The tenth series of the British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 9 April to 28 May 2016.[1][2] To celebrate ten series of the show, the final featured a special performance entitled "Best of Britain’s Got Talent", which featured several participants who had appeared on the show during the previous nine series, including Ashleigh and Pudsey, Attraction, Diversity, Jon Clegg, Stavros Flatley, Collabro and Spelbound. It was the last series to have its live episodes broadcast at The Fountain Studios before the site's closure that year.
| Britain's Got Talent | |
|---|---|
| Series 10 | |
| Presented by | Ant & Dec (ITV) Stephen Mulhern (ITV2) (ITV2) |
| Judges | David Walliams Alesha Dixon Amanda Holden Simon Cowell Kathleen Williams (guest) |
| Winner | Richard Jones |
| Runner-up | Wayne Woodward |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV ITV2 (BGMT) |
| Original release | 9 April – 28 May 2016 |
| Series chronology | |
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The tenth series was won by magician Richard Jones,[3] with jazz singer Wayne Woodward finishing in second place and dance troupe Boogie Storm third. During its broadcast, the series averaged around 9.5 million viewers. Although the main programme faced no major incidents, its companion show Britain's Got More Talent caused controversy for incorporating a segment that was later criticised by Simon Cowell.
Series overview
Following open auditions held between October and December 2015,[4][5] including an additional one on 10 January 2016,[6] the Judges' auditions took place between January and February 2016, within Liverpool, Birmingham, and London.[7] There were no major incidents amongst the judging panel that forced them to be absent, although Simon Cowell arrived late for the London auditions on 23 January - David Walliams's mother, Kathleen Williams, who was attending these, stood in for him for a number of auditions until he arrived.[8]
Of the participants that took part, only forty-five made it into the five live semi-finals - of these acts, singer Beau Dermott,[9][10] gospel choir 100 Voices of Gospel,[11][12] singer Jasmine Elcock,[13][14] singing duo Anne & Ian Marshall,[15][16] and dance troupe Boogie Storm,[17][18] each received a golden buzzer during their auditions - with nine appearing in each one, and twelve of these acts making it into the live final; the Judges' Wildcard was dancing duo Shannon & Peter, who lost the Judges' vote in the second semi-final, while the Public Wildcard was dog act Trip Hazard, who lost the Judges' vote in the final semi-final.
Unlike previous series, where the top 3 in each semi final was announced in no particular order, the contestants were announced in order of how many public votes they received, starting from last place, and working up to 4th place, leaving the top 3.
The below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:
- Winner | Runner-up | Finalist | Semi-finalist
Judges' Wildcard Finalist | 
Public Wildcard Finalist | 
Golden Buzzer Audition
| Participant | Age(s) 1 | Genre | Act | Semi-final | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 Voices of Gospel  | 21-52 | Singing | Gospel Choir | 1 | Finalist |
| Alex Magala 3 | 26 | Danger | Sword Swallower | 2 | Finalist |
| Ana & Fia Almanda | 18 & 42 | Singing | Singing Duo | 5 | Eliminated |
| Anne & Ian Marshall | 61 & 65 | Singing | Singing Duo | 2 | Eliminated |
| Another Kind of Blue | 23–40 | Dance | Projection Dance Group | 2 | Eliminated |
| Balance Unity | 17 | Dance | Breakdancer | 4 | Finalist |
| Beau Dermott | 12 | Singing | Musical Theatre Singer | 4 | Finalist |
| Ben Blaque | 37 | Danger | Crossbow Performer | 1 | Eliminated |
| Bespoke Candi | 20–28 | Dance / Danger | Fire Dance Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Bollywest Fusion | 18–32 | Dance | Dance Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Boogie Storm | 17–24 | Dance | Dance Group | 3 | Finalist |
| Chloe Fenton | 10 | Dance | Dancer | 5 | Eliminated |
| Christian Lee | 45 | Comedy / Magic | Comic Magician | 4 | Eliminated |
| Craig Ball | 24 | Singing / Comedy | Singing Impressionist | 5 | Finalist |
| Danny Beard | 23 | Singing | Drag Singer | 4 | Eliminated |
| Darren Altman | 42 | Comedy | Impressionist | 1 | Eliminated |
| Elite Squad Royalz | 8-13 | Dance | Dance Group | 5 | Eliminated |
| Flying Bebop | 29–32 | Dancer | Drone Interactive Dancer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Jack Higgins | 14 | Dance | Contemporary Dancer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Jasmine Elcock | 14 | Singing | Singer | 5 | Finalist |
| Josh Curnow | 26 | Singing / Music | Singer & Pianist | 3 | Eliminated |
| Kathleen Jenkins | 25 | Singing | Singer | 1 | Eliminated |
| Khronos Agoria | 16–19 | Dance | Contemporary Dance Group | 3 | Eliminated |
| Mel & Jamie | 45 & 16 | Singing | Singing Duo | 1 | Finalist |
| Morgan Connie Smith | 16 | Singing | Singer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Mythical PSM | 17–18 | Dance | Dance Trio | 2 | Eliminated |
| Presentation School Choir | 14–18 | Singing | Choir | 5 | Eliminated |
| Rachael Wooding | 37 | Singing | Singer | 2 | Eliminated |
| Richard Bayton | 29 | Singing | Singer | 1 | Eliminated |
| Richard Jones | 25 | Magic | Close Up Magician | 3 | Winner |
Shannon & Peter  | 46 & 50 | Dance | Ballet Dance Duo | 2 | Finalist |
