Britain's Got Talent series 2

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Britain's Got Talent
Series 2
Hosted byAnt & Dec (ITV)
Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)
JudgesPiers Morgan
Amanda Holden
Simon Cowell
WinnerGeorge Sampson
Runner-upSignature
Release
Original networkITV
ITV2 (BGMT)
Original release12 April (2008-04-12) –
31 May 2008 (2008-05-31)
Series chronology
← Previous
Series 1
Next →
Series 3
List of episodes
Judges and Presenter(s) for Britain's Got Talent Series 2
Piers Morgan
Amanda Holden
Simon Cowell
Ant & Dec (ITV1)
Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)

The second series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 12 April to 31 May 2008. Following the success of its first series, ITV commissioned the programme for additional episodes, with more venues used for auditions than in the previous series, and the number of semi-finalists, semi-final rounds, and finalists increased by production staff. Both the judges from the first series – Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan – and Ant & Dec returned to co-host the second series, along with Stephen Mulhern returning to front the second series of Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2.

The second series was won by street dancer George Sampson,[1] with dance duo Signature finishing in second place and opera singer Andrew Johnston third. During its broadcast, the series proved to be a greater ratings success, averaging 10.2 million viewers.[2] ITV was forced to defend the programme during its second series, after viewers criticised the involvement of a professional group in the contest.

Series overview

[edit]

Following open auditions held the previous year, the Judge's Auditions took place early in 2008, within London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Blackpool. With the success of the previous series, the production team decided to expand the show's filming schedule to include more episodes. This led to the addition of two more episodes for auditions and two more live episodes for semi-finals, in turn leading to a direct increase in the number of semi-finalists that the judges could move beyond the auditions stage of the competition. Both the judges and the presenters who took part in the first series agreed to return for the second series, leading to no significant changes in the panel or hosts.

Of the participants that took part, only forty made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals,[3] with eight appearing in each one, and ten of these acts making it into the live final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:

Key:   Winner |   Runner-Up |   Finalist |   Semi-finalist

Participant Age(s) 1 Genre Performance Type Semi-Final Result
Andrew Johnston 13 Singing Boy Soprano 2 Third Place
Andrew Muir 24 Singing Singer 4 Finalist
Anya Sparks 42 Dance Dancer 5 Eliminated
Bang On! 34 & 27 Music Percussion Duo 2 Eliminated
Boogie Babes 8–12 Dance Dance Group 4 Eliminated
Boogie Wonderland 12–21 Dance Dance Group 1 Eliminated
Caburlesque 22-26 Dance Cabaret & Burlesque Dance Group 5 Eliminated
Charlie Green 10 Singing Singer 3 Eliminated
Charlie Wernham 13 Comedy Stand Up Comedian 4 Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 8 & 9 Dance Junior Dance Duo 2 Finalist
Craig Harper 35 Singing / Comedy Vocal Impressionist 5 Eliminated
Dean Wilson 18 Singing Musical Theatre Singer 1 Eliminated
Deans of Magic 46 & 38 Magic Erotic Magic Duo 3 Eliminated
Diva Las Vegas 20-48 Singing / Dance Singer & Dance Group 5 Eliminated
Escala 23–26 Music String Quartet 5 Finalist
Faryl Smith 12 Singing Singer 4 Finalist
Flava 17–28 Dance Hip Hop Dance Group 2 Eliminated
George Sampson 14 Dance Breakdancer 3 Winner
Harlequin Stage School 8–13 Dance Irish Dance Group 4 Eliminated
Hoop La La 22, 23 & 24 Variety Hula Hoop Trio 3 Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj 27 Acrobatics Contortionist 2 Eliminated
Irresistible 21–23 Singing Singing Trio 3 Eliminated
James Stone 52 Singing Singer 4 Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 20 Variety Football Freestyler 4 Eliminated
Kate & Gin 16 & 6 2 Animals Dog Act 1 Finalist
Kay & Harvey 56 & 71 Singing / Music Singer & Keyboardist 2 Eliminated
Madonna Decena 32 Singing Singer 5 Eliminated
Mandy Ellen Dancers 10–24 Dance Dance Group 2 Eliminated
Mary Halford March 6–9 Dance Dance Group 3 Eliminated
Michael Machell 57 Music Keyboardist 1 Eliminated
Nemesis 18–22 Dance Hip Hop Dance Group 5 Finalist
Per Diem 24 & 23 Singing / Music Singing & Guitarist Duo 5 Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 34 Danger Balancer & Juggler 1 Eliminated
Sauris Nandi 64 Magic Magician 2 Eliminated
Signature 29 & 34 Dance Bhangra Dance Duo 1 Runner-Up
Sophie Mei 20 Dance Belly Dancer 1 Eliminated
Strike 22 & 19 Variety Martial Arts Duo 3 Finalist
Tracey Lee Collins 44 Singing Drag Singer 1 Eliminated
Urban Gypsies 35–50 Dance Belly Dance Group 3 Eliminated
Vizage 34 & 30 Singing / Magic Singer & Quick Change Duo 4 Eliminated
  • ^1 Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this series.
  • ^2 The latter value pertains to the age of the dog, as disclosed by its owner.

