In the 14 long years that Britain's Got Talent has been scouring the country for the most talented among us, the staple ITV show has catapulted some very unlikely characters into stardom.
As the show continues to rake in the ratings, it’s of course vulnerable to public critique and scandal.
BGT has seen accusations of child exploitation, fraudulent acts, Ofcom complaints and even nepotism.
As BGT sets about finding the country's number one act worthy of setting before the Queen (although she probably won't be there), the Mirror has taken a trip down memory lane to look back at the show's most shocking controversies to date...
Hollie Steele
Hollie was just 10 when she sang her heart out to the nation.
She won over Simon Cowell on the 2009 where she sang Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again from Phantom of the Opera.
Hollie herself made it to the live week of finals but crumbled when she forgot the lyrics on stage while singing Edelweiss from The Sound of Music during the semi final episode.
She burst into tears and begged the judges to let her sing again as her mum comforted her on stage.
Although Simon Cowell later allowed her to perform again at the end of the show, it was a memorably uncomfortable moment for BGT viewers, who questioned whether children should be allowed to take part in such a high-pressure competition.
And despite being given a do-over, she ultimately lost the competition to Diversity – who triumphed that year – and saw Susan Boyle claim the silver prize.
Issy Simpson
The show was embroiled in a fix row after it emerged a schoolgirl magician's granddad worked on ITV show coaching contestants to victory.
Eight-year-old Issy Simpson, who told awed judges she was inspired and coached by her granddad Russ Stevens in 2017 but didn't mention his connection to the show to viewers.
In a further blow to the family friendly show, it emerged the youngster's spellbinding tricks relied on expensive props that could be bought and operated by anyone willing to part with their money.
Russ, an ex-performing magician, worked on the prime-time telly programme and even gave an interview talking about his work for ITV, but there was no mention of any connection when Issy appeared on the show
Jules And Matisse
The world fell in love with Jules O'Dwyer and Matisse when they were crowned Britain's Got Talent champions in 2015. But that spark soon fizzled out when the public learnt that imposter pup Chase sneakily stepped in for Matisse for the tight-rope stunt in the semi-finals.
Ofcom and ITV were inundated with almost 1,000 complaints, forcing them to launch an investigation.
No formal action was taken against the act even though Ofcom ruled that viewers had been misled, and those who’d voted for the pooch to win the show were offered the chance to claim a refund.
They still performed in the Royal Variety Performance, although some irate BGT fans said they didn’t deserve the title.
It's unclear whether Jules is still performing but she was seen in 2018 presenting an award to a therapy dog at an awards show held at Crufts.
Marc Métral And Wendy
Jules and Matisse weren’t the only dog act who caused a stir in 2015.
Ventriloquist Marc Métral was accused of mistreating his dog Wendt by making her wear a mask around her muzzle as part of their routine.
Jessica Hobson
In series four of BGT, emotional Jessica Hobson burst into tears when she was criticised by Simon Cowell and David Hasselhoff for singing Beyonce's Single Ladies.
When asked by Ant and Dec if she wanted to respond, she said: "I didn't choose what I wanted to sing. Apparently it was somebody..." Her mic was then cut off, causing fans to question if she had been set up by producers.
Diversity's BLM performance
Viewers' 'delicate' sensibilities were tested greatly back in 2020 with Diversity's powerful BLM-inspired routine.
The four minute-long dance saw a white police office kneeling on Ashley Banjo's neck - a reflection of the brutal murder of black man George Floyd by white cop Derek Chauvin .
It became 2020's most complained about TV show moment after racking up 31,000 complaints to Ofcom.
Ashley recently told The Mirror that he still receives abuse on social media for the BLM dance two years ago.
"It happens all the time,” he said. "I did this slot on GMB to talk about how life-changing it was winning a BAFTA for the routine and I went on Twitter afterwards, and it was just like a stream of comments. The negative ones always cut through.”
Simon kissing Amanda’s bottom
When 71-year-old Kelly Fox took to the stage in series nine to perform Kiss My Ass, Simon got a tad carried away and decided to plant his lips on Amanda's bottom.
Some tuning in at home thought the scenes were inappropriate for children. So much so, a member of the National Association of Headteachers described the episode as "scenes no mum or dad with an ounce of morality would want their child to see".
Ofcom vote row
Back in 2012, the Britain's Got Talent voting app caused chaos for viewers.
As thousands of fans across the country spent £1.49 to buy three votes to save their favourite acts, a technical glitch during the first live semi-final meant that more than half of votes did not go through.
The app was then halted for the rest of the series.
After investigating the matter, Ofcom ruled that ITV was at fault.
Sirine Jahangir
Viewers were not happy during BGT's last live semi-finals back in 2020 when a fan favourite Sirine Jahangir failed to make it through to the final.
The London-based singer, who is blind, wowed viewers and judges with her soaring vocals in the semi-finals.
However, the judges chose to send a magician through to the next round instead of the 14-year-old, prompting furious viewers to lash out on Twitter .
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