Inside BGT’s chaotic return including broken rules, record use of golden buzzers and singer who could be new Adele

AS TV’s Mr Nasty, Simon Cowell used to be a stickler for the rules when it came to how his shows were run.

But as Britain’s Got Talent returns this week, his panel of judges have been behaving so badly they have been likened to The Muppets.

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Hosts Ant and Dec, who only waved goodbye to their Saturday Night Takeaway three days ago, say filming for the new series now overruns because there is so much chaos caused by Bruno Tonioli, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon.

Ant, 48, said: “We liken this show to The Muppet Show, you know, where you’ve got a show going on but there’s chaos backstage.

“There’s chaos backstage, chaos out the front and chaos on stage . . . it’s just chaotic.”

Dec, 48, added: “They’ve been even more badly behaved than before.

“Everything takes a little bit longer to film now because the judges have been so mischievous this year.”

On day one of watching the talent show acts, Bruno, 68, bashed his golden buzzer so hard it broke.

And the others were hardly less enthusiastic with its use.

Within hours, all had used their golden buzzer to send an act straight through to the semi-final.

‘It’s kind of like being back at school’

Until Bruno’s arrival last year, the judges all stuck to just one buzz a series.

But this series will see a record nine golden buzzers used.

Ant added: “It’s not just the pressing of the golden buzzers numerous times, they’ve also played tricks on us.

“Normally it’s us pranking the judges, but the tables have been turned this year and we weren’t expecting that.

“Naughty judges.”

Surprisingly, head judge Simon, 64, is all for the mayhem.

He said: “I love that there aren’t any rules on the show any more.

“It is kind of like being back at school, because the teachers keep coming in saying, ‘You know, can we try and keep the golden buzzers down?’

“And they know we’ve got absolutely no intention whatsoever of doing that.

“I keep saying, ‘Look, if something happens or the audience in particular are telling us, then we kind of have to’.

“I think they secretly love when it happens, but they have to try and keep us in check.

“But I don’t think it matters. I mean, we don’t want to get to the point where you’ve got 20 golden buzzer acts, but I think eight or nine is fine.

“I don’t see that as a bad thing.

“I love it when things go wrong or the unexpected happens, otherwise it’s boring.”

I quite like following rules, which is very ironic as I’m very rebellious in my nature, but I do like to have rules, I like a bit of structure

Alesha Dixon

It’s advice Alesha, 45, might want to take on board.

She is the only member of the team to just hit the buzzer once.

The former Strictly Come Dancing judge said: “I quite like following rules, which is very ironic as I’m very rebellious in my nature, but I do like to have rules, I like a bit of structure.

“I only pressed my golden buzzer once because, for me, it gives more value to the act that I’ve pressed it for.”

Naughty Bruno hits back: “It’s a testament to the talent we have this year.

“They deserve it! It’s a feeling of recognising the effort.

“I firmly believe if they’re good enough then they deserve the golden buzzer no matter what.”

The chaos means the gang believe the show feels fresher than ever as it enters its 17th series.

I firmly believe if they’re good enough then they deserve the golden buzzer no matter what

Bruno Tonioli

But that is down to the quality of the acts, too.

Dec commented: “You never quite know what’s coming next, and that’s why we love doing it.

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“Even in our 17th series, we have had stuff that we’ve never seen before.

“We’ve certainly not had an extreme pogo stick act before, alongside several other acts that are still surprising us after all these years.

“It’s a bumper year of talent.

“We’ve had a huge variety of acts and the standard is so high.”

The opening episode, on screens this Saturday, demonstrates that breadth.

Simon and the gang are stunned when a thoroughly modern act called Rask AI uses computer technology to transform the four performers into the four judges for a reimagined performance of 2017 film The Greatest Showman.

The tech turns Simon into Hugh Jackman’s character, while Amanda is Keala Settle’s bearded lady, Alesha is Zendaya’s trapeze artist and Bruno becomes a strongman.

We’ve had a huge variety of acts and the standard is so high

Declan Donnelly

Meanwhile, the Ssaulabi Performance Troupe pull off a thrilling karate routine, while a trio of clever dogs make up The Trickstars.

Elsewhere, entertainer Dennis Frere-Smith raises a laugh as he puts his trumpet to one side to toot on a shower head instead.

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Amanda, 53, is particularly excited about an act coming later in the series — a singer she reckons could be the new Adele.

She said: “I said to Simon that she had Adele vibes because she was really down to earth, very funny.

“I thought she was going to do stand-up when she came on.

“She was a little diamond, a little bit rough around the edges but super-charming, very charismatic, very relatable.

“I thought to myself, ‘God, she’s a little star’.

“I was blown away by her and I really hope this is going to give her a kick-start to a career that she’s destined to have.”

The hopefuls are competing for a chance to win £250,000 and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance.

And Simon can’t wait to see how viewers react to them.

He said: “You can just never predict who the public will love.

“It’s going to be interesting.”

• Britain’s Got Talent returns on Saturday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7.40pm on ITV1 and ITVX.