'Britain's Got Talent's' Marc Spelmann, aka X, called show 'a mockery of entertainment'

You might think that magician Marc Spelmann would be a Britain’s Got Talent superfan given he’s just completed his second series as a contestant.

But old tweets by the performer have exposed that he had very different feelings about the ITV competition before it made him a star, calling it “a mockery of entertainment”.

Read more: X’s true identity is revealed

Sunday night’s final revealed that silent masked magician X was in fact Spelmann, who was familiar to viewers as hosts Ant and Dec’s Golden Buzzer choice from 2018.

He had come back for a second shot at success after crashing out at 2018’s semi-finals and was the runner-up to winner Colin Thackery this year, but some awkward social media posts have shown that Spelmann had previously slated the show.

One tweet from 2013 referencing a stage invader who threw eggs at judge Simon Cowell read: “#bgt #eggattack musician chucking eggs at Simon. Wonder if it was truly random or a publicity stunt to detract from poor final..??”

Another tweet stated: “This is the last I'll say I promise. #bgt is a mockery of entertainment. It's a joke. Simon is laughing at the deluded public. Do not vote!”

However, Spelmann has acknowledged the tweets and said his opinions on the show now are totally different.

He told The Mirror: “I've changed rather a lot in the last six years and the off-hand tweets I made about Britain's Got Talent many years ago in no way reflect my thoughts and feelings on the show now.”

Read more: Chelsea Pensioner Colin Thackery ‘to get record deal’

In 2018, Spelmann had Ant and Dec in tears as he performed an act inspired by his wife, who had had cancer while pregnant with their daughter after many rounds of IVF.

Both his wife Tessa and daughter Isabella survived and made a full recovery, with the magician explaining he felt their happy ending was real-life magic.

He only made it as far as the semi-finals despite being a Golden Buzzer pick, but the judges and audience had no idea that Spelmann had returned for a second year under a new persona.

As masked performer X, he refused to directly communicate with anyone and featured Ant and Dec in all of his performances, until his big reveal in the grand final where he removed his mask.

Spelmann told the audience: “It was always about hope. I’m never giving up. It’s been an honour sharing X with you. I’m X.”