Britain's Got Talent has been hit by more complaints following another round of auditions - from the moving to the hilarious and bonkers. The hit ITV talent show returned to screens on Saturday night (April 29) with viewers witnessing more action from London and Manchester where the auditions took place.
Amanda Holden, Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and new judge Bruno Tonioli were all back on the judging panel deciding who would make it through and one step closer to winning the massive £250,000 prize money and the money-can't-buy spot at this year's Royal Variety Performance.
But viewers of the programme, hosted by Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, were left feeling 'physically' sick and couldn't believe what they were seeing in episode four of the series as sword swallower Andrew Stanton added a horrifying twist to his act. Walking onto the stage at first, Andrew refused to speak to BGT's head judge Simon when asked his name and what act he’d be doing for them.
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He was then joined on stage by an assistant before swallowing a large sword, much to the audience and judging panel's amazement. At the sight of the sword, hosts immediately told viewers not to try this at home. Andrew followed this by swallowing three long knives, and then he summoned judge Amanda to come up on to the stage.
She was seen laying down still on a platform attached to a chain, which he suspended onto his eyes. "His eyeballs!" exclaimed Ant as he realised where the chain would be attached. And Dec urged: "Stop it man!" As he continued to lift Amanda, a horrified Dec asked: "What's the matter with you?"
Viewers flocked to social media to share their thoughts with one saying: "It's not suitable for me to watch, never mind a young person," and another sharing: "This is actually making me feel physically sick."
And it has now been revealed that some fans of BGT complained to Ofcom. The broadcasting watchdog's latest audience report confirms that 83 complaints were made about Saturday night's episode. When contacted by the Manchester Evening News, Ofcom confirmed that the majority of the complaints (71) related to the sword-swallowing act.
It's not the first time the show has faced complaints this series so far. The series' opening weekend was flooded with complaints from unimpressed viewers. Ofcom confirmed that it received more than 400 complaints from furious viewers over one week.
The first episode of the new series attracted 66 complaints with the broadcasting watchdog confirming to the Manchester Evening News that they related to a performance by self-proclaimed ‘fartist’ Ichikawa Koikuchi. Viewers complained that the audition brought the show to a 'new low'.
Meanwhile, the chunk of the complaints, 334 to be exact, related to a routine which involved a contestant trying to complete a Rubkiks cube whilst on fire. Fans were warned 'do not try this at home' as professional stuntman Thomas Vu solved a Rubik's Cube after being set alight.
Thomas was seen walking around the stage solving the puzzle after being turned into a fireball on stage. He went on to solve the puzzle and the flames were extinguished. But many viewers watching at home were horrified by the act including former Coronation Street and Happy Valley actress Rachel Leskovac who tweeted: "Setting yourself on fire is NOT entertaining."
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