Britain's Got Talent series 2

Template:Infobox reality music competition The 2008 series of Britain's Got Talent was the second series of the show. Notable differences from the 2007 series the included the fact that the auditions visited Scotland and that there were 40 in the live semi-finals. The series also ran for longer, this time airing seven weeks instead of one.

Ant and Dec returned as hosts with Stephen Mulhern coming back to present Britain's Got More Talent. Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan returned as judges.

The first 7 shows were auditions that went to London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff and for the first time Blackpool and Glasgow . They were shown from the 12 April to the 24 May. The next 7 Shows were the live semi-finals, the live final and the live final results show. They were shown from the 26 May to the 31 May

The series was ultimately won by street dancer George Sampson, with dance group Signature coming in second and singer Andrew Johnston in third.

Semi-Final Acts

Final acts

On 24 May 2008, the judges announced the 40 acts that have made it through to the live semi-finals. A total of 10 acts made the grand final on 31 May 2008.

The winner was George Sampson, who was invited to perform an encore of his 'Singin' in the Rain' routine.

Key	Finalist	Winner	Semi-finalist (lost judges' vote)

Name / Name of Act	Age(s)	Genre	Act	From	Semi	Position Reached
Andrew Johnston	13	Singing	Boy soprano	Carlisle	2	3rd Place
Andrew Muir	24	Singing	Pop	Fauldhouse, West Lothian	4	Finalist
Anya Sparks	42	Dancing	Solo Dance	London	5	Semi-finalist
Bang On	34/27	Music	Percussionists	Hounslow	2	Semi-finalist
Boogie Babes	8-12	Dancing	19-strong troupe	Appleby	4	Semi-finalist
Boogie Wonderland	12-21	Dancing	16-strong troupe	Liverpool	1	Semi-finalist
Caburlesque		Dancing	Cabaret/Burlesque	London	5	Semi-finalist
Charlie Green	10	Singing	Swing music	Worcestershire	3	Semi-finalist
Charlie Wernham	13	Comedy	Stand-up comedy	Essex	4	Semi-finalist
Cheeky Monkeys	8/9	Dancing	Junior Couples Dance	Burnley	2	Finalist
Craig Harper	35	Singing / Comedy	Pop / Impersonator	Hull	5	Semi-finalist
Dean Wilson	18	Singing	Musical Theatre	Middlesbrough	1	Semi-finalist
Deans Of Magic	46/38	Magic	Erotic magic	Daventry	3	Semi-finalist
Diva Las Vegas		Dancing	7-strong cabaret act	Runcorn	5	Semi-finalist
Escala (originally Scala.)	23-26	Music	String quartet	London	5	Finalist
Faryl Smith	12	Singing	Classical	Kettering	4	Finalist
Flava	17-28	Dancing	Hiphop Dance	Cornwall	2	Semi-finalist
George Sampson	14	Dancing	Breakdancing	Warrington	3	Winner
Harlequin Stage School	8-13	Dancing	22-strong troupe	Worcester	4	Semi-finalist
Hoop La La	22/23/24	Dancing	Hula hoops	Inverness	3	Semi-finalist
Iona Luvsandorj (Mostly credited as just Iona)	27	Contortionist	Solo Contortionist	London	2	Semi-finalist
Irresistible	23/21/23	Singing / Dancing	Pop	Tyne & Wear	3	Semi-finalist
James Stone	52	Singing	Pop	Rhyl	4	Semi-finalist
Jeremy Lynch	20	Acrobatics	Football skills	Essex	4	Semi-finalist
Kate And Gin	16/6	Dancing	Musical canine freestyle	Whitchurch, Shropshire	1	Finalist
Kay And Harvey	56/71	Singing	Opera	Bristol	2	Semi-finalist
Madonna Decena	32	Singing	Pop	Manchester	5	Semi-finalist
Mandy Ellen Dancers	10-24	Dancing	39-strong troupe	Maidstone	2	Semi-finalist
Mary Halford March	6-9	Dancing	24-strong troupe	Liverpool	3	Semi-finalist
Michael Machell	57	Music	Electric Keyboard Player	Wallasey	1	Semi-finalist
Nemesis	18-22	Dancing	6-strong troupe	Milton Keynes	5	Finalist
Per Diem	24/23	Music	Guitar and voice	Liverpool	5	Semi-finalist
Phil Blackmore	34	Juggling	Balancing Act	Kingston-upon-Thames	1	Semi-finalist
Sauris Nandi	64	Magic	Deception & Illusion		2	Semi-finalist
Signature	29/34	Dancing	Michael Jackson / Bhangra	London	1	2nd Place
Sophie Mei	20	Dancing	Belly-dancing	Sheffield	1	Semi-finalist
Strike	22/19	Dancing	Martial arts demo	Sheffield	3	Finalist
Tracy Lee Collins	44	Singing	Drag act	Leicester	1	Semi-finalist
Urban Gypsies		Dancing	7-strong belly-dancing troupe	Blackpool	3	Semi-finalist
Vizage	34/30	Magic/Singing	Quick change artists	Hull	4	Semi-finalist

