this week’s live shows alone, dapper-dressed Dec flew down onto the stage on a circus high-wire - a visual signal that he was flying solo. He proceeded to do a typically slick job: Joshing with the judges, teasing the studio audience and handling the production glitches with unflappable aplomb.

Everyone even felt able to make light of troubled McPartlin’s absence. Talking about the show’s move to Hammersmith Apollo, Dec said: “We may have a new home but rest assured nothing else has changed. The talent is as good as ever, the judges are exactly the same, and the presenters... well, probably best not to dwell on that.”

Head judge Simon Cowell later joked that Ant might have been responsible for the technical glitch, quipping: “Ant, you are coming back next year. You didn’t have to do that!”  

D-Day Darlings deserved it despite cynicism

In the centenary of the end of the First World War, could a military-themed nostalgia act march to BGT victory? Wartime-themed choir The D-Day Darlings might just do that. 

Their medley of Rule Britannia and Land Of Hope And Glory, complete with salutes and Buckingham Palace backdrop, was like a mini-Proms and had the audience waving Union Jacks. Just when it couldn’t get much more patriotic, the nine uniform-clad crooners were joined on-stage by decorated war veterans. 

Red, white and blue confetti fell. With the plum last slot on the bill and the judges’ glowing comments, it seemed like the producers were willing them to get through and they duly did. 

However, their vocals aren’t the best and it all seems a little precision-tailored to garner misty-eyed favour, especially in the wake of the royal wedding. Heartfelt sentiment or shameless cynicism? Viewer votes will decide on Sunday. 

Simon Cowell’s “he-vege” stole the show

Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon’s sparkly finery and flowing skirts were thoroughly upstaged by the head judge. Darth Cowell’s white shirt was unbuttoned virtually to the navel, revealing a bristling sprout of chest hair. Very “head waiter at a Mediterranean restaurant”.

The shirt looked a little crumpled and sweaty too. It’s lucky Cowell is the boss or he’d get a formal warning for scruffiness. All that was missing was a glinting medallion and an outsized pepper grinder. 

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Magicians were unlucky to miss out

Illusionist Maddox Dixon was just edged out by D-Day Darlings on the judges’ decision and can count himself unfortunate. Having stunned in the auditions with some spooky Rubik’s Cube trickery, here he went one louder and seemingly made a woman float in mid-air. 

Some of his other tricks, however, were too close-up and fiddly to work for viewers at home, while his running commentary about “the magic of the human mind” might have been spoken in a smoothly soothing voice but verged on hippy-dippy claptrap. Still, he’s likely to get a major career boost from BGT so expect to see him again soon.

Meanwhile, escapologist Matt Johnson performed another breath-holding trick which saw him locked into a solid steel straitjacket with a padlocked box on his head filled with water. Two minutes of lock-picking and mounting tension later, he burst free with a bearded roar. Perhaps Johnson was just too stressful to progress.

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Four of the eight acts disappointed

There’s often a strange disconnect at this stage of the contest. Acts who impressed during the auditions struggle to repeat the trick, don’t translate to live TV and suddenly seem out of their depth. So it was with half the performers here. 

Alesha Dixon’s Golden Buzzer choice, singer Lifford Shillingford, hit some big notes during his rendition of “Yesterday” but Beatles rearrangements are often divisive and the tune got lost amid his vocal gymnastics. Simon Cowell called the song choice “terrible, lazy and wine bar-ish”. It was hard to argue.   

Teen dancer Shameer Rayes’ laser-lit rave routine wasn’t nearly as original or impressive as his clockwork doll number last time around. Latin American youth troupe Cali Swing had fast feet and leggy lifts but the choreography was chaotic and lacked synchronisation. We never got to hear the judges’ comments because that’s when the broadcast suddenly went off-air. 

Worst of all were South Korean husband-and-wife quick-change artists Ellie and Jeki, who lost all impact without the element of surprise. Their shambolic performance even suffered the indignity of being buzzed off by the impatient Cowell. You wouldn’t have blamed the couple for swiftly changing into disguises and fleeing. 

Guests added stardust but results show felt flabby

This semi-final began with a spectacular routine from 2009 champions Diversity, cleverly themed around hit film The Greatest Showman (Simon Cowell’s favourite movie, apparently). Troupe leader Ashely Banjo played the ringmaster and there was even a cameo for 2016 winner Richard Jones. The camerawork didn’t do the number any favours but it made for a rousing, razzle-dazzle opening. 

The results show then saw the cast of West End hit Matilda the Musical perform “Revolting Children”. Both acts smartly hit that family-friendly BGT demographic but the results show still felt padded and overlong - its half-hour running time filled out with recaps and mundane interviews. It could have been half the duration - although that would have meant forgoing a precious ad break. We can’t have that, can we?