Britain's Got Talent is having a huge shake up.
The nation's favourite talent show is returning to ITV in a one-off "spectacular" special for Christmas. The Ultimate Magician will include magicians from previous instalments on the show to compete to win a £50,000 cash prize.
But the show will look different to normal as Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are being replaced. Instead, magic-lover Stephen Mulhern will step in to fill their shoes.
READ MORE: Declan Donnelly's warning to Stephen Mulhern over Britain's Got Talent job
The judging panel will also see a shake-up as head judge Simon Cowell will miss the special due to filming commitments in the US. Replacing him will be magician Penn Jillette joined by the usual faces - Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams.
When asked about the daunting task of stepping into Simon’s role, Penn joked: “About time! Should I undo the front of my shirt a little more? Maybe bring the trousers up a bit! I’ve met him before but not before this particular show. He handed the magic over to me, handed the reins over to me.”
Likewise, Stephen was delighted with his new role too. He said: "I'd done Britain's Got More Talent for 14 years, but doing the whole thing you would always associate with Ant and Dec, it was a weird experience, like a dream come true!"
He added: "Honestly, when you see the magic, it's such a great idea. A magic show over Christmas for the family to watch, it's great.
“Also what I think a lot of people sometimes forget is that when the audience at home had the chance to vote for who they want in the final – which I think was two years ago – they voted six magicians into the final.
"So the want for magic, it's always there. Magic always does well.”
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