Magician Harry Moulding crowned winner of Britain's Got Talent
He receives £250,000 and a spot in the Royal Variety Performance after winning the public vote.
Moulding, 24, wowed the judges with his card trick act which featured a video of him skydiving out of a plane.
Thanking his supporters, he said: 'I genuinely feel like everyone has been behind me. This has been the most incredible journey.'
The Blackpool native was fast-tracked to the final after guest judge KSI hit the golden buzzer in the semi-final, which also saw him propose to his girlfriend.
Dance group The Blackouts were this year's runners-up after performing a light show to hits by Robbie Williams and Take That.
In third place was nine-year-old gymnast Binita Chetry.
Choral group Hear Our Voice, made up of people impacted by the Post Office scandal, were the bookies' favourites heading into the final, but finished outside the top three.
The programme, which was broadcast live from the Hammersmith Apollo after a week of five semi-finals, also saw performances from singer Stacey Leadbeatter, dance group Ping Pong Pang and guitarist Olly Pearson.
A wildcard act introduced into the live final was revealed to be singers Han & Fran, who performed an Abba medley.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Statesman
2 days ago
- New Statesman
Football for the KSI generation
KSI (left) and YouTube All Stars' Chunkz (right) in action. Photo by Kieran Cleeves/Alamy The LCD screens at Stratford's Copper Box Arena ignite: images of football legends – Luis Figo, John Terry and Gary Lineker – followed by the hyper-famous YouTuber iShowSpeed, and his Mancunian rival, Morgan 'Angryginge13' Burtwistle. 'Is this a new era of football?' beseeches the on-pitch announcer, at a crowd which mostly consists of pre-teen boys and dads in beige tracksuits. 'There's more goals, more twists…' he continues to a smattering of polite whistles. 'How do you get on the Wi-Fi here?' whispers an older woman behind me. This is Baller League, a new sports entertainment venture which plans to bring football in line with the short-form content-sphere, eschewing both traditional media models and the very rules of the game. The brainchild of German Bundesliga veterans Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski, in conjunction with an obscure 'film producer' named Felix Starck, Baller League is attempting to rewrite football for the attention-deficit era. The brand's implication is that the once-beautiful game has become boring; too streamlined, too data-fied, too many cautiously recycled attacks and not enough lollipop stepovers. So, Baller League rips up the constitution: there are six players in a team, the matches are 30 minutes long, with 15-minute halves and rolling substitutions. There are no corners, but if the ball goes behind the goal line three times, the attacking team is given a penalty. VAR survives the DOGE-esque rule-shred, but it is reimagined tennis-style, on the basis of appeal, rather than dictated by sports boffins and retired refs in Stockley Park. In an echo of the bizarre 1990s Major League Soccer innovations, special 'gamechanger' rules are introduced in the last three minutes of a half to up the ante. These include reducing the teams to 3 vs 3, doubling the points for long-distance goals, and even forbidding goalkeepers from using their hands. It's all very odd, very loud, and very Gen Z. Imagine Sunday League, revamped by WWE's Vince McMahon and your twelve-year-old nephew. Right now, Baller League appears to be in the ascendancy. Tonight's event is sold out (impressive seeing as it's a Monday evening during term time), and Sky have purchased the broadcast rights for a very pretty penny (£25m according to one off-record source). On his LinkedIn page, Felix Starck boasts of further eight-figure investment. Household name ex-pros like Figo and Terry, as well as Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, have signed up as 'managers', while Premier League jailbirds Troy Deeney and Nile Ranger have re-laced their boots to appear as 'wildcards'. An American version is also in the works – featuring Ballon D'Or Winner and former resident of the Paraguayan penal system, Ronaldinho. But looking at the queue for merch, and listening to chatter in the stands, it is not the wizened ex-pros people are here to see, but the influencers. Among them: Sharky from The Beta Squad, Simon 'Miniminter' Minter, multi-hyphenate content clown KSI (who doesn't coach a team, but is tangentially involved), and the bafflingly famous Angryginge – who has become the real star of the project with his Mourinho-esque touchline antics and camera-mugging. Tonight though, there is a spanner in the works. Angryginge is not here, and neither is the TV presenter Maya Jama, co-manager of MVPs United. Nor are Lineker, Wright, or Luis Figo (who hadn't shown up once at the time of my visit) There are whispers of a feud with Starck, and grumblings amongst the fans, but also, a much larger sense that nobody is particularly arsed about it. Still, there are contractual obligations to uphold, and ex-Manchester City full back and Match of The Day pundit Micah Richards leads his team out against Clint 419, founder of the cult streetwear brand Corteiz. Both Richards and Clint are big names among the gathered demographic, but the squads they preside over are a peculiar mix of the never-quite-made-its and the didn't-even-have-a-chancers; ragtag bands of non-league journeymen, ex-Arsenal academy talents, Futsal stars, viral 'cage ballers'. (There are some with pedigree, such Marvin Sordell, the former Watford and Team GB striker turned mental health advocate.) Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe The opening match kicks off, and the first thing that strikes me is that the players are good. Very, very good in fact; pinging diagonals, drilling balls into the top corner, executing flicks and dummies and tricks with abandon. The format is designed to highlight 'ballers': those with real footballing technique, but perhaps not the physicality, professionalism or luck that the boys in the big time possess. So far, so nice to watch, but across a 30-minute game, it becomes a bit of a melee. The size of the pitch and the unceasing nature of the game means that it's hard to pick up on the macro tactics, the individual performances, and the mano a mano battles that define a game of 'real football'. It's too much, too fast, at far too small a scale. Because there is no chance to breathe, a 3-0 lead feels like nothing at all, and is almost immediately reduced to one during a convoluted gamechanger phase. During a break, I start to consider what Baller League is pushing against. It is probably something like Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca's style of football; dogmatic systems of possession, pressure, release and restraint. Listening to the hype blasting off the tannoy, I'm reminded of the early days of the UFC, when Dana White promoted his sport as an antidote to Klitschko-era boxing, which he declared dull, with fighters not 'going forward anymore' and instead spending their time in grinding, technical clinches. There is a definite sense of 'Make Football Great Again' in play. As curious as their methods are, Baller League are not outliers in this school of thought. There is a widely held belief that this year's Premier League season – with a decidedly half-built Liverpool team coasting to a title – was a particularly tedious one, while the Champions League didn't get going until the semi-finals. The likes of Ruud Gullit and Marcelo Biesla have bemoaned what the game has become, and in recent years there has been a nostalgia cult around what the Premier League used to be, with endless references to the unpredictable 'Barclaysmen' of old: Morten Gamst Pedersen, Jay Jay Okocha, Hugo Rodallega. Baller League is trying to fill this void by creating their own stars, but at time of press, the closest thing they have to an icon is 'PK Humble', an all-shooting, all-dancing attacker (who was recently released by Enfield Town having scored one goal in 33 games). More than the game, though, it's the atmosphere it sorely lacks. Because, beyond the pantomime jeers at Angryginge, and Ian Wright forcing some post-game handbags a few weeks back, nobody actually supports a Baller League team, or cares what happens in the league. The overwhelming impression is a version of football without tribal allegiances, or 'skin in the game'. To my Premier League-addled, thirty-something mind, it conjures up the same plainness and futility of drinking a non-alcoholic beer, or sitting through an open mic night. There is a glaring lack of threat, or emotional investment at the heart of it. But clearly there are believers in this project, and a certain amount of thirst for something like this to exist. To understand what Baller League is attempting, you have to look at what KSI and the Paul brothers have done with their massively successful Misfits Boxing promotions. In lieu of real sporting quality, they have cleverly created a behemothic content machine, one which spits out personalities, disputes, narratives across a highly marketable multi-platform model, that is entirely native to their target audience. The problem is that Misfits boxing will always provide the opportunity to watch KSI get a right hook in the chin, whereas Baller League largely consists of ex-Morecambe Town midfielders taking wild potshots in a strangely low-stakes atmosphere. Then again, the audience seem to be enjoying themselves. It's not quite the Belgrade derby, but there is real anticipation in the rafters. The crowd is also young, dripped-out (a lot