Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Jessica Sansome

Ant and Dec say there are 'no rules' on new ITV Britain's Got Talent as they leave Simon Cowell 'annoyed'

Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly have revealed how they have left Simon Cowell 'annoyed' during filming for the audition stages of Britain's Got Talent. The hit ITV talent show is set to return on Saturday (April 15) with the Geordie duo back at the helm alongside judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and newbie Bruno Tonioli.

Back in February, the show's stars were seen out in force as the auditions for the 2023 series hit Salford. Show hopefuls were flocking to The Lowry theatre in a bid to impress the four famous judges and make it through to the next round to be in with a chance of winning £250,000 and a spot at the 2023 Royal Variety Performance.

And viewers are days away from getting a double dose as it returns on both Saturday and Sunday before the live shows take place later in the year. Ant and Dec have now revealed that they "mischievously" gave new judge Bruno, who has replaced David Walliams on the panel, a number of different rules to confuse him on his first day.

READ MORE: Gemma Atkinson says she has 'crazy feelings of emotions' as she gives fans warning after last holiday as family-of-three

Dec, 47, said: "We, quite mischievously, kept telling him different rules. So when he hit his golden buzzer on the first session of the first day, mid-way through an act, we told him not to worry because he had another golden buzzer tomorrow, and that he had one every day.

"That might have something to do with the fact we have more golden buzzers this year. We also played a prank on the rest of the judges by going into their room and doing a BGT quiz, but secretly gave Bruno all the answers in advance. That was quite fun to see the look on everyone else’s face."

But Ant, also 47, revealed it didn't impress their boss too much. He said: "Much to Simon’s annoyance that somebody else would win a quiz about his show. He quickly worked out it was a prank and didn’t like it! But we loved it."

The hit talent show returns this weekend (ITV)

Meanwhile, when asked if fans and viewers should expect the unexpected, Dec confirmed that this series, the rule book has been ripped up and thrown out. He said: "[Expect the Unexpected] that's how we're approaching it. We don't know quite what to expect at the moment. It could be a very interesting set of live shows when we get there.

"Who knows what's gonna happen! There doesn't seem to be any rules this year." Teasing more about the upcoming 16th series, Ant added: "There are some new, fun, different acts that you haven't seen before.

"So if you're playing that game at home when they walk out on stage and thinking are they gonna be good or are they gonna be bad - then it's a good year for that. You can't really tell if an act is going to be good or bad until they start."

Britain’s Got Talent will air on ITV1 and STV from Saturday April 15 at 8pm and Sunday April 16 at 7.45pm.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.