OVER the years, Britain’s Got Talent has seen a lot of magicians grace the famous stage.
But not all of them get the approval of head judge Simon Cowell, unless you are Jack Rhodes that is.
Who is BGT finalist Jack Rhodes?
Hailing from Ulverston in Cumbria, 27-year-old Jack Rhodes is a magician who has made it through to the Britain’s Got Talent 2024 final.
Since his first audition, he has bowled over the judges with his magic tricks which also come with a dose of comedy.
His semi-final performance involved card tricks, dynamite and breaking out of a TV.
Jack has already won over an army of fans, which includes fellow magician Richard Jones who won BGT in 2016.
He revealed how Jack has a very big advantage compared to his fellow BGT hopefuls that could help him win.
Speaking to his followers on Instagram, Richard said: “I’ve realised he has a massive following on YouTube and social media because he does really funny edits.
“When people go on the show who already have hundreds and thousands of followers and fans, that’s great for someone in BGT.”
However, despite the support from his fans Jack revealed his family aren’t “too keen on magic”.
At his original audition, he joked that his dad wasn’t interested in his tricks which was the reason he had stayed at home.
He said: “They are genuinely not fans of magic but they are supportive, it’s just not their thing.
“They will be watching at home and voting – probably for the other acts!
“They are supportive and my wife definitely is, too, she will be there and probably more nervous than me.”
This isn’t the first time Jack has appeared on Britain’s Got Talent.
In 2022, he reached the semi-final with his invisible ghost act, The Phantom.
What does Jack Rhodes do for a living?
In a stark contrast to being a magician, Jack worked as a nuclear engineer until January 2024.
He previously shared his journey of quitting his job to become a full time magician on his blog.
He told his readers in July 2023: “It’s a big day today. I’ve officially started a ‘career break’ from my day job as a Nuclear Engineer.
“I’ve just spent the past 5 months working 12-hour shifts every single day to save enough to afford ‘giving it a shot financially’.”
Britain’s Got Talent is a good way of doing a bit more live stuff which is super exciting as I have got a tour I am doing at the end of October.
Jack Rhodes
Jack went on: “But what does ‘giving it a shot’‘ mean?
“Well, for me, at least, it means pursuing a career as a content creator.”
Jack started out his entertainment career by filming himself doing magic tricks from inside his garage and posting them on social media.
Speaking to OK! he said: “I’ve done a lot of magic videos online, and it’s been me just performing to a camera in my garage, like a social hermit crab.
“Britain’s Got Talent is a good way of doing a bit more live stuff which is super exciting as I have got a tour I am doing at the end of October,
“I’m hoping BGT is a good way of getting eyes on that and maybe selling some more tickets”
He added: “This whole thing is about trying to move from the content world and to get to live audiences and have that amazing reaction from them.”
When is the Britain’s Got Talent final and how can I watch?
The BGT semi-finals kicked off on Monday, May 27, 2024 and are running until Saturday June 1, 2024.
Jack, along with the other finalists, will then get to perform one last time on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
Fans can tune in to ITV and ITVX from 7.30pm, to see who will scoop the BGT crown.
The winner of the series will take home the £250K cash prize and get to perform at the Royal Variety Show.
Timeline of BGT winners
Britain's Got Talent has been thrilling fans since it burst onto the scene in 2007.
Here we take a look at all the BGT winners– from the first ever one to the most recent:
2007: Paul Potts– The first ever winner of BGT was opera singer Paul Potts. He saw off competition from Connie Talbot, The Bar Wizards, Bessie Cursors, Damon Scott and Kombat Breakers to win.
2008: George Sampson – In series two of Britain’s Got Talent a young George Sampson wowed judges and viewers with his impressive dance moves.
2009: Diversity– Dance troupe Diversity scooped the BGT crown and beat of competition from singer Susan Boyle, who was strongly tipped to win the show.
2010 – Spellbound: Gymnastic troupe Spellbound really impressed judge Simon Cowell with their stunning routines and incredible stunts in 2010. At the time, the music mogul said: “I can only say on live television that was one of the most astonishing things I have ever seen.”
2011 – Jai McDowall: Viewers were stunned when Jai McDowall won the show in 2011, as young singer Ronan Parke was the favourite to win the series.
2012 – Ashleigh and Pudsy: Ashleigh Butler and her adorable pooch Pudsey stole hearts when they performed in series six of the talent show.
2013 – Attraction: Hungarian shadow artist group Attraction won the seventh series of Britain’s Got Talent. The squad had taken part in the German version of BGT in 2012, however, they had only placed seventh.
2014 – Collabro: Classical music band Collabro faced tough competition in the 2014 final as all the finalist were singers, but they went on to scoop the crown.
2015 – Jules O’Dwyer & Matisse: Dog lovers everywhere could’t get enough of Jules O’Dwyer and pet pup Matisse. The impressive duo even performed on a tightrope to secure their win.
2016 – Richard Jones: Army man Richard Jones became the first magician in the show’s history to win Britain’s Got Talent.
2017 – Tokio Myers: Pianist Tokio Myers impressed the judges with his blend of classical and electronic music.
2018 – Lost Voice Guy: Stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy, who performs with a speech synthesiser, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was six months old. However, he defied the odds and is a BGT champ.
2019 – Colin Thackery: Veteran army officer Colin Thackery warmed the nations hearts with his singing voice. He was crowned winner of BGT after singing Michael Ball’s Love Changes Everything.
2020 – Jon Courtenay: Singer and pianist Jon Courtenay was Ant and Dec’s Golden Buzzer act. After he won the £250,000 prize he said: “”Just amazing, I can’t believe it.”
2022 – Axel Blake: Comedian Axel Blake scooped the crown after the show was off air for two years during Covid.
2023 – Viggo Venn: The reigning BGT champ is comedian Viggo Venn.
