Simon Cowell hints at Britain's Got Talent spin-off starring his son as he reveals BGT almost got cancelled

Britain’s Got Talent is getting ready for its new season which is dropping on ITV this Saturday (April 21), with a new spin-off already confirmed to be in the works. The popular talent show is back for its 17th season, with judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli returning to the gold buzzer.

The bar has already been set high, with this series breaking the record for the amount of acts sent through to the live finals, and Tonioli causing chaos after breaking his buzzer due to excitement.

The spin-off show, BGT Reacts, will feature some of the UK’s biggest content creators reacting to acts taking to the BGT stage. The content creators, who have yet to be announced, are set to be joined by famous acts from past seasons of BGT, as well as some surprise celebrity guests. Katie Rawcliffe, Head of Entertainment Commissioning at ITV said: “As well as being one of the favourite parts of the series for traditional linear viewers, we know that the auditions generate a huge social footprint online each series.”

Creator and judge Simon Cowell has also hinted to fans that a version of BGT judged by kids could also be in the works - with his son Eric reportedly sitting on the judging panel. However, the 64-year-old has also revealed that BGT nearly didn’t make it off the ground and that securing its debut in 2007 was challenging, describing the pilot as “rubbish”.

When can I watch BGT Reacts?

BGT Reacts will be available to watch on ITVX each week after the main episode has aired on ITV1. Made up of six 15-minute episodes, we will be able to watch hilarious reactions to BGT acts from content creators, past contestants and celebrity guests.

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Simon Cowell’s son Eric

Cowell has revealed that there is possibility for a new version of BGT where the talent is judged by kids, with his son Eric sitting on the judging panel. Reported by the Daily Mail, the proposed series would see kids judge the acts instead of adults.

He said: “To be honest with you Eric did judge one act this year, I don't know if they're going to show it or not and he was actually really, really good. He was like, 'Hmm, I'm not so sure I like the first song, but I like the second song, and I went 'God, that's my boy!'”

He continued: “When we get the shows to watch before they go out and if he's around I'm looking and if he walks straight past the TV, I'm thinking maybe it isn't very good and occasionally he will just creep back in and he will put his head round and I'll think, actually maybe this is better than I thought.

“With kids, you can't cheat it, they like what they like and don't like what they don't like. I'm not saying I make every decision based on him but when he likes something, like all kids, they think differently to us, they have no filter.”

Why was Britain’s Got Talent nearly cancelled

Speaking at the BGT launch, Cowell explained that the show’s pilot was “rubbish”. He said: “This show has a very interesting history, when we first started because we did the pilot here and it was rubbish. Then luckily, we sold it to America and it was a hit. Then thank God ITV bought it but three days before we were due to film, they cancelled it.”

He continued: “So, we went up to Birmingham, because I didn’t tell anyone and thinking, ‘we’ve got 24 hours if it doesn’t work in the first day we’re toast’ – and thank God the first day went well.”

Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.