If there was a happier, more family friendly TV show, then I missed it
After months of auditions, after 70,000 contestants were whittled down to 45 hand-picked semi-finalists, after a maelstrom of tears, tantrums and crushed dreams, after the Dalek man was exterminated and the laser harpist liquidated, we finally got down to the showbiz nitty gritty.
On Saturday night’s grand finale of Britain’s Got Talent, 11 contenders strained every sinew and tonsil, twanged every hamstring and guitar string in a desperate bid to make their mark. And in the end, it was the dog wot won it.
To the delight of millions of viewers, Ashleigh and Pudsey beat all contenders – including teenage operatic favourites Jonathan and Charlotte – to win £500,000 prize money and the chance to perform at the Royal Variety Show.
Winners: Ashleigh Buter and her dog Pudsey have won this year's Britain's Got Talent
Gracious runners-up: Teen opera duo Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli narrowly missed out on the title
It was a tremendous moment for the 17-year-old schoolgirl and her adorable pet pooch, who became the first ever animal act to win.
Ashleigh cried, Pudsey almost freaked when a glitter cannon was detonated and for once, Simon Cowell was a happy man. The mutt-lovin’ BGT and X Factor supremo has never made a secret of his yearning for a dog act to win one of his talent shows.
Indeed, in many ways, his entire existence has been a quest to find a new Lassie. And when Pudsey poop-scooped a whopping 39 per cent of the public vote, BGT voters finally made his dream come true.
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‘My life’s work is now complete’, said Cowell, when the results were announced. And he meant it.
Throughout the series, whenever the cameras focused on his reactions during Pudsey’s performances, his expression never changed. He always looked like a Victorian urchin, raised on gruel and slaps, who had just seen an iced cake and a warm fire for the first time. Wonder and joy rippled across his face – or at least those bits of his face still capable of hosting independent movement.
At one point he got so excited he even undid an extra button on his shirt.
Yet the pup-crazed ringmaster was not alone in enjoying this marvellous run of Britain’s Got Talent. If there was a happier, funnier or more family friendly series on television this year, then I must have missed it.
Apart from Pudsey the dog and operatic sensations Jonathan and Charlotte, BGT had a terrific line-up of talent. In every way, it was a proper, old-fashioned variety show, proving that there is still a spark of life left in innocent, wholesome Saturday night entertainment. The line-up was stuffed with an assortment of acts, ranging from synchronised swimmers Aquabatique to the captivating Nu Sxool dance troupe, to ballroom dancers Kai and Natalia. A pity the latter failed to bloom on the night, with a torn ligament and Natalia’s unfortunate flesh-coloured costume which made her look like a dancing thumb.
Elsewhere, tiny Molly Rainford was a poised mini-Beyoncé, acoustic vocal group Lovable Rogues seem destined for big things, boyband The Mend did their best and singers Sam Kelly and Ryan O’Shaughnessy seem to have golden futures assured.
Congratulations: Judges Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell and David Walliams join the winners on stage
Special mention in despatches to the choir Only Boys Aloud, who were never anything short of thrilling. It was impossible to listen to their youthful, impassioned renditions of Welsh hymns without shedding a shivery tear.
And the success of this series is all the more remarkable when one considers the ghastly depths to which BGT has sunk over recent years.
Since the heyday of the Susan Boyle/Diversity series in 2009, the format has floundered. The talent barrel appeared to be scraped dry.
Last year’s series was a particular nadir; left to die a slow death on prime-time while Cowell went off to launch the US version of The X Factor.
The long-serving Amanda Holden did her best, but her fellow judges – incomprehensible idiot David Hasselhoff and mild-manned Michael McIntyre – were nothing short of a disaster.
Winning concept: What I love most about Pudsey and Ashleigh is the innocence
Who eventually won? Who cares? The only thing last year’s Britain’s got Talent proved was that Britain didn’t.
Much can change in 12 months. With the twin threat of rival series The
Voice on BBC1 and the tattered BGT format in free fall, there has clearly been a herculean effort behind the scenes to rescue the brand. Promising acts were carefully shepherded through the initial rounds. The production values on the live shows were amazing. Fortunes were spent on making it a spectacular, in every sense of the word.
The result is that this has been the feelgood series of BGT, its exuberance fuelled along by an anarchic and hilarious new judge, David Walliams.
In a new twist to the usual practices, the comedian was always polite to the contestants, but mercilessly teased ‘my Simon’ Cowell at every opportunity.
With co-judges Holden and Alesha Dixon joining in the merriment, the fun was contagious. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, even the acts.
'My life's work is now complete', said Cowell, when the results were announced. And he meant it
Just a short time ago, BGT appeared to be the runt of the talent show litter. Now it is looking more like the top dog.
Of course, in the end it stands or falls by the quality of the acts, not the antics of the judges. So it is particularly wonderful that victory this year has gone to Ashleigh Butler from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, and her dog, Pudsey.
Dog wins talent show? It is so very marvellous, so very British, so very, very us. For there is nothing we love more than a dog that wins, especially one like Pudsey – part border collie, part bichon frise, part Chinese crested Powderpuff and total star.
This heady mongrel mix gives him intelligence, obedience, a merry nature and high spirits. To translate from the canine, he’s a glam blond with a whiff of exotica and the determined work ethic of a sheepdog; a bit like a cross between Holly Willoughby and Eddie Izzard.
Emotional at the final: The long-serving Amanda Holden did her best
It’s Pudsey’s smile that kills me, his general cheerful demeanour that is so entrancing. And although he looks almost human and likes to walk on two legs, we must not forget that treats such as cheddar cheese, ham sandwiches and steak are his sole motivation. He still sleeps in a box under the sink in the family’s utility room.
But for how much longer?
Pudsey and Ashleigh have signed up with showbiz agent Jonathan Shalit. He has already booked meetings with casting agents in Hollywood.
Uggie, canine star of the Oscar-winning film The Artist, better watch out. There is a new pup in town. One who has already single-pawedly rescued an entire television series.
Yet what I love most about Pudsey and Ashleigh is the innocence. In the end, it is all about a teenage girl, her pet dog and the deep bonds forged between them as they grow up together.
From puppy to pooch to prominence, from child to girl to glory, they have done it all together. Sheriff Ashleigh and her deputy dawg, the new Pup Idol.
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