Semi-final summary

Key	X Buzzed out	✔ Judges' choice	Won the public vote	Won the judges' vote

Semi-Final 1
Order	Finished	Artist	Act	Buzzes and judges' choices
				Simon	Amanda	Piers
1	Unknown	Boogie Wonderland	16-strong dance group
2	2nd (won judges' vote)	Kate and Gin	Musical canine freestyle	✔	✔
3	Unknown	Michael Machell	Keyboardist	X
4	3rd (lost judges' vote)	Dean Wilson	Musical theatre singer			✔
5	Unknown	Sophie Mei	Belly-dancing
6	Unknown	Phil Blackmore	Balancing/alternative juggling	X	X	X
7	Unknown	Tracey Lee Collins	Singer	X
8	1st (won public vote)	Signature	Michael Jackson/Bhangra dance act
Semi-Final 2
Order	Finished	Artist	Act	Buzzes and judges' choices
				Simon	Amanda	Piers
1	Unknown	Mandy Ellen Dancers	39-strong dance group
2	Unknown	Iona	Contortionist
3	2nd (won judges' vote)	Cheeky Monkeys	Junior dance couples	✔	✔
4	Unknown	Kay and Harvey	Opera and electronic keyboard	X
5	Unknown	Bang On	Urban percussionists	X		X
6	3rd (lost judges' vote)	Flava	Hip-hop dance group			✔
7	Unknown	Sauris Nandi	Deceptional and illusionary magic	X
8	1st (won public vote)	Andrew Johnston	Boy soprano
Semi-Final 3
Order	Finished	Artist	Act	Buzzes and judges' choices
				Simon	Amanda	Piers
1	Unknown	Irresistible	Pop group
2	2nd (won judges' vote)	Strike	Martial arts demo		✔	✔
3	Unknown	Mary Halford March	24-strong dance group	X		X
4	Unknown	The Deans Of Magic	'Erotic' magic	X	X	X
5	3rd (lost judges' vote)	Charlie Green	Swing dancer	✔
6	Unknown	Urban Gypsies	7-strong belly-dancing group			X
7	Unknown	Hoop La La	Hula hoop entertainment
8	1st (won public vote)	George Sampson	Breakdancing
Semi-Final 4
Order	Finished	Artist	Act	Buzzes and judges' choices
				Simon	Amanda	Piers
1	Unknown	James Stone	Pop singer
2	Unknown	Charlie Wernham	Stand-up comedian
3	Unknown	Harlequin Stage School	22-strong dance group
4	2nd (won judges' vote)	Andrew Muir	Pop singer	✔	✔	✔
5	Unknown	The Boogie Babes	19-strong dance group
6	Unknown	Vizage	Quick-change act	X	X	X
7	3rd (lost judges' vote)	Jeremy Lynch	Football player	X		X
8	1st (won public vote)	Faryl Smith	Classical singer
Semi-Final 5
Order	Finished	Artist	Act	Buzzes and judges' choices
				Simon	Amanda	Piers
1	Unknown	Caburlesque	Cabaret/burlesque
2	Madonna Decena	Pop	22-strong dance group
3	Unknown	Anya Sparks	Dancer
4	3rd (lost judges' vote)	Craig Harper	Pop/impersonator		✔
5	Unknown	Diva Las Vegas	7-strong cabaret act			X
6	2nd (won judges' vote)	Nemesis	6-strong troupe	✔		✔
7	Unknown	Per Diem	Guitar and vocals	X	X
8	1st (won public vote)	Escala	String quartet