of tech fleece, 2009 Barcelona shirts) and diverse in a way that most professional football crowds are not. My guess is that a lot of this comes down to accessibility. My ticket cost £15, bought just a few days before. Compare that to my trip to suffer Chelsea vs Djurugarden the week before – which cost me £40, and a visit to see a 69-year-old man who has been going home and away since 1979 – and you can see both the problem with top level football crowds, and a tantalising opportunity for the disruptors. Walking back to the station, still light outside, through the half-realised vision of the Westfield shopping centre, with its ping pong bars, eSports hubs, bubble tea cafes, it occurs to me that Baller League is just part of a new leisure reality. One which is both plugged-in and physical at the same time, a new version of entertainment which fuses sport, tech, celebrity, gaming and spews it all into hard content. Baller League may collapse under the weight of its own hype soon enough, but it seems to at least understand its audience. For better or for worse, young people want their sport well-lit and TikTok-ready; they want to be grabbed by big personalities and yet remain emotionally unattached. If they can't get the Yamals and Mbappes of this world, they'll settle for YouTubers. The market has already found something to suit them, whether it carries on this current incarnation or not. [See also: Is Labour's football regulator already falling apart?] Related
Western Telegraph
3 days ago
- Western Telegraph
'Brilliant' Britain's Got Talent for Roch sub-postmaster
Former Roch sub postmaster Tim Brentnall is still buzzing from his Britain's Got Talent experience with Hear our Voice, the joyous choir of people whose lives have all been directly affected by the Horizon scandal, that had the BGT judges and audience on its feet. He was initially reluctant to join when fellow sub postmaster Mark said that he wanted to start a singing group. (Image: Tim Brentnall) 'He approached a few of us at a BBC event and suggested that we do something nice together,' said Tim. 'We got on a group of people but only was each other at enquiries or events to do with the negative past. 'At that point I said anything but singing.' However, encouraged by his partner Steph, he went to the first rehearsals and began to enjoy the experience. By this point the choir had enlisted Will and the People who had offered them access to their back catalogue of songs and joined to give the choir support. The choir practised online right up until the day before the Britain's Got Talent audition in Blackpool's Winter Gardens, when they all sang together in the same room for the first time. 'I remember saying. We will either be able to do it in an hour's time or we will be able to do it,' said Tim. 'It was terrifying. When you stand out in practice in a 5,000 seat theatre, I was thinking 'what have I got myself into', said Tim. 'But you are standing there with people who have supported each other through the worst times. "We wanted to stand together and show how strong we are. The desire to get out there was much stronger than the fear.' (Image: Britain's Got Talent/ ITV) All the judges loved their performance and chose them for the semi-finals. The reaction at the semi finals was just as positive with the judges praising the joyful and unifying performance and the public vote sending them through to the finals. 'To get the public vote to win the semi final was so heartening,' said Tim. 'It showed that people still care about our story. It was brilliant. 'We never expected to reach the finals. We were happy to keep our story alive.' The story continues to be kept alive with the release yesterday, Saturday, June 7, of Falling Down, a collaboration between Will and the People and Hear our Voice. The track has been released across all streaming platforms and a physical copy will also be available to buy. All money raised will support Lost Chances, a charity for the children of sub postmasters and the Horizon Shortfall Fund charity. (Image: Britain's Got Talent/ ITV) 'We set up the choir with three objectives; to keep our story in the public eye, to give people in the choir something joyful in a safe, therapeutic environment and to raise some money for the two sub post masters' charities.' So far the single has had a very positive reception with airtime on BBC Radio 2 and Radio Wales. 'For me being in the choir has been brilliant,' said Tim. 'I'm still in a complicated battle with the Post Office which is almost totally consuming of my energy and time. 'This has been a really good distraction. "When I've got a song to learn or a practice it's very mindful. A good way away from the negative things. 'We've got to know each other much better and support each other really well. You've always got these people you can reach out to when you need a pick up. "It's been really good like that.' To stream Falling Down by Will and the People and Hear our Voice, go to linked above.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Post Office choir founder says 'therapuetic' BGT stint was 'life changing'
