Britain’s Got Talent kicked off its 19th series on 21 February 2026 across the ITV network. Once again, the top talents of the nation walked out on stages across the country to try and win the favour of Simon Cowell and his fellow judges. At the end of it all, for the first time, a choir won the competition.
Up against a stand-up comedian, a dance group, a singer, a juggler, and more, it was The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir that won the first final since the 14th series. There wasn’t a wild card pick in the decisive episode. It was closely contested to the end, making for an entertaining conclusion that might have saved the show.
A Mighty, but Fading, Icon of British Television
It was certainly one breathtaking series of #BGT! 😮💨
— BGT (@BGT) June 28, 2026
Stream the whole of Series 19 from start to finish on @ITVX: https://t.co/cBZB2yXQCc
And @WeAreSTV Player: https://t.co/y0iuZ2dDSh pic.twitter.com/X6preJOCJc
A TV show making it to 19 series is quite an incredible feat, especially with how expensive it is to run. ITV needs to hire massive venues for auditions and then the live shows, hire very well-paid judges and hosts, and pay the winners a hefty chunk of cash. So, a fall in the viewership that powers these expenses would be an issue.
To kick off the new series, it was reported that it got just three million viewers. That’s around 1.5 million fewer than in 2025 and marked quite the tumble from its previous highs. Figures for the final haven’t been released, but it’d be fair to say that there was a significant increase in interest and discussion around the live shows.
The live finals will often garner more interest, so the hope will be that the uptick from the first show to the last was significant enough to make up for the fade in initial viewership. Over time, Britain’s Got Talent has become a TV icon, leading to it expanding beyond the showings on TV.
Top acts have gone on official tours after the TV finals, while the brand has also made its way into online entertainment. Now, when you play bingo games, you’ll spot the exclusive Britain’s Got Talent game. Its popularity on the platform is a firm sign of the levels of interest in it now and going forward.
A Big Night for the Choir
An extra level of interest was brought for the eventual winners of 2026’s Britain’s Got Talent. Not only was it a choir made up of farmers, but it was also put together by popular TV host Jeremy Clarkson. The presenter set up the choir to help support a charity, but it’s unlikely that he thought the group would go on to win the show.
Now, The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir will get to be on stage at the Royal Variety Performance, and its members will get to split the hefty £250,000 cash prize. There, they’ll likely do a re-run of their quite daring move that won the final. On the show, they came out with an original song, which was questioned but ultimately praised by Cowell.
The presence of the choir, of Jeremy Clarkson in the audience, and the closely contested final will only help the show’s bid to at least make it to 20 series. However, another run after that would likely be dependent on viewership figures being healthier.
