Britain's Got Talent 2026: How much prize money will the winner receive and when do the live shows start?
Simon, Amanda and co are back this weekend!Britain’s Got Talent 2026 is fast approaching, with KSI joining as a permanent judge, replacing Bruno Tonioli.
But what do the winners actually win on BGT? And when do the live shows begin? Read on to find out…
What prize does the winner of Britain’s Got Talent get?
There are a couple of things that the winner of Britain’s Got Talent gets.
As has been the case since the beginning of the show, the winner will be given the incredible opportunity to perform in front of King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as other royals, at this year’s Royal Variety Performance.
The Royal Variety Performance will take place at some point later on this year.
Not only that, but the winners will also receive a life-changing cash prize.
How much is the Britain’s Got Talent cash prize?
This year, the winner of BGT 2026 will win a cash prize of £250,000!
It’s a lot more than the cash prize winners received during the early days of the show.
Back in 2007, when the show began, winners received £100,000 – which, whilst still a life-changing amount, is significantly less than what is on offer now.
In 2012, the cash prize was drastically increased to £500,000. Pudsey the dog and his human owner, Ashleigh Butler, won the half-a-million-pound prize that year.
When is Britain’s Got Talent 2026 on TV
This year’s series starts THIS WEEKEND!
It will air from 7pm on Saturday night (February 21) and will be 1 hour and 25 minutes long, running through to 8.25pm.
This weekend’s programme isn’t live, however, as it will be showing auditions that were filmed back in October and November 2025 in Blackpool.
Where to watch BGT?
Britain’s Got Talent will, as it always has been, be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX.
If you miss it on Saturday night, it’ll be repeated on Sunday (February 22) at 2.25pm on ITV2 and ITVX.
When do the Britain’s Got Talent live shows start?
The dates for the live shows haven’t been confirmed yet. However, if we’re going off last year’s schedule, they could begin airing in late April.
Last year, the series began on February 22. The live shows then started airing on April 26, running through to the final on May 31.
If this year’s show follows the same schedule, the live semi-finals could begin airing on Saturday, April 25, with the final taking place on Saturday, May 30.
However, this is speculation and has yet to be confirmed by ITV.
Read more: Simon Cowell confirms Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions return, but fans are not happy