Final summary

Final
Order	Finished	Artist	Act
?	Winner	George Sampson	Breakdancing (Singin' In The Rain)
?	Runner-up	Signature	Billie Jean bhangra
?	3rd Place	Andrew Johnston	Performance of Pie Jesu
?	4th Place	Escala	Performance of Palladio
?	5th Place	Faryl Smith	Performance of Ave Maria
?	6th Place	Cheeky Monkeys	Dance to "We Go Together" from Grease
?	7th Place	Kate and Gin	Canine freestyle to James Bond Theme
?	8th Place	Nemesis	Dance to "Pump It" by Black Eyed Peas
?	9th Place	Strike	Martial arts routine to "I Like the Way (You Move)"
?	10th Place	Andrew Muir	Performance of "Imagine"

Live Show Chart

Legend

Winner

Runner-Up

Eliminated

Judge's Choice

Did Not Perform

Won Semi Final

Top 3 (Eliminated)

Show	Contestant	Result
		SF 1	SF 2	SF 3	SF 4	SF 5	Final
Final	George Sampson			Win			Winner
	Signature	Win					Runner-up
	Andrew Johnston		Win				Third
	Escala					Win	Fourth
	Faryl Smith				Win		Fifth
	Cheeky Monkeys		JC				Sixth
	Kate & Gin	JC					Seventh
	Nemesis					JC	Eighth
	Strike			JC			Ninth
	Andrew Muir				JC		Tenth
Semi Final 5	Anya Sparks					ELIM
	Caburlesque					ELIM
	Craig Harper					Top 3
	Diva Las Vegas					ELIM
	Madonna Decena					ELIM
	Per Diem					ELIM
Semi Final 4	Charlie Wernham				ELIM
	Harlequin Stage School				ELIM
	James Stone				ELIM
	Jeremy Lynch				Top 3
	The Boogie Babes				ELIM
	Vizage				ELIM
Semi Final 3	Charlie Green			Top 3
	Hoop La La			ELIM
	Irresistible			ELIM
	Mary Halford March			ELIM
	The Deans Of Magic			ELIM
	Urban Gypsies			ELIM
Semi Final 2	Bang On		ELIM
	Flava		Top 3
	Iona		ELIM
	Kay & Harvey		ELIM
	Mandy Ellen Dancers		ELIM
	Sauris Nandi		ELIM
Semi Final 1	Boogie Wonderland	ELIM
	Dean Wilson	Top 3
	Michael Machell	ELIM
	Phil Blackmore	ELIM
	Sophie Mei	ELIM
	Tracey Lee Collins	ELIM

Ratings

Show	Date	Overnight Rating	Share	Peak	Official Rating	Source
Auditions 1	12 April	8.8m	37.0%	9.8m	9.44m
Auditions 2	19 April	10.3m	43.3%	10.6m	10.96m
Auditions 3	26 April	9.4m	41.3%	9.8m	9.86m
Auditions 4	3 May	8.5m	39.1%	8.8m	9.12m
Auditions 5	10 May	7.5m	37.9%	8.5m	8.17m
Auditions 6	17 May	8.6m	37.5%	9.6m	9.11m
Auditions 7	24 May	7.7m	37.2%	8.2m	8.27m
Semi Final 1	26 May	10.9m	42.0%	12.2m	11.33m
Semi Final 2	27 May	8.8m	35.3%	9.6m	9.29m
Semi Final 3	28 May	9.3m	35.9%	10.1m	10.03m
Semi Final 4	29 May	9.7m	41.9%	10.5m	10.13m
Semi Final 5	30 May	11.4m	50.0%	12.5m	11.86m
Final Performances	31 May	11.0m	51.1%	14.0m	11.52m
Final Results		13.1m	55.1%	14.4m	13.88m
Series Average	2008	9.6m	41.8%	10.6m	10.21m	-

The second series of Britain's Got Talent was a huge ratings success, officially averaging 10.2m for the entire series.