Semi-final summary

[edit]
Buzzed out | Judges' vote |   Advanced – Public Vote
  Advanced – Judges' Vote |   Eliminated – Judges' Vote |   Eliminated

Semi-final 1 (26 May)

[edit]
Semi-Finalist Order Performance Type Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Boogie Wonderland 1 Dance Group Eliminated
Kate & Gin 2 Dog Act Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Michael Machell 3 Keyboardist Eliminated
Dean Wilson 4 Musical Theatre Singer Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Sophie Mei 5 Belly Dancer Eliminated
Tracey Lee Collins 6 Drag Singer Eliminated
Phil Blackmore 7 Balancer & Juggler Eliminated
Signature 8 Bhangra Dance Duo Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 2 (27 May)

[edit]
Semi-Finalist Order Performance Type Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Mandy Ellen Dancers 1 Dance Group Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj 2 Contortionist Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys 3 Dance Duo Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Kay & Harvey 4 Opera Singer & Keyboardist Eliminated
Bang On! 5 Percussion Duo Eliminated
Flava 6 Hip Hop Dance Duo Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Sauris Nandi 7 Magician Eliminated
Andrew Johnston 8 Boy Soprano Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 3 (28 May)

[edit]
Semi-Finalist Order Performance Type Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Irresistible 1 Singing Trio Eliminated
Strike 2 Martial Arts Duo Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Mary Halford March 3 Dance Group Eliminated
The Deans of Magic 4 Erotic Magic Duo Eliminated
Charlie Green 5 Singer Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Urban Gypsies 6 Belly Dance Group Eliminated
Hoop La La 7 Hula Hoop Trio Eliminated
George Sampson 8 Breakdancer Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 4 (29 May)

[edit]
Semi-Finalist Order Performance Type Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
James Stone 1 Singer Eliminated
Charlie Wernham 2 Stand Up Comedian Eliminated
Harlequin Stage School 3 Irish Dance Group Eliminated
Andrew Muir 4 Singer Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
The Boogie Babes 5 Dance Group Eliminated
Vizage 6 Singer & Quick Change Duo 3 Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch 7 Football Freestyler Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Faryl Smith 8 Singer Advanced (Won Public Vote)
  • ^3 Cowell pressed Holden's buzzer during Vizage's performance.

