Britain’s Got Talent: Which judges have appeared on the show?

There have been 17 series’ of the hit TV show Britain’s Got Talent since it began in 2007 and eight judges have cast their opinions on hopefuls’ performances.

Here’s our look at the Britain’s Got Talent decision-makers over the years. 

Simon Cowell (2007-present)

Simon Cowell is a music executive who has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television over the last 20 years after rising to prominence as a judge on shows such as Pop Idol and American Idol.

He created both the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent and is famed for his often scathing comments about the quality of the acts he is watching, but he has launched the careers of One Direction, Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Little Mix and Olly Murs. 

Amanda Holden (2007-present)

Amanda Holden is an actress and TV presenter who has been involved in Britain’s Got talent from the start.

She made her name in musical theatre and has several TV acting credits to her name, while also having spells presenting ITV’s flagship daytime show This Morning.

Holden, who was previously married to TV personality Les Dennis, also presents the radio breakfast show for Heart alongside Jamie Theakston.

Piers Morgan (2007-2010)

Piers Morgan is a former editor of the Mirror and the News of the World, who was a judge in the first three years of the show.

He was also a judge on America’s Got Talent and hosted Piers Morgan Live on CNN, winning Celebrity Apprentice US in 2008 after impressing future US President Donald Trump.

Morgan is known for his forthright views on many subjects and was also the presenter of Good Morning Britain alongside Susannah Reid from 2015-21. He continues to make television interview shows.

David Hasselhoff (2011)

Actor David Hasselhoff had a one-series stint on the show.

He rose to fame playing Michael Knight in the hit TV show Knight Rider (1982-86) before joining the original cast of the hit show Baywatch as Mitch Buchannon, a role he played for 11 years.

Hasselhoff also sings and has made 15 studio albums, enjoying number one single success in both Germany and Switzerland.

Before his stint on the British show, he was a judge on America’s Got Talent between 2006 and 2009.

Michael McIntyre (2011)

Michael McIntyre is one of Britain’s most successful stand-up comedians, who regularly sells out some of the country’s biggest venues having become a huge star. In 2012, he sold out ten night’s at London’s O2 Arena.

McIntyre has moved into the television mainstream by presenting shows such as The Wheel and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, which are now staple elements of BBC One’s Saturday night offering.

He has also presented The Wheel on NBC in America and he replaced Morgan for one series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2011.

Alesha Dixon (2012-present)

Born in Hertfordshire, Alesha Dixon rose to prominence as a singer and rapper in the band Mis-Teeq, who had seven top-ten hits, but her level of stardom really took off after she won the fifth series of BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2007.

She became a Strictly judge in 2012, but that lasted just one series and she joined the Britain's Got Talent judging panel for the first time that same year.

Dixon has continued to record music as a solo performer and also presented slots on Comic Relief and at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Liverpool.

David Walliams (2012-22)

David Walliams is a comedy performer who got his big break at the turn of the Millennium in the hugely successful TV show Little Britain alongside Matt Lucas, where the pair pushed the boundaries in a series of character-based sketches.

The pair also starred in Come Fly With Me, while Walliams raised more than £1m for Comic Relief in 2006 when he swam the English Channel.

Walliams is also one of the most successful children’s authors in the country and has sold more than 37 million books.

He joined the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel in 2012 and stayed for ten years, also enjoying a spell on the show’s American edition.

Bruno Tonioli (2023-present)

Italian choreographer and dancer Bruno Tonioli has been a familiar face on British TV screen in recent years, having spent 2004 to 2019 as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing.

He remains doing the same job in the American equivalent, Dancing With The Stars, a position he has held since 2005 and this year is his second season on the show, having replaced Walliams after his ten-year stint.