Britain's Got Talent returned for its 17th series on Saturday night, with hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly welcoming a new wave of hopefuls. The show, which first aired in 2007, continues to offer a £250,000 prize and a spot on the Royal Variety Performance stage.
The first winner, Paul Potts, was a Carphone Warehouse manager who became an opera singer. After his victory, he toured globally and performed in operas such as The Marriage of Figaro. His story was turned into the film One Chance, starring James Corden. He last appeared publicly in 2022 on Masked Singer Germany.
George Sampson won in 2008 at age 14 with a street dance routine to Mint Royale's Singin' In The Rain. After his win, the song topped the UK downloads chart. He later acted in Waterloo Road and the musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie. He has been in a relationship with actress Kazmin Borrer for three years.
Dance troupe Diversity upset frontrunner Susan Boyle to win in 2009. Led by Ashley Banjo, they have toured the UK and fronted a Sky series. Ashley now judges on Dancing On Ice. Member Perri Kiely competed on the same show in 2020, and he and Jordan Banjo present KISS Breakfast.
Spelbound, a gymnastics ensemble, won in 2010 with acrobatic routines. They performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony and on a Channel 4 telethon. Many members have since become coaches or pursued solo careers.
Scottish singer Jai MacDowall won in 2011 after years of auditioning for other shows. He signed with Simon Cowell's Syco label but was dropped in 2012. He returned for Britain's Got Talent: The Champions in 2019 and released a new single.
