Paul Potts, the winner of the first series of Britain's Got Talent in 2007, has named Matty Juniosa as the strongest contender to win this year's final. The 55-year-old opera singer, who famously performed Nessun dorma during his audition, shared his predictions with Sky Vegas ahead of the live show.
Matty Juniosa, who received a golden buzzer during the semi-finals, is among 11 acts competing in the final. The lineup includes dog act Anastasiia and Salsa, dance group LMA, magician Fabian Fox, fire juggler Liwei Yang, comedian Ted Hill, poet Sonny Green, magician Rafferty Coope, drone art Celestial, and choir The Hawkstone Farmers Choir.
Potts said: 'Matty Juniosa is the favourite for me. He’s the one everybody else must beat. The magicians have a chance if they don’t divide the vote between themselves, and Hawkstone Farmers Choir could also place highly depending on public support.' He also praised poet Sonny Green's performance about his son, though noted some viewers might find it 'slightly manipulative or preachy'.
The opera singer observed that the show has shifted focus towards magicians in recent years, who receive longer performance times. 'They also get much longer performances - often close to 10 minutes - while singers might only get two and a half or three minutes if they’re lucky,' he added. Potts believes only two singing acts made the final due to weaker production support this year.
Potts concluded: 'I think it’ll ultimately come down to two or three acts - probably one of the magicians, Matty, and possibly Hawkstone Farmers Choir.' The Britain's Got Talent final airs tonight at 7pm on ITV and ITVX.
