Britain’s Got Talent fans have spoken out in their droves after Simon Cowell and co gave one act the green light to progress in the competition.
Sven Smith, 27, was the man who was first to take to the stage on Saturday night’s show and promised Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli a performance like they’d never seen before.
Intrigued, Smith took his spot on the stage next to a guitar case and as the performance began, he pretended to lift out the stringed instrument.
“There is no guitar,” Ant McPartlin commented from the wings of the stage as Oasis classic Wonderwall began to play in the arena.
Smith started to mime playing the song on his air guitar before “smashing” the instrument on stage when the soundtrack went awry.
Moments later, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody burst into the auditorium and Smith frantically rushed across the stage removing items of clothing to expose a skin-tight ensemble of sequined trousers and a leather jacket.
Sven Smith performed his air guitar routine on BGT
ITV
Again, Smith began to mime playing the guitar riffs in the song while the audience cheered along to the Queen classic.
Smith paced and jumped around the stage but couldn’t escape the sound of the buzzer when Dixon decided she’d seen enough.
However, her fellow three judges didn’t follow suit, with Holden and Tonioli taking to their feet to dance along while Cowell giggled and applauded.
Smith received a standing ovation from head judge Cowell who told the 27-year-old: “It just really made me laugh.”
Amanda Holden was one of three judges to put Sven through
ITV
As the judges gathered to reveal their verdict, Tonioli, Holden and Cowell all decided to send Smith through, outvoting Dixon’s “no” verdict by 3-1.
And while the BGT crowd appeared to agree with the three judges, it’s safe to say plenty of ITV viewers at home sided with Dixon.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans vented their frustrations with Smith’s act, with one person hitting out: “If he gets through then this show has lost the 0.01% of credibility it had left #bgt #britainsgottalent.”
“Not really a talent. Anyone can air guitar and run around stage #bgt,” a second blasted before a third raged: “This act might just be my final straw with this show #BGT.”
Simon Cowell and his BGT co-stars were slammed for sending Sven through
ITV
A fourth echoed: “He didn’t even do anything. He just ran about shaking his head and doing air guitar. That was completely pointless. Utter s***e! #bgt.”
Meanwhile, a fifth commented: “#BGT So now people go on here and just entertain themselves and call it ‘talent’.”
And a sixth added to the dismay: “#BGT #BritainsGotTalent the word Talent is in the show’s title. I want my money back!”
ITV BGT: Alesha Dixon wasn’t impressed with Sven
ITV
However, there was some support for Smith’s act, with some drawing comparisons to last year’s winner Viggo Venn.
“I don’t know why but I actually liked this,” one fan commented on the YouTube clip of the performance while a second added: “He’s (fire).” (sic)
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
