Hundreds of budding stars descended on the NEC in Birmingham for the first round of auditions for Britain’s Got Talent.

Contestants from across the country arrived in their droves for four days of auditions at the venue in a bid to make it big on the ITV show.

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These first auditions are in front of the  programmes producers and if successful the wannabes will appear before a panel of celebrity judges. Those auditions are set to be filmed early in the New Year.

The Britain’s Got Talent Team will be at the NEC until tomorrow, and have employed around 70 local people as runners to help them out during the audition process. Amongst the hopefuls were a host of singers, dancers, musicians and pet owners.

Amy O’Neill, aged 13, was hoping to wow the judges with her version of Adele’s Rolling in The Deep. The Aldridge school pupil, from Fort Crescent, in Walsall Wood, said: “I have been doing drama and singing for three years and I have been wanting to come for ages.

“I am really nervous but I think it makes it a lot easier not to be in front of the celebrity judges this time.”

Hoping to make it big for a second time was strongman Stu Goldcrusher, aged 45, who first auditioned in 2008 and famously lifted Ant and Dec above his head during the programme. He later appeared on celebrity strongman show in 2010. The Tettenhall man performed with his apprentice strongman Stefan Willington, aged 18, of Tettenhall Wood.
Ounsdale High School pupil Katie Watson, aged 13, came to the auditions with her mum Tracy and two best friends.

The youngster sang a candlelight version of a song called Heaven. The teenager from Wolverley Avenue, Penn, said: “I am so excited and very nervous. I couldn’t sleep last night I was so nervous.”