The Hawkstone Farmers Choir made history as the first choir to win Britain's Got Talent, and they celebrated in style with a boozy night at a Hammersmith pub. Their founder, Jeremy Clarkson, footed the bill, while judge Amanda Holden and runners-up Celestial joined the festivities.
Emotional Celebrations
Choir members Flo Dawes and her mother Ali, who run a dressage yard in Gloucestershire, shared details of the celebration with the Mirror. Flo described the evening: "It was amazing, we were all together, with Celestial, too. They're so lovely. Jeremy was there, Amanda - we got our own speaker and we were singing our own songs and doing karaoke as well, we just had the most amazing time."
The party continued at the hotel, where the group sat on the floor eating pizza, trying to process their win. Ali noted that Amanda, who gave the choir her golden buzzer, was emotional: "She's always loved us, and just been really supportive. And Jeremy. They were both quite teary. Us, there were no tears left in us I don't think! Everybody was just crying and laughing. It was joyous."
Performing for the King
As winners, the choir will perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the King. Flo said, "My gosh, it's going to be amazing because he's such an advocate for farming and for rural people. I think it's just amazing that we get to have that opportunity to perform in front of someone that shares that same passion as us."
Fellow choir member Andy Owens, a farmer, described the moment they won as "mindblowing." He added, "Three lives are lost a week in our industry, so there was a lot of responsibility, the stakes felt very high. I was just in floods of tears."
Free Beer and Late Nights
Owens joked about the celebrations: "Jeremy very kindly footed the bill for all the drinks. As you can imagine, a whole load of farmers and their families and free beer go very well together! So yes a lot was drunk and a lot of us didn't go to bed till 4, 5am on Sunday. The sun was definitely coming up when I called it a day!"
He also revealed that his wife initially didn't believe he was going on BGT, jokingly suggesting he was having an affair as he kept disappearing to the Cotswolds for rehearsals.
The Final Victory
The choir performed their original song "This Is Home" in the grand final, dedicating their win to farmers everywhere. They beat Anastasiia and Salsa (third place) and Celestial (runners-up) to claim the £250,000 prize and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance. Jeremy Clarkson, their biggest cheerleader, was seen erupting in cheers from the audience.
Amanda Holden took to social media to express her joy that her golden buzzer act had won for a second consecutive year, admitting she hadn't stopped crying. Viewers at home were delighted, with one saying, "A choir finally won!" and another adding, "The most deserving of winners. They are what this country is all about. Support our British farmers!"
Behind the Scenes
Choir member Sally Spence teased on social media that there had been serious partying, writing, "THANK YOU!!! Thank you to everyone who supported us, voted for us & watched us on the night. WE WON @bgt!! I will post more photos, words & reply to all the messages, please bear with me - @thehawkstonefarmerschoir had a little celebrating to do last night!"
Ben Brooke became emotional on Instagram, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses: "Last night was one of the most incredible nights of my life. A year ago, most of us were complete strangers brought together for what was meant to be a beer advert. None of us could ever have imagined where that one decision would lead. What followed was friendships, laughter, memories that will last a lifetime and a journey that took a group of ordinary farmers all the way to winning Britain's Got Talent."
The choir was originally formed to support members' mental health and highlight the struggles farmers face, initially coming together as part of an advertising campaign for Clarkson's Cotswolds-based brewing firm.