| Spartans Resurrection | 13–23 | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Group | 1 | Eliminated |
| The Collaborative Orchestra & Singers | 33 | Singing / Music | Choir & Orchestra | 4 | Eliminated |
| The Deep Space Deviants | 46 | Singing | Singer | 5 | Eliminated |
| The Garnett Family | 17–46 | Singing | Singing Group | 2 | Eliminated |
| Togni Brothers | 19 & 20 | Acrobatics | Acrobatic Duo | 5 | Eliminated |
| Total TXS | 16–19 | Dance | Dance Group | 1 | Eliminated |
Trip Hazard  | 30 | Animals | Dog Act | 5 | Finalist |
| Tumar KR | 19–25 | Dance | Dance Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Vadik & The Bear | 35 | Variety | Entertainer | 3 | Eliminated |
| Vitaly Voronko | 25 | Singing / Music | Singer & Accordionist | 2 | Eliminated |
| Vox Fortura | 29–37 | Singing | Opera Group | 4 | Eliminated |
| Wayne Woodward | 20 | Singing | Jazz Singer | 2 | Runner-Up |
| Ystrad Fawr Dancers | 14–17 | Dance | Ballroom Dance Group | 1 | Eliminated |
| Zyrah Rose | 25–28 | Singing | Singing Group | 3 | Eliminated |
- ^1 Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this series.
- ^2 Locations denote where members from each respective group came from.
- ^3 For health & safety reason, the nature of Alex Magala's performance required these to be pre-recorded as a precaution in the live rounds.[19][20]
- ^4 Locations for members of each respective
- group, or the group as a whole, were not disclosed during their time on the programme.
Semi-finals summary
Buzzed out | 
Judges' vote | Won the public vote- Won the judges' vote | Lost the judges' vote | Eliminated
Semi-final 1 (22 May)
- Guest performance: Cast of Motown: The Musical ("I Want You Back"/"The Love You Save"/"Get Ready"/"Dancing in the Street")[21]
| Semi-Finalist [22] | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Votes | Finished [23][24] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Richard Bayton | 1 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| Spartans Resurrection | 2 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Kathleen Jenkins | 3 |  | | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||
| Total TXS | 4 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Ben Blaque | 5 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Ystrad Fawr Dancers | 6 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Mel & Jamie | 7 | | | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||
| Darren Altman | 8 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| 100 Voices of Gospel | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
Semi-final 2 (23 May)
- Guest performance: OneRepublic ("Wherever I Go")[21]
| Semi-Finalist [25] | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Votes | Finished [23][26] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Anne & Ian Marshall | 1 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| Wayne Woodward | 2 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
| Mythical PSM | 3 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| The Garnett Family | 4 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Vitaly Voronko | 5 |  | | | 9th - Eliminated | |
| Rachael Wooding | 6 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Another Kind of Blue | 7 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Alex Magala | 8 | | | | 3rd (Won Judges' vote) | |
| Shannon & Peter 5 | 9 | | 2nd (Lost Judges' vote) | |||
- ^5 Shannon & Peter were later sent through to the final as the judges' wildcard.
Semi-final 3 (24 May)
- Guest performance: Nick Jonas ("Jealous"/"Close")[21]
| Semi-Finalist [27] | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Votes | Finished [23][28] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Khronos Agoria | 1 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Zyrah Rose | 2 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| Josh Curnow | 3 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Vadik & The Bear | 4 | | 6th - Eliminated | |||
| Flying Bebop 6 | 5 | 9th - Eliminated | ||||
| Morgan Connie Smith | 6 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Boogie Storm | 7 | | | 2nd (Judges' vote tied - Won on Public vote) | ||
| Richard Jones | 8 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
| Jack Higgins | 9 | | | 3rd (Judges' vote tied - Lost on Public vote) | ||
- ^6 For technical reasons, Flying Bebop's performance had to be pre-recorded before the semi-final.[29]
Semi-final 4 (25 May)
- Guest performance: Jules, Matisse & Friends[30]
| Semi-Finalist [31] | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Votes | Finished [23][32] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Bollywest Fusion | 1 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| The Collaborative Orchestra & Singers | 2 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Bespoke Candi | 3 | 7 | | 7 | 9th - Eliminated | |
| Vox Fortura | 4 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
| Balance Unity | 5 | 8 | | | | 3rd (Won Judges' vote) |
| Danny Beard | 6 | | 7th - Eliminated | |||
| Christian Lee | 7 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Tumar KR | 8 | 2nd (Lost Judges' vote) | ||||
| Beau Dermott | 9 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
- ^7 Dixon pressed Walliams and Holden's buzzers during Bespoke Candi's performance.
