Britain’s Got Talent returns this week as Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, and Alesha Dixon welcome new additions to the judging panel.
Britain’s Got Talent returns in 2026 with new judges and a fresh group of performers ready to impress.
Ant and Dec are back as hosts, while hundreds of hopeful contestants take to the stage, all aiming to win over the judges and the public. The winner will take home the life-changing £250,000 prize and earn a spot at the prestigious Royal Variety Performance.
In Series 19, contestants will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, magician Harry Moulding. As always, the judges and hosts will have the power to press the Golden Buzzer, sending their favourite acts straight through to the live semi-finals.
Speaking about the new series, head judge Simon Cowell said he believes this year has the potential to be one of the best yet. He praised the production team for their hard work and said the goal is always to make each season better than the last.
Here’s everything you need to know about Season 19.
When does Britain’s Got Talent start?
Britain’s Got Talent launches on Saturday, February 21 at 7pm on ITV1, ITVX and STV. The opening episode runs for one hour and 25 minutes.
If you’re watching from outside Ireland, you’ll need a reliable VPN like ExpressVPN to access ITVX website, since the platform is geo restricted and only available within Ireland.
Who sits on the BGT judging panel?
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon are all back on the panel, with KSI taking up the position previously held by Bruno Tonioli, who departed following the previous series, reports the Mirror.
Discussing what kind of panellist KSI brings to the table, having appeared as a guest judge previously, Amanda said: “Aside from his no-nonsense approach he’s bringing a new approach to the show.
“He looks at everything through a social media lens and what will work and won’t work on TikTok. That is what we pride ourselves on at Britain’s Got Talent, always moving with the times and reinventing the show or bits of the show over the last 19 years, which is why I think it’s succeeded and worked for so long.
“Having KSI on the end is a stroke of genius. I just love him. He’s got great energy. He’s up for stuff. KSI and I socialise together; it’s just heaven on a stick behind the scenes.”
The new series will also feature Stacey Solomon stepping in temporarily to deputise for Simon Cowell. Discussing Stacey’s appearance on the programme, presenter Ant said: “Stacey knows exactly what it’s like to stand on this stage, audition and be judged for a show like this, because she did the very same on The X Factor.
“So it was nice for her to sit there in the judge’s chair and put herself in the shoes of every auditionee who walked on stage. She had a lot of empathy with them, which is good. It was nice to see her up there.”
Who is presenting BGT
As always, Ant and Dec are back to host BGT. Discussing what viewers can anticipate from series 19, Ant remarked: “Like we always say, expect the unexpected! We never know who’s going to walk around that corner when we’re on the side of the stage, and the viewers never know who’s going to walk on stage when you’re watching on telly.”
Dec continued: “There’s more madness and more fantastic talent from here and around the world.”
Who won BGT last year?
Last year, magician Harry Moulding mesmerised both judges and audiences with his extraordinary mind-reading performances before securing the public vote and earning his spot in BGT’s Hall of Fame as the most recent series champion.
The new series of Britain’s Got Talent starts Saturday, February 21 on ITV1, ITVX and STV.
