Britain's Got Talent series 16


The sixteenth series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 15 April to 4 June 2023. Following the previous series, David Walliams resigned from the programme in the wake of criticism to comments he had made of contestants during the 2020 series, leading to him being replaced by Bruno Tonioli in January 2023. During auditions, Cowell allowed a change to the Golden Buzzer format, granting more being given than in previous series.
The sixteenth series was won by comedian Viggo Venn, with dancer Lillianna Clifton finishing in second place, and magician Cillian O’Connor placing third. During its broadcast, the series averaged 5.98 million viewers. Venn became just the 2nd international act, following Hungary’s Attraction over a decade ago, to win Britain’s Got Talent in sixteen series. Additionally, Venn was the third consecutive comedy act to take the first place prize, following Jon Courtenay and Axel Blake. Britain’s Got Talent series 16 would also be the first time that two acts outside of the United Kingdom would place in the top-3, Venn and O’Connor hailed from Norway and the Republic of Ireland, respectively.
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Series overview

Following the conclusion of the previous series, ITV announced that the show would return for a sixteenth series. However, David Walliams was facing an uncertain future with the programme after ten series, after it emerged he was facing criticism for comments he had made of contestants that had been poorly received by viewers; Walliams later resigned when it became clear the criticism couldn't be ignored. Because of his departure, ITV worked to find a replacement, and signed on former Strictly Come Dancing and current Dancing with the Stars judge Bruno Tonioli in January 2023 to join with Cowell and the other judges.
Cowell also announced that month of a change in format, revealing that he had given the audience the right to call for a Golden Buzzer for a contestant they felt deserved it, noting that there had been no set rules regarding the buzzer format since it was first introduced. Tonioli also gave an extra Golden Buzzer himself, but by accident after doing so halfway through a contestant's act; something which had never been done before within the Got Talent franchise itself.
Color key:
ParticipantAgeGenrePerformance TypeSemi-finalFinished
Abi Carter-Simpson30Singing / MusicSinger & Ukulelist1Eliminated
Amy Lou34SingingSinger1Finalist
Andrew Stanton42DangerSword Swallower2Eliminated
Boycanto6–12SingingVocal Group4Eliminated
Cammy Barnes32Singing / MusicSinger & Guitarist5Eliminated
Chickenshed 5–37SingingVocal Group4Eliminated
Cillian O'Connor13MagicClose Up Magician5Third place
Duo Odyssey27 & 33AcrobaticsAerial Duo4Finalist
Dylan B12SingingSinger3Eliminated
Enzo Weyne33MagicMagician1Eliminated
Felix Clements24DanceContemporary Dancer4Eliminated
Gamal John 36SingingSinger1Eliminated
Ghetto Kids 5–13DanceDance Group3Finalist
Harry Churchill11MusicGuitarist3Eliminated
Ichikawa Koikuchi42VarietyFlatulist1Eliminated
Johns' Boys14–73SingingChoir2Eliminated
Kimoon Do31MagicMagician4Eliminated
Lewis Fuller24Singing / MagicSinger & Magician2Eliminated
Lillianna Clifton13DanceContemporary Dancer5Runner-Up
Malakai Bayoh 13SingingOpera Singer4Finalist
Markus Birdman52ComedyStand Up Comedian3Eliminated
MB14 28MusicBeatboxer4Eliminated
Miki Dark57Danger / MagicStunt Magician3Eliminated
Musa Motha 27DanceContemporary Dancer1Finalist
Nathan & Joanne24 & 28DanceDance Duo2Eliminated
Noodle24SingingSinger4Eliminated
Notorious8–16DanceDance Group3Eliminated
Nurse Georgie Carroll47ComedyStand Up Comedian5Eliminated
Olivia Lynes 11SingingMusical Theatre Singer2Finalist
Parkour Collective20–25AcrobaticsParkour Trio1Eliminated
Romeo & Icy20 & 21DanceDance Duo5Eliminated
The Pixiebelles6–9SingingTheatre Group5Eliminated
Tia Connolly15SingingSinger2Eliminated
Tonikaku 41VarietyNovelty Act5Finalist
Toy Toy Toy26 & 34VarietyYo-Yo Duo3Eliminated
Travis George22SingingOpera Singer3Finalist
United 2 Dance9–11DanceBallroom Dance Group1Eliminated
Unity 16–25DanceContemporary Dance Group5Eliminated
Viggo Venn33ComedyComedian2Winner
Yo Highness10–26DanceDance Group2Eliminated

  • During the fourth semi-final, Noodle was revealed to be series 15 finalist Tom Ball. Ball's identity was kept a secret by production staff throughout the series - all details listed here pertain to his unveiling as the voice of Noodle in the semi-final.

Semi-finals summary

Prior to the beginning of the live shows, the semi-finalists were decided following a deliberation stage at the London Palladium.

Semi-final 1 (29 May)

Semi-final 2 (30 May)

Semi-final 3 (31 May)

Guest performance: James Arthur

Semi-final 4 (1 June)

Guest performance: Axel Blake

Semi-final 5 (2 June)

Guest performance: The cast of The Wizard of Oz
  • Due to the majority vote for Lillianna Clifton, Cowell's voting intention was not revealed.
  • Tonikaku was later sent through to the final as the judges' wildcard.

Final (4 June)

Guest performance: Susan Boyle & the cast of Les Misérables
FinalistOrderPerformance TypePercentageFinished
Ghetto Kids1Dance Group10.1%6th
Olivia Lynes2Musical Theatre Singer4.2%9th
Amy Lou3Singer5.8%7th
Tonikaku4Novelty Act2.9%11th
Travis George5Opera Singer4.4%8th
Duo Odyssey6Aerial Duo3.0%10th
Cillian O'Connor7Close Up Magician11.8%3rd
Lillianna Clifton8Contemporary Dancer13.1%2nd
Viggo Venn9Comedian22.5%1st
Musa Motha10Contemporary Dancer10.9%5th
Malakai Bayoh11Opera Singer11.3%4th

Ratings


EpisodeAir dateTotal viewers
ITV
Weekly rank
Auditions 17.101
Auditions 26.422
Auditions 37.321
Auditions 46.491
Auditions 56.635
Auditions 65.703
Auditions 75.961
Auditions 85.921
Semi-Final 15.582
Semi-Final 25.383
Semi-Final 35.005
Semi-Final 44.806
Semi-Final 55.044
Final6.331