The fourteenth series of British talent competition programme ''
Britain's Got Talent
''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquially ...
'' was broadcast on
ITV, but in two parts as a result of the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom during that year which affected production on the programme. The first half consisted of audition episodes that had already been filmed, which were aired between 11 April to 30 May 2020. The second half consisted of the remaining episodes when production could resume, and were aired between 30 August to 10 October 2020. The series was notable for
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and '' Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...
's absence from the semi-finals and final after he sustained an injury following an accident in August, forcing him to be replaced by
Ashley Banjo
Ashley Modurotolu Banjo is an English street dancer, choreographer and actor. He is the leader of dance troupe Diversity who won the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. Banjo was a judge on the Sky1 talent show '' Got to Dan ...
. He still appeared in the audition episodes as they had been filmed and aired before his injury.
Before Cowell's injury, it was intended for him to be virtually present for the semi-finals because of travel restrictions and his commitments to
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribu ...
.
The semi-finals and the final incorporated a number of safety measures, including the use of a virtual audience and physical distancing amongst hosts, judges, participants, and staff, with all episodes being aired weekly - a first in the programme's history. In addition, semi-finals were pre-recorded, changing the voting format as a result, including the results of public votes being announced in the final. Following the previous series, the programme's sister show, ''Britain's Got More Talent'', was effectively cancelled and was replaced by a new online spin-off, titled ''Britain's Got Talent: Unseen'', featuring auditions not aired in the main programme. The spin-off didn't return the following series for unknown reasons.
The fourteenth series was won by comedic pianist and singer
Jon Courtenay
Jon Courtenay (born 4 March 1973) is an English singer, pianist, entertainer and comedian, known for winning the fourteenth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', having previously been awarded the golden buzzer during his audition by presenters ...
, becoming the first golden buzzer act to do so, with sign-language choir Sign Along With Us finishing in second place and comedian Steve Royle third. During its broadcast, the series averaged around 8.17 million viewers, despite the split in the broadcast schedule.
Series overview

The judges auditions took place between January and February 2020, within London and Manchester. Prior to the start of production, staff had begun contemplating the future of its sister show, ''Britain's Got More Talent'', in regards to its viewing figures and changes in viewing habits by its audience following the conclusion of the previous series. In October 2019, the decision was made to cancel the programme, and by 2020 it was decided that notable, yet unaired auditions for the fourteenth series would be made available via a new online spin-off titled ''Britain's Got Talent: Unseen''.
Production on the series was dramatically impacted by the
global coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
in March 2020, which was already affecting media productions across the world. While audition episodes had been pre-recorded and thus were aired as planned, British government measures implemented to prevent the spread of the infection effectively halted work on all live television productions. ITV was forced to split the series into two parts, and went into discussion with the production company over how to produce and air the second half of the competition within a safe working environment and ongoing monitoring of the pandemic. In May 2020,
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...
indicated that production on the remainder of the series would resume in Autumn, with producers confirming in August that the remaining episodes would be produced and aired across September and October that year.
The broadcast schedule for the remaining episodes was revised, switching from being aired over the course of a single week, to a weekly arrangement, with only the final being aired live - the rest would be pre-recorded before their broadcast date. The format for these episodes was also drastically changed to provide a safe environment for staff, judges, hosts and participants: each round would be confined to a closed set; the judges would each have a separate judging desk; and a virtual audience would be present for each performance, in a similar arrangement used for the
fifteenth season of ''
America's Got Talent
''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribu ...
''. Staff also arranged for large-scale performances to be altered in order to avoid mass gatherings; some had their routines pre-recorded in advance. The advancement of semi-finalists to the final stage of the contest was also changed. Instead of the original format used in previous series, judges would have first vote, choosing their top three acts in each semi-final and voting on which one of these would be sent to the finals, with the remainder from that semi-final, including those not voted for by the judges, facing a public vote to secure an additional place in the live final over the weekend of the episode's broadcast. The results of all five public votes would then be unveiled at the beginning of the live final.
One complication arose in August, when
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality, entrepreneur and record executive. He is the creator of '' The X Factor'' and '' Got Talent'' franchises which have been sold around the world. He has judged on ...
became involved in an accident that left him suffering a back injury, and which required him to undergo surgery.
Because doctors had advised him to not be involved in further television work until he recovered - his accident had already impacted his involvement in the live rounds for ''America's Got Talent'' that year - producers decided on bringing in street dancer and former ''BGT'' winner
Ashley Banjo
Ashley Modurotolu Banjo is an English street dancer, choreographer and actor. He is the leader of dance troupe Diversity who won the third series of ''Britain's Got Talent''. Banjo was a judge on the Sky1 talent show '' Got to Dan ...
to act as a guest judge in place of Cowell during his absence. In addition, Holden was promoted to head judge for the semi-finals, effectively allowing her to make the casting decision in the event of a tied vote between the judges' top three semi-finalists.
Of the participants that took part, only forty made it into the five semi-finals - of these acts, singer Fayth Ifil, singing duet Honey & Sammy, comic singer & pianist Jon Courtenay, stand-up comedian Nabil Abdulrashid, and sign language choir Sign Along with Us,
each received a golden buzzer during their auditions - 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:
: , , ,
: ,
Golden Buzzer Audition
* Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this series.