Mark Wildblood, the founder of Hear Our Voice - the choir made up of people impacted by the Post Office scandal - says the initiative has been 'therapeutic' after a battle with depression. Hear Our Voice, the choir made up of people affected by the Post Office scandal which placed seventh in the recent series of Britain's Got Talent, are releasing a new charity single alongside band Will & The People. The single, Falling Down, is a rendition of the song they performed in their audition for Britain's Got Talent. And choir founder Mark Wildblood says the initiative has been 'life changing' for him, admitting the talent show stint has made a significant impact on his mental health. 'I personally have found it very therapeutic,' said Mark. 'I was on antidepressants prescribed by my doctor for a long long time and I spoke to them very early this year and I said, 'Look [the choir] is really starting to make me feel good and I wouldn't mind trying to go without [the antidepressants]. "So, at the recommendation of doctors I was told it's ok to give it a go and I haven't been back on them since,' he says of the choir's impact. Continuing that it has given him 'purpose' following dark days, Mark shared, 'It's not difficult to get caught up in dwelling on all of the negatives. So, to be surrounded by the same people that you talk to about it every day and that are seeing the positives as well, I think we've done a really really positive thing and a lot of that is thanks to BGT.' While Mark says the choir has meant he's managed to let go of 'anger' he was holding onto against the post office, he confirms that the 'concern' remains. 'My concern for the procedure is not eliminated. We still have to make sure that we get closure and closure can only come with compensation.' Mark was a sub-postmaster at Upton Post Office before he was suspended from the role as one of the thousands of people impacted by the Post Office scandal. The scandal saw the wrongful prosecution of sub-postmasters and postmistresses by the Post Office, who accused them of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to faulty data from the Horizon IT system used by the company. He founded the choir in May 2024, inviting others impacted by the scandal to take part and raise money for the cause, alongside awareness. As the former tour manager for Will and the People, Mark then enlisted lead singer Will Rendle to get involved as he fronted the act on Britain's Got Talent. And detailing how the choir has become a family dynamic, Mark said, 'W e always say to each other that we have become family now. The choir is spread out throughout the country and so BGT has given us the opportunity to actually meet five times in a very short space of time and be together.' Many of the victims are still awaiting compensation from the Post Office, with Mark admitting that despite the success of their campaigning and the recent TV series; Mr Bates vs The Post Office, there's still a long way to go. It comes as Simon Recaldin, a Post Office boss who has been backing compensation for the scandal victims, has left his position in the company. Simon is thought to have opted for voluntary redundancy, a move which comes amid the increased pressure on the company to pay victims. Previously, the government announced that those who have had convictions overturned are eligible for £600,000, with hundreds still waiting for the compensation. 'Scandals like these have a commonality where the bureaucracy of closure takes so long that many people pass away by the time that the situations are resolved - I just hope that we don't get into that situation,' says Mark of those yet to be paid. 'We've already lost a lot of people in the Post Office scandal and we can't afford to lose more without getting a speed up, so I would say to those in power, please change the system. It'll be better for everyone all round and cost a lot less money if they just do it now as it should be,' pleaded Mark. With fellow choir member Maria Lockwood joking that the unit would be keen to front the Glastonbury stage this summer, Mark says he isn't opposed to the idea. "We wouldn't say no to anything where we had the opportunity to get together in person again and Glastonbury would be amazing, that would be phenomenal." Falling Down, the single by Hear Our Voice choir and Will and The People, is available on all platforms from tomorrow, 10 June. 100% of profits after costs from the single are going to the Horizon Scandal Fund and Lost Chances—two organisations supporting victims and their families.