- ^8 Cowell did not cast his vote, due to the majority support for Balance Unity from the other judges, but admitted his voting intention would have been for them.
Semi-final 5 (26 May)
- Guest performance: Fifth Harmony ("Work From Home")[21]
| Semi-Finalist [33] | Order | Buzzes and Judges' Votes | Finished [23][34] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowell | Holden | Dixon | Walliams | |||
| Elite Squad Royalz | 1 | 6th - Eliminated | ||||
| Ana & Fia Almanda | 2 | 8th - Eliminated | ||||
| The Deep Space Deviants | 3 | | | | | 9th - Eliminated |
| Jasmine Elcock | 4 | | | | 2nd (Won Judges' vote) | |
| Trip Hazard 8 | 5 | | 3rd (Lost Judges' vote) | |||
| Togni Brothers | 6 | 5th - Eliminated | ||||
| Craig Ball | 7 | 1st (Won Public vote) | ||||
| Chloe Fenton | 8 | 7th - Eliminated | ||||
| Presentation School Choir | 9 | 4th - Eliminated | ||||
- ^8 Trip Hazard were later sent through to the final as the public's wildcard.
Final (28 May)
- Guest performances: Katherine Jenkins ("Rule, Britannia!") Clean Bandit & Louisa Johnson ("Tears")[35] Jamie Raven, Attraction, Diversity, Ashleigh and Pudsey, Kieran Gaffney, George Sampson, Old Men Grooving, Jon Clegg, Stavros Flatley, Collabro and Spelbound
- Winner | Runner-up
| Finalist [36][37] | Order | Finished [23][38] |
|---|---|---|
| Balance Unity | 1 | 10th |
| Richard Jones | 2 | 1st |
| 100 Voices of Gospel | 3 | 8th |
| Alex Magala | 4 | 9th |
| Mel & Jamie | 5 | 12th |
| Shannon & Peter | 6 | 11th |
| Jasmine Elcock | 7 | 4th |
| Trip Hazard | 8 | 7th |
| Beau Dermott | 9 | 5th |
| Craig Ball | 10 | 6th |
| Boogie Storm | 11 | 3rd |
| Wayne Woodward | 12 | 2nd |
Ratings
| Episode | Air date | Total viewers (millions) [39] | ITV Weekly rank [39] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auditions 1 | 9 April | 11.67 | 1 |
| Auditions 2 | 16 April | 12.59 | 1 |
| Auditions 3 | 23 April | 12.46 | 1 |
| Auditions 4 | 30 April | 12.05 | 1 |
| Auditions 5 | 7 May | 11.55 | 1 |
| Auditions 6 | 14 May | 10.42 | 1 |
| Auditions 7 | 21 May | 10.46 | 1 |
| Semi-final 1 | 22 May | 10.01 | 2 |
| Semi-final 1 results | 7.16 9 | 8 | |
| Semi-final 2 | 23 May | 8.51 | 8 |
| Semi-final 2 results | 6.72 | 13 | |
| Semi-final 3 | 24 May | 8.23 | 9 |
| Semi-final 3 results | 6.56 | 15 | |
| Semi-final 4 | 25 May | 8.75 | 4 |
| Semi-final 4 results | 7.33 | 11 | |
| Semi-final 5 | 26 May | 8.56 | 5 |
| Semi-final 5 results | 7.43 | 10 | |
| Final | 28 May | 10.48 | 1 |
- ^9 Excludes ITV+1.
Controversy
Production staff working on Britain's Got More Talent created controversy after a live episode of the tenth series, when they conducted a segment to celebrate the tenth year of Britain's Got Talent with a special contest. The contest focused on the sister show's host, Stephen Mulhern, asking trivia questions about the main programme and awarding puppies to the judges for each correct answer given. After the segment was completed and the programme entered a commercial break, Simon Cowell became concerned over the well-being of the animals, and criticised staff members for a poorly conceived stunt. While Mulhern had to apologise to viewers for what was shown on television,[40][41] Cowell made it clear to the producers that such a stunt would not be repeated.[42]