Britain's Got Talent has been running for 15 years and since it began, it has been a window of opportunity for singers, comedians, impressionists, daredevils and even animals. Hosted by Ant and Dec on ITV and with a panel of judges fronted by Simon Cowell, the prime time talent show has been a hit from the start.
The first series back in 2007 was won by a car phone salesman from Wales with a remarkable operatic voice - Paul Potts - and since then hundreds of others have showcased their skills to the nation.
But what happened to the winners and other memorable contestants when the cameras stopped rolling? From careers in the West End to worldwide fame, we take a look what happened to the likes of Paul Potts, George Sampson, Susan Boyle and Diversity.
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Paul Potts
Britain’s Got Talent’s first winner, Paul Potts, has been very busy since he won the first series of the show back in 2007. The former Carphone Warehouse employee became a firm favourite with the judges following his now iconic audition. Since then, he’s released multiple albums, sang in front of royalty, bought a mansion, downsized his mansion and even appeared on the German version of The Masked Singer. Oh and did we mention a film was even made about his life? Gavin & Stacey star James Corden played the singer in the film, One Chance. Read more about the star's success here.
Susan Boyle
The one that everyone talks about. Susan Boyle is perhaps Britain’s Got Talent’s most famous contestant - and she didn't even win, losing out to dance troupe Diversity. In a perfect example of, ‘don’t judge a book by it's cover’, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after Susan’s performance of I Dreamed a Dream in her audition. In a bid to become as successful as Elaine Paige, Susan could have never imagined that she’d match her idol’s level of success. The singer has gone on to release multi-award winning albums, featured on various TV shows across the world and has become an international star. As of 2021, Susan Boyle has sold 21 million records. In one of Simon Cowell’s most lucrative finds ever, the singer has even had a musical written about her.
Nathan Wyburn
He’s the man who can literally create art out of anything. From Marmite-on-toast to coffee, tomato sauce and glitter, is there any item that Nathan Wyburn can’t use? Famous for his 'Marmite-on-toast' audition portrait of Simon Cowell, Nathan has gone on to create pieces of a huge array of celebrities. Nathan, who is fairly well-known on the Cardiff scene, also presents a show on Radio Cardiff alongside best friend Wayne Courtney and during the pandemic, put together a now-legendary image of an NHS nurse from photos of other staff members. Check out some of Nathan's artwork on his Instagram page.
Diversity
The dance troupe’s first performance left the audience and judges stunned. In a controversial but nonetheless deserved victory, Diversity won Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 and beat favourite Susan Boyle to the title. Following the win, there was backlash from the media, who had assumed 'SuBo' would be victorious. As the years have gone by, Diversity are still touring and the Banjo brothers who front the group - Ashley and Jordan - have gone on to have successful presenting careers. Ashley has appeared as a judge on mny other talent series, including Dancing On Ice and even stepped in for Simon Cowell as a BGT judge in the 2020 live shows. Jordan, meanwhile, recently became the new host of Eat Well For Less?
Only Boys Aloud
The Welsh boys' choir finished third in the 2012 series of Britain’s Got Talent and much like their adult predecessors - Only Men Aloud - have achieved great success. Founded by Tim Rhys-Evans, the group won over the nation during the competition. After their appearance, they signed a record deal with Relentless Records and have since released multiple albums. The choir is still going strong and is currently made up of over 200 boys attending 15 choirs across Wales each week. There are no auditions and it’s free to join. Visit their website for details.
Bars and Melody
Their emotional performance, which told the story of a heartbreaking bullying ordeal, wowed the judges and Bars and Melody have since continued to wow fans all over the world. That’s not to say that their success came without problems. From a highly publicised legal battle to gun threats, it has not been the easiest ride for Leondre and Charlie. The pair, who have also had TV presenting experiences on CBBC, have come a long way since they first performed on the BGT stage. Read more about the pair's rise to fame here.
Kathleen Jenkins
Kathleen Jenkins was a 25-year-old singer from Newport who appeared in series 10 of Britain's Got Talent in 2016. During her audition, the cleaner at a builder's merchant sang Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones and got a standing ovation from both the audience and the judges.
In the semi finals she sang One Day I'll Fly Away by Randy Crawford, once again receiving a standing ovation but she missed out to mother-and-son singing duo Mel and Jamie. Since then, Kathleen has been performing all over the country and last informed Twitter that she’d released a single during the pandemic.
Shaheen Jafargholi
Swansea schoolboy Shaheen impressed judges in the 2009 edition of BGT and has continued to prove to audiences worldwide that he is not a ‘one-trick pony’. Around the world, he is perhaps best known for singing at a tribute concert following Michael Jackson’s death in the same year. Closer to home, Shaheen has had starring roles in both EastEnders and Casualty. Both characters that he has played have been involved in huge storylines. Find out more about what Shaheen has been doing since here.
