BRITAIN’S Got Talent has crowned its 2024 winner after a nail-biting grand finale.
Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli were back in business one last time with Ant and Dec on hand to lead the festivities.
After one last public vote, Sydnie Christmaswas declared the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2024, with the stage being covered in confetti as their name was read out.
They take home a £250,000 prize and a slot at the esteemed Royal Variety Performance later this year.
While the judges had their say on how the performances went, the choice for who would be crowned champion ultimately was left in the hands of the voting public.
When Declan Donnelly asked how she felt after the win, Sydnie Christmasheld her head in her hands as she as she struggled to speak.
“Oh, I don’t know what to say!” she finally uttered. “I cannot believe the amount of love that I felt since it aired… Oh my God, I am overwhelmed with love and it’s the most amazing thing.”
“It’s amazing, thank you so much!”
Comedian Jack Rhodes came second, and dancers Abigail and Afronitaaa came in third place.
Sydnie secured the win after an all-out battle from the top 10 of this year’s participants. – comprised of two magicians, one comedian, two performance troupes, a dance duo, a singer/impersonator and a choir.
Moments before Sydnie was announced as the winner, Simon hit back at ‘fix’ claims that have plagued the show, saying: “Winning is important, but, you know, getting into this final and importantly, doing something great, will actually make a difference.
“You know what was interesting? I worked out, I don’t think a single act tonight were professionals. They all had a regular job, yeah, and they did something extraordinary.”
This is despite the fact Sydnie has professional stage experience working on a cruise ship and in a German stage production of Starlight Express, and Innocent Masuku is currently starring in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville on the London Coliseum stage.
The Final Countdown
The full list of BGT finalists were: opera singer Innocent Masuku; performance troupe Ssaulabi; magician Jack Rhodes; Double Dutch group Haribow; singer/impersonator Mike Woodhams; Dancing duo, Abigail and Afronitaaa; The Northants Sings Out choir; comedian Alex Mitchell, magician Trixy.
The Trickstars, a dog performing team, were the show’s wildcard – which caused uproar among fans who didn’t believe they deserved to be brought back.
There was also confusion as the live studio audience appeared to boo Bruno Tonioli whenever he spoke.
The series has proven to be one of the most competitive yet, with several of the stars having fought in other Got Talent’s in the past.
On tonight’s finale, viewers were treated to live performances from the cast of Mamma Mia! from London’s West End before the winner was announced.
Amanda Holden risked the wrath of fans with a corseted outfit with an eye-popping plunging neckline.
Three of the final performances – Ssaulabi, Haribow and Sydnie – were given the sought-after golden buzzer from the judges during their audition phase.
Britain's Got Talent's biggest 'fix' rows
Britain's Got Talent has been plagued with 'fix' rows over the years. How many of these do you remember?
Jasmine Elcock – 2016: Teenage singer Jasmine Elcock stunned the nation with her version of Cher’s Believe. But it then transpired she had already performed professionally in London’s West End. Jasmine, 14, admitted: “I’ve performed in Annie in the West End at about the age of nine or 10, but I really get nervous.”
IrShad Shaikh – 2017: BGT fans were left questioning the rule book when IrShad Shaikh auditioned. He got four red buzzers from the judges, which would usually mean an instant dismissal. Yet in a strange turn of events, they let him continue with his act…and put him through to the next round.
Colin Thackery – 2019: Elderly war veteran Colin won BGT in 2019, but there was an outcry over the final. He warbled his place to win with a version of We’ll Meet Again but fans were furious that escapologist Jonathan Goodwin didn’t even rank in the top three. Viewers felt Jonathan – who almost suffocated while being buried alive in a gravel pit – should have won.
Axel Blake – 2022: Comedian Axel Blake was given a Golden Buzzer in 2022 after making the judges laugh. But fans were fuming when they discovered Axel already had a show on worldwide streaming platform Amazon Prime. Despite this, Axel still went on to win the series.
Loren Allred – 2022: The 2022 series of BGT was hit with another controversy when singer Loren Allred also received a Golden Buzzer. She performed Never Enough from the smash hit musical movie The Greatest Showman and got a standing ovation. It later transpired Loren was actually the original voice behind the track.
Taryn Charles – 2024: Singer Taryn Charles is one of this year’s hopefuls lucky enough to receive the Golden Buzzer. Bruno Tonilio put her straight through to the semi-finals following her performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin, but it has now come to light that she is no stranger to TV. Viewers recognised Taryn from an episode of ITV1’s Starstruck, where she impersonated Whitney Houston for judges Olly Murs, Sheridan Smith, Adam Lambert and Beverley Knight.
Sydnie had been named the favourite to win by bookies ahead of tonight’s final.
The London-based star wowed with her first audition as she sang a heartfelt rendition of the track ‘Tomorrow’ from Annie, prompting Amanda to be press the golden buzzer.
She re-performed her audition song in front of the live audience at the Hammersmith Apollo in a bid to get the final votes.
In a show first, Haribow had earned the first ever audience golden buzzer after Amanda’s daughter Hollie and Simon’s son Eric pressed the buzzer on their behalf.
However, they became the outliers of the show, with bookies only giving them a 33/1 chance to win.
Ssaulabi, a group of highly skilled taekwondo performers, were chosen by Ant and Dec for their golden buzzer.
However, they suffered a major accident in their finale performance, with two of their dancers colliding mid-air in a stunt gone wrong.
One of the dancers later had to crawl off the stage so as not to disrupt the rest of the routine, with the cameras quickly cutting away.
During the finale, stars pulled out all the stops to try and impress the voting audience at home.
Magician Trixy surprised Simon Cowell and the audience with Peter Andre making a shock appearance during one of his tricks.
Another magician, Jack Rhodes, took one of Amanda’s diamond rings to impress the judges with his trick.
Britain’s Got Talent is available in full on ITVX now.
Britain's Got Talent 2024 - Finale Placements
Here's how the BGT finalists placed as Simon Cowell declared the show was 'the best finale they've ever had'
1st – Sydnie Christmas – singer
2nd – Jack Rhodes – magician
3rd – Abigail and Afronitaaa – dancing duo
4th – Innocent Masuku – opera singer
5th – The Trickstars – dancing dog group
6th – Trixy – magician
7th – Mike Woodhams – impersonator/singer
8th – Alex Mitchell – comedian
9th – Northants Sings Out – choir
10th – Ssaulabi Performance Troupe – taekwando performers
11th – Haribow – skipping troupe
