Britain's Got Talent series 6

Britain's Got Talent
Series 6
Hosted byAnt & Dec (ITV)
Stephen Mulhern (ITV2)
JudgesDavid Walliams
Alesha Dixon
Amanda Holden
Simon Cowell
Carmen Electra (London auditions)
WinnerAshleigh and Pudsey
Runner-upJonathan and Charlotte
Release
Original networkITV
ITV2 (BGMT)
Original release24 March (2012-03-24) –
12 May 2012 (2012-05-12)
Series chronology
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The sixth series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 24 March to 12 May 2012. The sixth series saw Simon Cowell resume a full commitment to the programme following the previous series,[1] yet neither David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre returned to take part in the new series,[2][3] leading to them being replaced by Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.[4] Because of her pregnancy during filming of the auditions, Amanda Holden was required to miss a number of sessions, leading to producers asking Carmen Electra to step in as a guest judge in her place.[5]

The sixth series of the programme saw a full commitment of incorporating a panel of four judges throughout every stage of the competition. The prize money offered by Britain's Got Talent was increased to £500,000 for this series only,[6] the highest amount offered in the programme's history. In addition, the format of the programme saw a number of changes, including nine semi-finalists in each semi-final, the establishment of a Wildcard format similar to that used in America's Got Talent - in which the judges could appoint a single place in the final to any eliminated semi-finalist they favoured the most - and the incorporation of a mobile voting app, which functioned differently to the system used on The X Factor.[7]

The sixth series was won by dancing dog act Ashleigh and Pudsey, with opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte finishing in second place and choir Only Boys Aloud third. Many of the semi-finalists that took part in the competition were considered some of the best in the programme's history by 2012.[8] During its broadcast, the series averaged around 10.6 million viewers. The programme faced controversy concerning two auditions and a mishap with the new voting system, of which Ofcom had to investigate ITV's handling in regards to two of these incidents that viewers raised complaints against.

  1. ^ Tobin, Christian (7 December 2011). "Simon Cowell to return to 'Britain's Got Talent', confirms ITV boss". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  2. ^ Tobin, Christian (20 November 2011). "Michael McIntyre quits 'Britain's Got Talent'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  3. ^ Sperling, Daniel (29 November 2011). "David Hasselhoff confirms 'Britain's Got Talent' exit". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  4. ^ Emma Hallett (2 January 2012). "Alesha Dixon quits Strictly Come Dancing for Britain's Got Talent". The Independent. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Carmen Electra confirmed as 'Britain's Got Talent' guest judge". Digital Spy. UK. 6 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  6. ^ Hooton, Christopher (3 January 2012). "Simon Cowell added 250,000 of his own money to Britain's Got Talent-prize". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  7. ^ Britain's Got Talent - Short Codes
  8. ^ Darvill, Josh (30 April 2012). "Britain's Got Talent 2012 semi-finalists 'the best in years' say Ant and Dec". tellymix. Retrieved 7 May 2012.