George Sampson
Who can forget George Sampson’s fantastic dance routines in the early series’ of BGT? The dancer turned actor famously lost out to the Britain’s Got Talent crown in the first series of the show but didn’t give up and returned to win the next year. After his victory, he began a prosperous acting career and has had starring roles in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale. In 2019, George returned to the BGT stage for Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions. Want to know more about George's busy career? Read here.
Lee Ridley - The Lost Voice Guy
It’s safe to say that, from the moment he first auditioned, Lee Ridley (AKA The Lost Voice Guy) captured the hearts of the nation with his hilarious performance. Lee, who was diagnosed with a neurological form of cerebral palsy at six months old, won the 12th series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2018. For Lee, it wasn’t the last time he would set foot on a ‘Got Talent’ stage and he competed in America’s Got Talent: The Champions the next year. Unfortunately, Lee was eliminated in the preliminary stages but that hasn’t stopped him from achieving continued success.
Richard Jones
His military-themed magic act was lauded over by judges and viewers alike. Following his Britain’s Got Talent win, the magician and soldier toured the UK for the first time with his Power of Imagination tour in August 2017. He has continued to conduct magical tours as the years have gone and maintained an active presence on social media.
Ashleigh and Pudsey
2017 was a sad year for Ashleigh and Pudsey fans as the popular dog sadly passed away. That didn’t mean that BGT’s sixth winner didn’t have an eventful last couple of years. 2013 brought, Pudsey the Dog: The Movie, produced by Simon Cowell. Despite the film being panned by the critics, viewers were given an insight into what the dog would sound like if he had a voice… and he’d sound an awful lot like BGT judge, David Walliams. Pudsey’s passing hasn’t stopped Ashleigh from continuing her career. Her new dog, Sully, also performs in competitions with her and has achieved some level of fame.
Connie Talbot
Cast your mind back to Britain's Got Talent's first series in 2007 - six-year-old Connie Talbot was told by her idol, Simon Cowell, that she was "pure magic" after a ground-breaking audition. The young singer with missing front teeth, who told the judges that she had been singing since she was two, impressed them with her beautiful performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Simon told her that he would make her earn, "£1 million plus" in a year. Despite losing out to Paul Potts in the final, that didn't stop Connie from pursuing a fantastic singing career.
Connie, now 21, signed a record deal with the Rainbow Recording Company for a six-figure deal and released her first album the same year. What came was multiple albums, special concerts and even a performance at Whitney Houston's memorial concert. In 2020, Connie competed on America's Got Talent: The Champions and she certainly looks different to when we first met her.
Collabro
A group of opera singers from Leeds, Collabro won the eighth series of Britain's Got Talent in 2014, after being together for just one month. In both their audition and final performance, the group sang 'Stars' from 'Les Miserables', and ultimately beat Bars and Melody, and Lucy Kay.
Richard Hadfield left the group two years after their victory, citing tension as his reason for leaving. The current members are Jamie Lambert, Michael Auger, Matt Pagan, and Thomas J Redgrave, who are embarking on a festive tour later this year.
Last year, Collabro re-recorded classic Christmas hit, 'Mistletoe and Wine' with Sir Cliff Richard, and also put out their own studio Christmas album, 'Christmas Is Here' in 2020. Alongside their Christmas tour, the opera group also have shows planned with Katherine Jenkins, Aled Jones and John Owen-Jones this year.
Colin Thackery
War veteran Colin Thackery broke a new world record in the history of music after winning Britain's Got Talent in 2019 and signed his first record deal at the age of 89, making him the oldest solo artist in the world to do so. Colin, who is now 92, moved audiences during his time on Britain's Got Talent, as he dedicated all three of his performances to his late wife, Joan, who sadly passed away three years before Colin entered the competition.
Colin's album, Love Changes Everything, was released in 2019, and includes renditions of Supermarket Flowers, You Raise Me Up, Moon River, and Dream a Little Dream of Me. The Chelsea pensioner is set to perform at a shopping centre in Bracknell, Berkshire alongside the D-Day Darlings in celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next month.
Gatis Kandis
You'll be forgiven for not remembering this one. Gatis Kandis was described by Simon Cowell as “the most unfunny funny comedian” that he’d ever seen. His multiple auditions have had a huge impact on social media with people routing for the Latvian-born comedian to return to the show. He even has his own YouTube channel with over 345,000 subscribers.
Who is your favourite-ever BGT contestant? Let us know in the comments
