Britain's Got Talent 2023: Most shocking moments of the series so far

Britain's Got Talent has come to the end of its 16th series and as well as showcasing talent, the ITV show has been full of surprises.

The grand final on Sunday 4 June at 7.30pm will see 11 acts compete to win a cash prize of £250,000 and a chance to perform at King Charles III's very first Royal Variety Performance as reigning monarch.

Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are there to try and keep some kind of control on the chaos, but there have already been a few hiccoughs along the way.

Here are some of BGT 2023's most shocking moments.

Read more: Britain's Got Talent 2023 final: Who are the 11 finalists and how to vote?

No David Walliams

Little Britain star David Walliams has been removed from the judging panel after it emerged the former judge had made derogatory remarks about contestants.

Head judge Simon Cowell said: "I didn’t really get involved in the decision. From what I understand, he decided to take a step back."

Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Bruno Tonioli has joined Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon on the judging panel and has certainly made an impact already.

Bruno doesn't know the rules

New judge Tonioli was first to hit the Golden Buzzer this series — in the middle of dance act Ghetto Kids — showering them with confetti while they were still performing.

Cowell told him afterwards: "We're supposed to wait and have a discussion about it."

Tonioli broke the rules again after the 36-year-old singer performed It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World by James Brown - hitting his Golden Buzzer for a second act.

Read more: Britain's Got Talent 2023 Golden Buzzer acts: Who the judges chose this year

This led to Cowell following suit and breaking the rules to press his buzzer again for Inclusive dance troupe Unity.

Terrifying fire stunt

Some viewers of the family entertainment show were horrified when professional stuntman Thomas Vu appeared during the audition rounds and set himself on fire while attempting to solve a Rubik's Cube.

There were 334 complaints made to broadcasting regulator Ofcom about the act, claiming it was unsuitable to air before the 9pm watershed and worried that children may try to copy the stunt, regardless of Ant and Dec's "Don't try this at home" warning.

AI tries to take over

Viewers were left confused by a CGI animation of a singing cat auditioning on the show.

The judges were seen chatting to Noodle the cat when it 'appeared' on stage with a microphone stand at the auditions at the London Palladium.

When Noodle burst into song, performing Nina Simone's Feeling Good with a strong male voice, the audience were all shown gasping with surprise before the judges put the cat through the next round.

Noodle was later revealed to be Tom Ball – who was third on the show last year.

Amanda Holden holds back

Amanda Holden has a track record for shocking viewers with her racy outfits while appearing on the Saturday night entertainment show. One dress prompted 633 complaints from viewers to Ofcom that she was revealing too much for a family audience.

The 52-year-old judge has joked: “It's like the problem is everyone talking about my t*ts while these two all the time... [Bruno Tonioli and Simon Cowell]. [Simon's] shirt's always undone and [Bruno's] stripping off. No Ofcom complaints about me this year, please."

Read more: Amanda Holden's most complained about BGT outfits

Bruno turns the air blue

And Holden has been lucky - as Tonioli, 67, has been helping to keep the spotlight away from her - with his unsuitable language.

The flamboyant Italian judge forgot himself during the live broadcast of the semi-finals when sword-swallower Andrew Stanton returned with his jaw-dropping act.

Gasping that he could not watch, he said "F**king hell Simon, not again! Not again..."

During the live broadcast hosts Ant and Dec were not aware the expletive had been picked up by mics and heard by viewers at home. But on the next semi-final they apologised for Tonioli's language.

The new judge then swore again when he was called up on stage to take part in magician Miki Dark's guillotine stunt.

Read more: Britain's Got Talent viewers annoyed over 'unfair' twist

He apologised himself, saying: "Guys, first let me apologise personally. I was so into what happened yesterday, and what do I do? I did it again and I am so sorry. I promise you I will never do it again."

Watch: Alesha Dixon says Bruno Tonioli gets so excited during BGT he hurts her arms