Why Britain's Got Talent isn't on tonight and when it's back as ITV replaces show despite viewer backlash
The hit talent show has been taken off the air this weekend
Britain’s Got Talent fans may have been looking forward to another round of live auditions – but why isn’t the show on tonight?
The hit ITV series will not air on Saturday, March 14, as the channel has temporarily replaced it with live sports coverage.
Why isn’t Britain’s Got Talent on tonight?
The usual Saturday night slot for the talent show has been taken over by the Six Nations Championship, which will see France take on England in a major international clash.
ITV’s coverage begins at 7:20pm, with kick-off scheduled for 8:10pm. This means the talent show has been pushed out of the schedule for the week.
Presenter Mark Pougatch will lead the channel’s coverage of the match.
The rugby coverage has also forced other ITV Saturday night favourites off air, including The 1% Club and The Jonathan Ross Show.
‘For God’s sake, ITV!’
ITV hasn’t learnt its lesson from the last time sport took over BGT, though.
At the time, one commented: “There are two other channels you can put sport on, why axe BGT?” “Seriously!!” another fumed. “Another Saturday night watching football!” “For god’s sake, ITV has done it again, taking BGT off for football,” a third grumbled.
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“Not even not next week now because of the rugby. Saturday night TV is the best and they take it all off!” another complained at the end of last week’s show.
When does Britain’s Got Talent return?
Fortunately for fans, the break will only last one week. Britain’s Got Talent will return to screens on Saturday, March 21 at 7pm on ITV.
And, when it does come back, fans will be treated to Stacey Solomon joining the judging panel.
The ITV talent search show launched its 19th series earlier this year, with judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon returning to the panel. This season has also welcomed a new full-time judge – YouTuber KSI. His hiring comes after Bruno Tonioli opted to step down ahead of the current season.
Contestants are competing for the £250,000 prize and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.
The programme’s scheduling has also changed significantly for the current series. Traditionally, Britain’s Got Talent begins in April and runs through to the grand final in June.
However, starting last year, ITV decided to launch the new season earlier in February, spreading the episodes across a longer period rather than packing the semi-finals into a single week.
ITV’s Entertainment Commissioning Editor Lily Wilson explained the thinking behind the change.
“We want to hit that family audience,” she told The Sun. “Starting in February means we can build excitement over a longer period while making the live semi-finals a much bigger event.”
What happened last week on Britain’s Got Talent?
The most recent episode, which aired on March 7, featured several memorable, and controversial, auditions.
One act that sparked debate involved knife thrower Alfredo Silva and his wife Coral performing a dangerous routine involving blades.
The stunt left judges watching nervously as Coral stood strapped to a target board while knives were thrown towards her.
Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly warned viewers “don’t try this at home”. However, some fans complained online that the act was too dangerous for family television.
Another audition saw Canadian trampoline duo Connor and Oliver attempt an ambitious routine. However, the performance ended in a painful-looking fall when Connor lost control during the final stunt and crashed onto the stage.
The episode concluded with Ant and Dec confirming the show would return the following week. Viewers can expect more auditions, surprises and guest appearances when the series resumes on March 21.