* Actual information the performer behind this act was not disclosed during their time on the programme.
* Locations for members of this group were not disclosed during their time on the programme.
Semi-finals summary
:
Buzzed out ,
Judges' vote , ,
: ,
Semi-final 1 (5 September)
Guest Performers:
Diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
* Holden did not cast her vote due to the majority support for Steve Royle from the other judges, but admitted her voting intention would have been for this semi-finalist.
Semi-final 2 (12 September)
Guest Performers:
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock music, pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the ''Back to the Future (franchise), Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guita ...
& The NHS Choir ("Happiness")
* Due to a tied Judges' Vote, Holden cast the deciding vote for Aaron & Jasmine.
Semi-final 3 (19 September)
Guest Performers:
James Arthur
James Arthur (born 2 March 1988) is an English singer and songwriter. He rose to fame after winning the ninth series of '' The X Factor'' in 2012. His debut single, a cover of Shontelle's " Impossible", was released by Syco Music after the f ...
&
Sigala
Bruce Fielder, known professionally as Sigala, is a British DJ and music producer. He has had eight songs peak within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, including his 2015 debut single " Easy Love", which samples " ABC" by the Jackson 5.
C ...
("
Lasting Lover
"Lasting Lover" is a song performed by British DJ Sigala and British singer and songwriter James Arthur. It was also written by Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi, widely known for his hit "Someone You Loved". It was released to digital ret ...
")
* Holden did not cast her vote due to the majority support for
Magical Bones from the other judges, but admitted her voting intention would have been for Sirine Jahangir.
Semi-final 4 (26 September)
Guest Performers:
Michael Ball
Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. He made his West End debut in 1985 playing Marius Pontmercy in the original London production of ''Les Misérables'', and went on to star in 1987 as Raoul in ...
& the London cast of ''
Hairspray
Hairspray may refer to:
* Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind
* ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters
** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album
** ''Hairspray ...
'' ("
Good Morning Baltimore
"Good Morning Baltimore" is the opening number of the 2002 musical '' Hairspray''. Written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, it is performed by the protagonist, Tracy Turnblad, and alludes to the distinctive beat and vocal effects ("oh-oh-oh") o ...
"/"
You Can't Stop the Beat "You Can't Stop The Beat" is the finale number in the 2002 musical '' Hairspray''. It is sung by Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Motor Mouth, Velma, and Amber with Corny and Wilbur as backing singers. Although the lyrics touch on sizeism and r ...
")
Semi-final 5 (3 October)
Guest Performers:
Colin Thackery
Warrant Officer Class 2 Colin Thackery (born 9 March 1930) is a British Korean War veteran and singer who won the thirteenth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'' in June 2019. As the winner, he received £250,000 and performed at the 2019 Royal Va ...
&
The Kingdom Choir
The Kingdom Choir is a British gospel choir based in London. It was founded by choir conductor and workshop leader Karen Gibson. After performing for more than 20 years, the choir became world-famous after being invited to perform at the wedding o ...
, and
Amanda Holden
Amanda Louise Holden (born 16 February 1971) is an English actress, media personality, and singer. Since 2007, she has been a judge on the television talent show competition ''Britain's Got Talent'' on ITV. She also co-hosts the ''Heart Brea ...
* Holden did not cast her vote due to the majority support for Nabil Abdulrashid from the other judges, but admitted her voting intention would have been for Wesley Williams.
Final (10 October)
Guest Performers: The cast of ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
'', ''
Mary Poppins It may refer to:
* ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character.
* Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers.
* ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film star ...
'' & ''
The Phantom of the Opera
''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...
: ,
Ratings
Criticism
During the fourteenth series of ''Britain's Got Talent'', racial issues were made key elements in complaints made by viewers regarding performances that were broadcast during the final rounds of the competition. In the first semi-final, aired on 5 September 2020, guest performer
Diversity
Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to:
Business
*Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce
*Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers
* ...
performed a dance routine inspired by the
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police brut ...
movement, which, despite being praised, received criticism from some viewers. The regulator
Ofcom
The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.
Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...
initially received over a thousand complaints to begin with, before this increased to around 24,500 based on news stories covering the original number of complaints. However, the regulator rejected all complaints on 17 September, ruling that the criticism was unfounded and that the performance had been aiming to promote "social cohesion and unity", adding that "freedom of expression is particularly important in the context of artistic works".
In contrast, comedian Nabil Abdulrashid received considerable criticism over his performances in the semi-final and final. Although he was overwhelmed by the support he received for his comedic talent, Abdulrashid admitted in an interview that some of his work had led him to receive racial abuse and death threats because of his open support for Black Lives Matter. His routines themselves later saw Ofcom receive around 3,000 complaints over the nature of his jokes being aired on a family programme, yet the regulator rejected these on grounds that the comedian had performed within acceptable boundaries.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britain's Got Talent (series 14)
2020 British television seasons
Britain's Got Talent
Television productions postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic