Britain's Got Talent 2016's Golden Buzzer acts: meet this year's choices
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon - plus hosts Ant and Dec - have each sent an act straight through this year's live semi-finals. Get to know the lucky acts...
While most Britain's Got Talent acts hope they won't hear a buzzer sound, there are five acts who are damn well delighted a buzzer got pushed during their audition: the Golden Buzzer.
Each of the four judges – Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams – get a push of this special buzzer, as do hosts Ant and Dec. Their chosen acts are whizzed straight through to the live semi-finals, skipping the next round of deliberations.
A Golden Buzzer act is yet to win the competition, but this year looks like that could well change. Check out their choices and audition clips below.
Amanda Holden's Golden Buzzer: singer Beau Dermott
The 12-year-old from Widnes shocked everyone with her performance of Defying Gravity from the hit musical Wicked. From being openly nervous beforehand, Beau was note-perfect throughout. "Oh Beau, I cannot believe you’re only twelve," Holden said after the audition. "That is one of the most difficult songs I think to sing, you just sold it to us... I was like this all the way through it," she added, miming hovering her hand over the coveted buzzer.
Following her audition Beau received huge praise online, including from none other than Idina Menzel, the original Defying Gravity singer. "OMG!! Beau Dermott you gave me chills with your performance of Defying Gravity," Menzel wrote on Twitter.
To top it off, Dermott's not the only talented one in her family. Young ballet dancer Jack Higgins - who was dubbed a new Billy Elliott - is her cousin.
David Walliams' Golden Buzzer: singers Ian and Anne Marshall
Singers Ian, 64, and Anne Marshall, 61 are a married couple whose version of Beyonce's Crazy In Love was so energetic and unexpected David Walliams hopped up onto the judges table to literally stamp on the Golden Buzzer. But the biggest shock of all was the fact that Simon Cowell admitted that he actually agreed with Walliams' choice.
“For once, I get it,” exclaimed a flabbergasted Cowell, more surprised than anyone that he actually liked the singers.
“I think you really are the spirit of Britain’s Got Talent,” added Walliams, who laughed: "And you did a Beyonce song for no apparent reason."
We caught up with the pair ahead of their audition and learned that if they were to win, a spot on the Royal Variety performance wouldn't be their first brush with royalty. In fact, Ian has cooked fish and chips for Prince Charles. They also got married in the blink of an eye and Anne is apparently Simon Cowell in drag - read more from them here.
Alesha Dixon's Golden Buzzer: singers 100 Voices of Gospel
Alesha Dixon's choice was so good it caused a row with Simon Cowell. After the 100-strong gospel choir earned Dixon's Golden Buzzer push for their version of Let It Shine he was most unhappy: “No! No! I wanted them!” Cowell yelled as everyone else celebrated the much-deserved Golden Buzzer push. “That is so annoying. I wanted you to be my buzzer,” he told the act (which has dancers as well as singers), adding, “I’m so irritated!”
Dixon simply laughed it off, telling the group - which boasts 20 nationalities - they are her "idea of heaven".
“There are no words that I can use to describe the feeling you gave everyone in the room," she added.
Ant and Dec's Golden Buzzer: singer Jasmine Elcock
14-year-old Jasmine Elcock was so mesmerising she actually made co-host Ant McPartlin cry. Actual tears.
"Oh god, she got me really emotional," Ant admitted, as Alesha Dixon also admitted she'd "never been this much of a mess" over an act. Of Jasmine's rendition of Cher's Believe, Cowell added: "You are so charming. I think this country is going to totally fall in love with you."
Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer: Boogie Storm
Simon Cowell is the only one not to back a singer hitting the Golden Buzzer for dancing stormtroopers Boogie Storm.
The story, as Ant and Dec pointed out, writes itself: 'stormtroopers get Golden Buzzer from Dark Lord himself'.
"It's no surprise that the real life Darth Vader voted for his troops, it was brilliant," judge David Walliams concurred.
Cowell was delighted with his choice, even singing like a child to Alesha Dixon: "I got the stormtroopers!" (he's not let her off for nabbing 100 Voices of Gospel).
"I literally said if we could find stormtroopers who could dance this show would go into a different league," Cowell said. "My dream has come true."
And when Walliams said he was actually worried Cowell had "lost his mind" the boss laughed: "I don't care, the Dark Side has taken over."