Semi-final 5 (30 May)

[edit]
Semi-Finalist Order Performance Type Buzzes and Judges' Vote Result
Cowell Holden Morgan
Caburlesque 1 Cabaret & Burlesque Dance Group Eliminated
Madonna Decena 2 Singer Eliminated
Anya Sparks 3 Dancer Eliminated
Craig Harper 4 Vocal Impressionist Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Diva Las Vegas 5 Singer & Dance Group Eliminated
Nemesis 6 Hip Hop Dance Group Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Per Diem 7 Singing & Guitarist Duo Eliminated
Escala 8 String Quartet Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Final (31 May)

[edit]
  Winner |   Runner-up
Finalist Order Performance Type Finished 4
Cheeky Monkeys 1 Dance Duo Finalist
Andrew Muir 2 Singer Finalist
Kate & Gin 3 Dog Act Finalist
Nemesis 4 Hip Hop Dance Group Finalist
Strike 5 Martial Arts Duo Finalist
Andrew Johnston 6 Boy Soprano 3rd
George Sampson 7 Breakdancer 1st
Faryl Smith 8 Singer Finalist
Escala 9 String Quartet Finalist
Signature 10 Bhangra Dance Duo 2nd
  • ^4 The results did not declare any other position than that of the winner, 2nd place, and 3rd place.

Ratings

[edit]
Main article: List of Britain's Got Talent episodes
Episode Air Date Total Viewers
(millions)[4] 		ITV 1
Weekly rank[4] 		Viewer Share
Auditions 1 12 April 9.44 6 37.0%[5]
Auditions 2 19 April 10.96 1 43.3%[6]
Auditions 3 26 April 9.86 3 41.3%[7]
Auditions 4 3 May 9.12 5 39.1%[8]
Auditions 5 10 May 8.17 6 37.9%[9]
Auditions 6 17 May 9.11 2 37.5%[10]
Auditions 7 24 May 8.27 5 37.2%[11]
Semi-final 1 26 May 11.33 4 42.0%[12]
Semi-final 2 27 May 9.29 9 35.3%[13]
Semi-final 3 28 May 10.03 6 35.9%[14]
Semi-final 4 29 May 10.13 5 41.9%[15]
Semi-final 5 30 May 11.86 2 50.0%[16]
Live final 31 May 11.52 3 51.1%[17]
Live final results 13.88 1 55.1%[17]


Criticism

[edit]

The second series of Britain's Got Talent faced criticism for the involvement of professional performers in the contest. Media outlets revealed evidence that the group Escala, who took part in the contest in 2008, had previously been involved as guest performers for a wrap party on The X Factor in 2007. ITV refuted allegations that this was unfair conduct against other participants, by arguing that the programme's researchers applied the same process and treatment to everyone who auditioned, and that the contest was open to anyone regardless of their experience with the talent they chose to perform with.[18]

References

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  1. ^ "Breakdancer wins TV talent contest". The Press Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
  2. ^ "Reality TV hurts too much – WalesOnline". Icwales.icnetwork.co.uk. 31 May 2008.
  3. ^ Top 40 Acts Archived 29 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ a b "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. ^ Brook, Stephen (14 April 2008). "Britain's Got Talent back with 8.8m". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  6. ^ Brook, Stephen (21 April 2008). "Ratings soar for Britain's Got Talent". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  7. ^ Reevell, Philip (30 April 2008). "International formats bolster ITV weekend". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  8. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (6 May 2008). "Talent shines but viewers head outdoors". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  9. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (12 May 2008). "Talent sizzles as heat hits ratings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  10. ^ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (19 May 2008). "FA Cup final scores a ratings victory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  11. ^ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: 7.1m UK viewers tune in to Eurovision". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  12. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent dances off with honours". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  13. ^ Rogers, Jon (28 May 2008). "ITV1 delivers masterclass to The Apprentice". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  14. ^ Rogers, Jon (29 May 2008). "2.8m get the Mary Whitehouse experience". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  15. ^ Rogers, Jon (30 May 2008). "Thursday peaktime blues for BBC1". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
  16. ^ Dowell, Ben (2 June 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent semi-final shines for ITV". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  17. ^ a b "Britain's Got Talent wins ratings war – Showbiz – News – Manchester Evening News". Manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 18 April 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008.
  18. ^ Scala Are Bunch Of Real Pros Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine