The new series of Britain's Got Talent has kicked off with a selection of some of the highlights - and lowlights - from auditions across the UK. Viewers got their first chance to see new judges Michael McIntyre and David Hasselhoff in action alongside returning panellist Amanda Holden, as the auditions travelled to London, Birmingham and Cardiff - and for the first time, Liverpool. And one of the first people to impress the judges was pint-sized comedian David Knight - who made it through to the next round despite almost being reduced to tears when McIntyre buzzed him. The schoolboy, who confessed to Ant and Dec that he was "really excited" to meet McIntyre, fell foul of him before even commencing his act after revealing one of his favourite comedians was Harry Hill. However he insisted he had been joking after being booed by the crowd and witnessing David's emotional response. "It was a joke," he said, "It wasn't one of my best." It was plain sailing for most of the others who progressed to the next round though, who included dog trainer Donelda Guy. The 67-year-old wowed the panel with a routine which included two dogs, Mega and Biba. David Hasselhoff called the act "elegant, fantastically rehearsed...by far the best dog act" while Amanda Holden added, "It was absolutely fantastic, the fact that you’ve got two dogs and they were completely flawless, made no mistakes. Well done!" Meanwhile at the London audititions telecommunications engineer Steven Hall took both judges and audience by surprise with his hilarious dance routine to a medley of songs. Holden said she had been left "speechless" by the 53-year-old's act which included moves to the likes of Billie Jean, YMCA, The Birdie Song and Riverdance - as he was unanimously voted through to the next round. Also making it through were dance troupes Gold Star Galaxy, MK and Freeman Dance Troupe - consisting of children aged seven-11 - while martial arts duo the Bruce Sisters also wowed the panel with their kung-fu kicks. And the panel were taken aback by IT engineer Michael Collings, who surprised them with his rendition of the Tracy Chapman hit Fast Car. The judges initially appeared unimpressed by his appearance, with Holden saying that the 19-year-old - dressed in track suit bottoms and an orange sweatshirt - "looked like he was going on a long haul flight" but they soon changed their mind when they heard him sing. Meanwhile Antonio 'Popeye' Francis amazed the judges with his routine which saw him popping his eyes out of their sockets in time to music. "That's the most entertaining weirdest thing I think I've seen since I've been in Britain," Hasselhoff said as he voted him through to the next round. "I don’t know if the Queen will like it, but she may. And eccentric husband and wife team Gay and Alan Cooper also claimed their place in the next stage after charming both panel and audience with their bell-ringing act. Hasselhoff described their rendition of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On as "breathtaking" while McIntyre added, "What came through so much was your character, your relationship and your fantastic rendition of the nation's favourite song." The auditions will continue on next Saturday night's show.
