Amanda Holden hints 'BGT' return will change TV

Amanda Holden has hinted that Britain’s Got Talent will return with a studio audience, saying the show is going to be “leading the way for the future”.

The auditions for this year’s series of the ITV talent show have already aired, but the finals were postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking on her Heart radio show, judge Holden teased that big plans were now afoot.

However, the star jokingly refused to say exactly what was on the cards for the show because she didn’t want other programmes to “nick the idea”.

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She said: “I spoke to the producers yesterday and we remain hopeful that there will be a big family audience for Britan’s Got Talent.

“And I’m just going to say, we will be leading the way for the future in TV in how people will watch our show live.”

Asked by her fellow host Jamie Theakston if she was talking about a live, studio audience, Holden went on: “Yes, we are going to be leading the way in how our audience sees Britain’s Got Talent this year.”

The star – who sits on the BGT judging panel alongside Alesha Dixon, Simon Cowell and David Walliams – wouldn’t give any further details.

“Watch and learn people!” she quipped.

“I’m not giving it away because I don’t want all the other shows to nick the idea!”

It was announced earlier this year that the 2020 BGT finals would be delayed.

The winner of the talent show – hosted by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly – is usually decided in a series of shows held at Wembley Arena in front of a live audience and voted for by the viewing public.

They could not go ahead as normal due to the pandemic, but as the actual auditions had been filmed across the country in January and February, they were able to air.

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ITV said in a statement at the time: "The Britain’s Got Talent audition shows are due to be broadcast in the next few weeks as planned.

"We have been working with the brilliant production teams at Thames and Syco to find a way of making the live finals work, which were due to be broadcast at the end of May.

“However, in light of the latest government health guidelines and in line with our priority of safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved in our programmes, production of the live shows cannot go ahead as planned.

“The live finals will therefore be broadcast later in the year."