Britain's Got Talent 2016 winner Richard Jones: "David should have pressed his Golden Buzzer for Niels Harder"
In his first blog for RadioTimes.com, Richard reveals what he thought of the first episode of BGT 2017
I love Britain's Got Talent. It's brilliant that it's back on TV, and there were some really great acts in last night's first episode.
The dog yoga with Mahny and Robbie was... interesting. It was pretty comical when the dog went to the toilet on David’s shoes, but I couldn’t tell if David Walliams found it funny or was a bit upset – I would be upset!
But it was Niels Harder who was probably the one that had me laughing the most.
He was so funny, and it’s great to see a comedy magician on the show. I think everyone has their own personal style of magic, and the thing that makes a magician stand out is being different. Niels put a smile on everyone’s face. David said he nearly pressed his Golden Buzzer for him and he should’ve done!
Mind readers DNA were really good, too, though. The way they put the trick together was very clever, they worked really well as a team and the fact they’re a double act is something that you don’t see very often on Britain’s Got Talent.
The surprise element with the t-shirts at the end was a great final touch to what was already a fantastic act.
I reckon a magician could definitely win the show again, because the great thing about Britain’s Got Talent is that you literally can’t predict it. Every week you get a surprise with something completely different that blows you away for a different reason.
Sarah Ikumu was fantastic, but if I had a Golden Buzzer I’d have hit it for the Missing People Choir. I had all my family down the pub watching BGT on the big screen, and the whole room was silent when they came on. It's such a great thing to do, and the whole idea behind the choir is something that I don’t think has been on BGT before. It was so poignant and I gave them a tweet straight after to wish them the best.
It would be great if they get to the finals because that will give them another chance at getting some more faces of their missing loved ones up on screen. I reckon they've got a good chance in the show, although after only seeing one episode it’s difficult to predict if they will make the finals or not.
But they were just so powerful - I got quite emotional watching them! - and their performance was a real moment.
Operation Magic is available to watch on ITV Hub and Richard’s UK Power Of Imagination Tour runs from April until May 2017. For more info click here
Authors
Richard is an entomologist and writer. After a semi-feral childhood spent exploring the South Downs and Sussex Weald he now lives in south-east London. He is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and a past president of the British Entomological and Natural History Society. As well as contributing to Countryfile, he also regularly writes for BBC Wildlife, New Scientist, The Guardian, Sunday Times. His latest books include Mosquito and Wasp in the acclaimed Reaktion Books Animal Series, Call of Nature: the secret life of dung, Beetles in the HarperCollins New Naturalist Library, A Natural History of Insects in 100 Limericks, and Ants in the Bloomsbury British Wildlife Collection. There are entomological musings on his blog at www.bugmanjones.com