The Final Results episode was the third most watched programme of 2008, officially averaging 13.88m. The moment when George Sampson was announced winner, in front of 14.4 million viewers, was the 4th most watched moment of 2008.

This series of Britain's Got Talent had the second highest series average out of any talent show this century. The most watched talent series is The X Factor (UK series 5) which officially averaged 10.51m viewers.

Controversy

Andrew Johnston

In a 18 April 2008 article by British newspaper the Daily Mail, the mother of young contestant Andrew Johnston admitted that their story had been "over-egged" and the truth in the reality is, they do not live in a stereotypical council estate - like he had claimed during a previous interview for the talent show. He pulled on even more heartstrings when he claimed he was bullied but in fact, the bullying he allegedly sustained was early on in his life, and it was not a recent and regular occurrence. The show's producers were accused of misleading the viewers and enhancing a "sob story".

Michael Machell

The first live show attracted considerable complaint due to the treatment of keyboardist Michael Machell, whose appearance was greeted with open mockery and hostility by the crowd and judging panel, with claims that the show's producers encouraged the audience to boo and deride the performer from the beginning of his appearance. Machell was visibly upset immediately afterwards, and also later that evening in his appearance in Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2. In his first audition, he was buzzed by Simon who then pressed the buzzers of Amanda and Piers, in the semi-final he buzzed again but did not press any other buzzer.

Andrew Muir

Having made it to the final, Muir sang Imagine by John Lennon, and was heavily criticised after his performance for a bad choice of song. In both the main show, and the later ITV2 show, Muir stated that the choice of song had been made by producers, and that he had been given no choice but to accept. On both shows, the hosts were seen by viewers to swiftly change the subject or speak to other contestants rather than allow this point to be made further.

Escala

"Scala" (now Escala) also attracted attention from the press - the four members of the band are professional musicians who played for McFly as part of a large orchestra on their UK tour in 2005. They are signed to an entertainment agency, and were invited to audition for Britain's Got Talent by Simon Cowell after they played the X Factor wrap party in late 2007. An ITV1 spokesman refused claims this was unfair, stating "Scala went through the same application and audition process as everyone else. Britain's Got Talent is open to any performer be it professional or amateur, with any talent." Two of the four members of Escala were part of a similar five-piece classical group called Wild, who were signed to EMI and released an album with the label in 2005. The quartet were then required to change their name from Scala to eScala. According to a report published in the Daily Mirror. "Scala were forced to change their name because it belongs to a female voice choir in Belgium. The girls changed to Escala after EMI threatened to sue, despite having used it for two years."

Faryl Smith

The Sunday Mirror and Digital Spy both reported that Simon Cowell arranged for free singing lessons to be delivered by X Factor vocal coach Yvie Burnett to 12-year old vocalist Faryl Smith. Burnett previously coached 2007 Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts and 2006 The X Factor winner Leona Lewis.

Voting

Britain's Got Talent bosses were accused of fixing the show by manipulating the viewers’ vote, by the fans. In all five semi-finals of series 2, the semi-finalist performing last won the public vote and made it through to the final. The same thing happened in the first series, with the last performer receiving the top acclaim, including in the final. Readers of the Daily Star say complaints have been flooding in, but bosses have denied all allegations. A spokeswoman for the hit TV show claimed that the pattern noticed by viewers was “nothing more than a coincidence”. She also added: "The judges have no say over the running order on the show." This pattern also continued in the first three semi-finals of series 3, but was broken by saxophanist Julian Smith, who won the public vote in semi-final 4 as act number six out of eight.

See also

• Britain's Got Talent
• Britain's Got Talent (series 1)
• Britain's Got Talent (series 3)

External links

• Britain's Got Talent at itv.com