Simon Cowell explains why he hasn’t changed the roster of BGT judges in 10 years

Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams have been judges together on Britain’s Got Talent since 2012

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Britain’s Got Talent: First time seeing new series starting April 16

Simon Cowell has talked about why he decided to keep the Britain’s Got Talent judges line-up for 10 years.

BGT is scheduled to return to TV this weekend for the first time in two years after the Covid pandemic and multiple closures made auditions almost impossible.

Simon and Amanda Holden have been judges on the show since it first started in 2007, alongside the likes of Piers Morgan until 2011.

After a series with David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre, Simon and Amanda were joined by former stern judge Alesha Dixon and comedian David Walliams in 2012 – and the quartet have been together ever since.

Talking about why he hasn’t really changed the format, Simon told The Radio Times: “Look, I don’t sit there on Saturday nights and watch, but I can watch a little bit from time to time.

“They’ve done an excellent job. Like the BGT, it hasn’t really changed. It’s a great lesson: when you’ve got something that works, don’t tinker with it.”

Simon, 62, appeared on the show in 2020 during the audition period, but Diversity’s Ashley Banjo was forced into the last minute for the semifinals and final, which was delayed until the fall.

The Mirror revealed that Simon needed six hours of emergency surgery after breaking his back – in an accident in Malibu that could have left him paralyzed.

A close friend said that although his back was broken in many places and it was very serious, he nearly broke his spinal cord “one centimeter”, which would have left him unable to walk.

As a result, Simon was unable to fly from the US to the UK.

Last week, hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly announced the news that BGT would be returning later this week.

Dec began by saying: “It’s been such a long time since Britain’s Got Talent hit our screens.”

“But what we’re about to tell you… no, no, no! It’s very exciting news,” insisted Ant.

Dec announced: “BGT is back on April 16th!”

Fans reacted with excitement on Twitter, with one line reading: “Can’t wait.”

While another sputtered: “I’m so damn excited welcome back!!”

A third wrote: “Yes! Bring it in!!”

* Britain’s Got Talent returns Saturday on ITV