I thought i'd write a review on this programme as I was lucky enough (some would not think that way though!) to actually go and see this being filmed for last years show and was sat in the audience during one of the days of manchester auditions. I was offered tckets again this year but unfortunately could not go due to work. However the concept is the same for the audience side of things every year so I will cover this as well as the actual show.
Tickets:
For those who would be interested in getting their hands on tickets for next year, (as I'm sure it will be back again!) then you need to sign up to www.applausestore.com - they are free and if you sign up to this website you can frequently log on to check out others shows so this is worth bearing in mind if you like this kind of thing - a lot of the time though they will send an email if there is a show they think you will be interested in from what your preferences are. I have been to quite a few shows through these so definitly worth doing!
However, back to this show!
We received our tickets for the Manchester show, which was being filmed at the Apollo. It is worth knowing that if you do sign up and start to get tickets for shows you should still arrive at the venue in plenty of time as you still have to queue to get in and they normally over distribute the tickets as there is always people who don't turn up - I personally have never had a problem getting in but also the earlier you are the nearer you are to the front of the queue to be closer to the stage etc. It is really a relatively small venue at the Apollo and it is set out in theatre style so you have a good which of the stage no matter where you are sat. We were lucky enough to be quite near the front on so we had a really good view of the acts performing. The judges table was set up in the middle section of the ground level of the theatre.
Filming for the auditions taes place in a variety of locations across the UK and normally include Manchester, London and Birmingham although they also went to Blackpool and Glasgow this year too. The competition is open to anyone of any age.
Judges and presenters:
The presenters for the show were Ant and Dec. I couldn't think of a better duo to do this show as they bring their own cheekyness to it! We didn't see them a lot as they were doing a lot of the filming of the interviews before the acts going on and then the post performance interviews, all in the back stage area. However, where we were sat, we could see around the side and they were always filming next to the stage so even though officially they didn't come out a lot, myself and my group could see them watching the acts perform and doing some of their little interviews. They were really nice too, as when they did come out on stage they were laughing and joking but it wasn't being filmed so it was done in a really down to earth way and at the end of the whole thing, the audience were shouting for them so they came back out to let people take photos of them.
Another presenter was Stephen Mulhern who did a little bit of filming with the audience for the extra show on ITV2 'Britain's got more talent'. He was very nice too and it was good to see as he had to film a little bit in the middle of the audience with us all cheering at the end - he fluffed his lines a couple of times and it was fun to watch and he was just laughing and everyone was giggling along!!
The show had three judges - Simon Cowell, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden. The idea was that the acts would come on stage and perform until the judges knocked them out by pressing buzzers. Each buzzer was connected to a huge white 'x' above the stage. There were the 3 'x's' and as each judge pressed thier buzzer it would turn the 'x' red. If the act got three 'x's' lit up in red then their time would be over - however, if not they had 5 full minutes to complete there act. Most of the audience helped to sway the judges to buzz or not etc as if the audience starting booing the act off the judges tended to all press their buzzers as they could see that the public obviuolsy didn't think they were much good!!!
It was quite strange to see Simon Cowell in the flesh as you always see him on the tv so much but he was actually quite nice in between acts etc and had a laugh with ant and dec and and the audience. Piers
morgan was pretty quite during the bits in between the filming but did make a conversation with amanda and there were a few jokes thrown around about him and the stories he'd written about amanda holden. Amanda herself was scarily thin - thats the main thing I remember as she was so slim compared to when you see her on the tv - they always say the tv makes you look bigger though! She was really nice but, at the same time you could tell she loved the audience as she even got on the stage at one point herself to sing an operatic piece as the judges had been listening to a contestant and were trying to work out the song so she actually got up to
sing it! She was very good but I think she was slightly wanting the 'limelight' as such!
The contestants:
Their were a good variety of people auditioning from singers to acrobatics and magicians and dog acts etc. Definitly something to suit everyone!! A couple of acts that stood out for me in the audtions we saw were the 'Bar Wizards' who actaully got to the live show - they were just so good and had such a good attitude. The audience loved them as did the judges. Another was 4 lads called 'crew 82'. It was a bit of a shame about these guys actually as in the live audition in Manchester they sounded amazing and the songs they chose to sing to were very well done - I was actually rooting for these to win and when they eventually came on the TV I was telling all my friends to watch but, then they just didn't sound as good - such a shame as I beleive it would have sounded so much better if you were actually there at the studio!
The show:
As people audition, the three judges decide if they have got through to the next round by way of them saying yes or no at the audition - if they get 2 yes votes then they go through.
Once the judges have seen all the audionees in all the ties they visit they then must narrow it down to just 40 acts to go through to the live shows. Once they have done this the show is aired live every night for 1 week. Each night 8 contestants perform and then once they have done this viewers can ring and vote for their favourites.
Once the lines close the act that has the highest number of votes goes through to the final and then from the other two acts that have the highest number of votes, the judges decide who to put through. It is always really tough as there are so many acts that are really talented and yet obviously it has to be narrowed down so much!
After the end of the week there is just then the 10 ats remaining and these then perform again on the final live show to find the winner. I always find there is plenty of acts that I really would want to win so am always torn and I do think this makes fro great viewing - I especially like the fact that the shows are live for this week as it certainly adds that element of fun to the show - every mistake made is seen and of course it really helps show the audience who is good and who is bad!!
The winner of the show then gets to perform on the royal variety show later on in the year and of course will give them that recognition to take their talent further
Overall opinion:
I love this show as I think it is better than just a singing show like 'X-Factor' even though I do really like that show in itself too. This gives everybody a chance no matter what their talent is and believe me there is a lot of varied acts on that you sometimes don't even see on the TV!
I personally think the judges are a good mix and that by choosing Ant and Dec they have made a good choice as after all they really know
how to present these kind of things and are good at it too!
I love how bad some people are who come to the auditions who honestly believe they are fabulous - I always think that their family and friends are really cruel to have not said something as it's a bit mean to let them go on national TV if they know they are no good!
This is a cracking show and I hope it does continue every year as I really do think it's great!
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