Amanda Holden 'furious' over BGT screen time

Amanda Holden 'furious' over BGT screen time
Amanda Holden 'furious' over BGT screen time (Image credit: Doug Peters/PA Photos)

Amanda Holden has reportedly blasted Britain's Got Talent bosses for 'ignoring' her in favour of giving more air time to panel newcomer Alesha Dixon. According to The Sun the actress was left fuming after claims that she was barely seen in last Saturday's show while compared to the amount of time that Alesha was on screen. And the paper reports that producers have now been forced to include more of Amanda in the show amid fears she might quit. "Week after week she has had hardly any screen time while the cameras gaze longingly at Alesha," a source told the paper. "Amanda isn't usually one to fuss but she's been really upset about it. She had to miss some auditions as she was having her baby. so she didn’t expect to be in every scene. But even when she’s on the panel she’s hardly got a look-in. She’s made it known that it’s not on.” A source for the show said that Amanda would feature more prominently this weekend but denied there had been any issues with her screen time saying, "There's no agenda, it's just how things worked out." Meanwhile Alesha has admitted that in spite of the rivalry between the two shows she is a fan of The Voice - and gets together with her family to watch it on Saturday nights. "I am a big fan of Jessie, I am a big fan of will.i.am and I love listening to singers so it has been enjoyable to watch," the 33-year-old admitted. "Obviously our show is my priority and I do turn over when BGT starts," she admitted, "but it's good to have healthy competition."

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.