Britain’s Got Talent has returned for its 19th season, and if there’s one thing viewers can count on, it’s that the ITV juggernaut never fails to make headlines—sometimes for reasons more dramatic than the acts themselves. With the 2026 series now well underway, fans are tuning in every Saturday evening to see a fresh mix of awe-inspiring, bizarre, and occasionally controversial performances, all under the watchful eyes of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and new full-time judge KSI. As Ant and Dec keep things lively backstage, the show’s enduring appeal is matched only by its knack for stirring debate and racking up Ofcom complaints.
This year’s judging panel features a notable shake-up. KSI, the YouTube sensation and musician, has stepped in as a full-time judge, replacing Bruno Tonioli—who bowed out due to commitments with Dancing with the Stars. According to ITV, KSI’s honest and direct style has already made waves. Amanda Holden, now 55 and a fixture on the panel, recently shared her excitement about the new dynamic. “Simon is back. He’s been Mr Soft in recent years, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that KSI is so honest on the other end of the panel. He’s not honest in a bad way, just very to the point, and he doesn’t sugar coat anything,” Holden told the press on February 28, 2026. “I’m glad to see that Simon is no longer being soft serve ice-cream, although it was nice for a year or so!”
The chemistry on the judges’ panel has been described by Holden as “very loose and very chaotic” this season, with Cowell’s signature one-liners making a comeback. “We’ve got the old Simon back, and his one liners are better than ever and I’m loving that!” she added. The excitement is palpable, and Cowell himself has promised fans surprises and a refreshed format: “Fans can expect lots of surprises. We’ve tried to make it different this year.”
The 2026 series kicked off on February 21, marking the second consecutive year the show has aired earlier than its traditional April slot. Lily Wilson, ITV’s commissioning editor for entertainment, explained, “We want to hit that family audience. Starting in February means we can build excitement over a longer period while making the live semi-finals a much bigger event.” The series is set to run for about four months, with weekly episodes and live semi-finals airing weekly rather than nightly. However, the schedule will see some tweaks: the March 14 episode won’t air due to ITV’s coverage of the final weekend of the Six Nations Championship, and another episode is slated for May 17 to accommodate the Eurovision Song Contest final.
But as much as BGT is about finding the next big thing, it’s also a magnet for controversy. The 2025 launch episode drew 771 complaints to Ofcom, the UK’s broadcasting regulator, thanks to two particularly eyebrow-raising acts. Auzzy Blood shocked audiences by inserting screws into his face and suspending himself from a meat hook through his nose—a performance that even saw Simon Cowell drink wine through a straw placed in Blood’s nose. Another act, Akira Ohashi, performed a nearly-nude dance, strategically covering himself with props, which led to about 90 complaints specifically about nudity. Ofcom’s spokesperson confirmed, “The vast majority of complaints were about Auzzy Blood’s routine. Around 90 of the complainants also complained about nudity in Akira Ohashi’s routine.”
The sense of danger wasn’t just for show. Presenter Ant McPartlin recounted a harrowing moment from the 2025 series: “There was a moment this year where we were scared for Simon Cowell’s life. Genuinely, it was all a bit scary!” During an audition, Cowell agreed to lie on the floor while a contestant smashed watermelons with a mallet around him—the hammer reportedly missed his head by just an inch. Cowell later admitted he anticipated complaints about Auzzy Blood’s act, noting, “We do have kids in the audience. I’m always looking behind, going do they like it? They actually, yeah they do. We probably will get some complaints, yeah.”
Controversy is hardly new for BGT. In 2020, Diversity’s dance routine, which depicted a white police officer kneeling on Ashley Banjo in reference to the killing of George Floyd, prompted more than 25,000 Ofcom complaints. Some viewers felt the act was not suitable for a family audience and accused the show of supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. However, Ofcom ultimately ruled that the performance did not breach broadcasting rules. At the time, a BGT spokesperson said, “Diversity’s performance offered their take on the extraordinary events of 2020, opening up important topics of conversation. The show was compiled for a family audience.”
Comedian Nabil Abdulrashid, who made the 2020 final, also sparked debate with jokes about religion, race, and police treatment of Black people, leading to over 3,000 complaints. Ofcom rejected these as well, stating, “The comedian’s satirical take on his life experiences as a Black Muslim was likely to have been within audience expectations.”
Even the judges themselves aren’t immune to scrutiny. Amanda Holden has faced repeated Ofcom complaints about her choice of attire—most notably in 2017, when a sheer black Julien Macdonald gown sparked 633 complaints. Holden has remained unapologetic, telling Yahoo, “Look, I don’t put on revealing outfits on purpose and I am damned if anyone is going to dictate what I wear. If I want to dress up and feel sexy then so be it. I’m not going to apologise for the clothes I wear to anyone.” She added, “I know in the past viewers have complained about outfits I have worn but I honestly don’t give a hoot. I like to embrace life and grab it by the balls. And if that means wearing sexy clothes, I will continue to do so as I absolutely love dressing up and feeling glamorous.”
The show’s history is also marked by memorable departures and disputes. Comedian David Walliams left the judging panel in 2022 after remarks he made about contestants were leaked and published in The Guardian. Walliams later sued production company Fremantle for financial loss and psychiatric harm, eventually reaching an “amicable resolution” in 2023, but he has not returned to the show.
And who could forget the infamous “fake dog” scandal of 2011? When trainer Jules O’Dwyer used a stunt dog for a tightrope act instead of her Border Collie, Matisse, more than 1,150 viewers complained, prompting an Ofcom investigation into whether paying voters had been misled. An Ofcom spokesman said at the time, “We’ve opened an investigation to determine whether viewers of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent final, who may have paid money to vote, were misled about the competition.”
Despite—or perhaps because of—these controversies, Britain’s Got Talent continues to captivate audiences. The 2026 winner will walk away with a £250,000 prize and the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance, a tradition as storied as the show itself. With the season promising chaos, surprises, and the return of classic Simon Cowell zingers, it’s clear that BGT still knows how to keep Britain talking. The show airs at 7pm on Saturdays on ITV and is available to stream on ITVX.
As the series unfolds, one thing’s for sure: love it or loathe it, Britain’s Got Talent remains a staple of Saturday night TV, unafraid to push boundaries and spark conversation.