Britain's Got Talent YouTube winners selected
The winners of the Britain's Got Talent YouTube auditions have had their chance to impress the judges in person after the results of the online vote were announced on Saturday night. A capella vocal group The TestostaTones took to the stage in Birmingham after Britain's Got More Talent host Stephen Mulhern revealed them to have been the most popular act with viewers. And their audition was screened live on YouTube, offering the first chance to see the new judging panel of Simon Cowell, David Walliams, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden in action. However their performance of the 50s classic Get A Job did not go altogether smoothly, with Simon asking them if they did "different takes on modern songs". They subsequently attempted Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild - only to be buzzed off by all four of the judges. Other acts to make it through to YouTube shortlist included 15-year-old street magician Alfie, 15-year-old singer and musician Gemma and ventriloquist Marc. Meanwhile there is speculation that Britain's Got Talent could be returning to screens earlier than usual, after Ant and Dec revealed on Twitter the show would be back in late March. This could mean that it is in direct competition with BBC1's The Voice - which is also set to screen in March - from the very start of the series. Simon Cowell has previously said that he sees the schedule clash as a "declaration of war", and added, "If they want a competition we'll make it a competition."
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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.