AS the show begins for its fifteenth series of Britain’s Got Talent, what will the winner be awarded?
Not only will they leave the hit show with a large sum of cash, they will also get a once-in-a-lifetime performance opportunity.
What prize does the winner of Britain’s Got Talent get?
There are two parts to the prize on offer for this year’s contestants.
First, the cash prize of £250,000 – an amount that has stayed the same in recent series of the show, but in its first series was lower.
The BGT 2022 winner will also be offered the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.
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Who are the past BGT winners?
Paul Potts – 2007
The phone salesman-turned-singer won the first series of Britain’s Got Talent.
After releasing several albums, a biopic was created starring James Corden as Paul.
George Sampson – 2008
George Sampson won the heart of the nation as a street dancer.
After winning he turned to acting and appeared in Waterloo Road, a show that’s since been axed, and Emmerdale.
Diversity – 2009
Diversity won the third series of the show, beating Susan Boyle.
They’re arguably one of the most remembered and successful of past BGT winners, having continued to perform and have spin-off careers in reality and competitions shows.
Ashley Banjo in particular has remained in the spotlight.
Spelbound – 2010
After wowing Simon Cowell and the nation, Spelbound went on to perform at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony.
Jai McDowell – 2011
Despite being signed to Simon Cowell’s record label, his success didn’t last long after his debut album didn’t perform well.
Cowell dropped him, so he went on to support other artists on tour like Gareth Gates.
Ashleigh and Pudsey – 2012
Pudsey passed away in 2017, and Ashleigh now performs with her new dog, Sully.
Before Pudsey sadly died, he had a showbiz career staring in TV, theatre and film.
Attraction – 2013
Another memorable winner, Attraction are a Hungarian shadow theatre group who put on emotive performances.
However, there was some controversy over a foreign act winning the show.
Afterwards they performed in Las Vegas and were used in adverts.
Collabro – 2014
Collabro are a classical music group, who now have three studio albums behind them.
One member, Richard Hadfield, decided to quit in 2016.
Speaking about his decision at the time, he said: “I decided it was time to leave the band to focus on my mental health and happiness.”
Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse – 2015
Another dog act, but this one with fresh controversy behind it.
A second dog was actually involved in the act as Matisse couldn’t do the heights required for their winning performance.
Ofcom ruled this as misleading the audience.
Richard Jones – 2016
Finally a magician won the show in 2016 after many attempts in years previous.
Richard is a former army officer, and his career change paid off as he was able to go on tour after BGT.
He even had a one-off TV show called Operation Magic.
Tokio Myers – 2017
Tokio Myers is a musician and since the show has worked on his own album plus performed on a charity record in aid of Grenfell Tower survivors.
He’s opened up about his past, saying that he saw his headteacher get stabbed – making him want to focus solely on building a career in music.
Lost Voice Guy – 2018
Lost Voice Guy was the first comedic act to win the show.
He had lost his voice in childhood due to cerebral palsy.
Losing his voice hasn’t stopped him though: he’s performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and released his own book.
Colin Thackery – 2019
Colin Thackery is a pensioner who won by singing the wartime classic We’ll Meet Again.
He vowed to give his prize money away to the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, which is where his family lives.
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Jon Courtenay – 2020
The 2020 series of Britain’s Got Talent may have faced several interruptions due to the ongoing pandemic, but the show managed to see comedic pianist Jon Courtenay crowned the BGT winner.
He received the golden buzzer in his first auditions that saw him sail through to the semi-finals.
His final performance moved the judges to tears with a tribute to his late father, and he won the nations heart with his comical song about 2020.
