Para athlete Paul Nunnari receives golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent
The ITV talent show returned to screens on Saturday with judge Simon Cowell giving away his golden buzzer to the Australian athlete.
Para athlete Paul Nunnari has received the golden buzzer on Britain’s Got Talent for his aerial silk audition.
The ITV talent show returned to screens on Saturday, when performers auditioned for the chance to appear at the Royal Variety Performance and win a cash prize.
The Australian athlete blew away the judging panel, made up of Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and YouTuber KSI, and scored the first golden buzzer of the series, sending him straight to the live shows.
KSI said: “In the first half we were impressed and then you just upped it again. That’s one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Dixon added: “You are really amazing, you are going to inspire millions and millions of people. No excuses right?”
Holden said she could not believe what she saw and praised the performer for being “so brave”.
Before hitting the golden buzzer, Cowell said: “One of the most incredible things, I really do believe, that I’ve ever seen, and you’re so humble and so nice and so talented.”
Nunnari said: “If you dream something, you can make it happen, but this is the dream come true.”
Using 800 drones the act paid homage to Britain, creating formations that resembled the silhouette of James Bond, Queen’s Freddie Mercury, and a King’s guard while a snippet of a speech by the King played.
Danger act Liwei Yang received four yeses from the judges after balancing and spinning flaming objects while upside down.
Cowell said: “That was actually quite incredible. I’ve never ever, ever seen anything like that.
Dixon added: “It was visually stunning, but at the same time, really thrilling, really dangerous, really different.”
Magician Fraser Penman from Glasgow, who has albinism, wowed the judges with his heartfelt magical act, after correctly revealing the secret word Cowell had been asked to think of.
He received four yeses from the the judges and said: “I spent 10 years dyeing my hair, doing fake tan, because I was uncomfortable in the skin I was in, to change my mindset to stand in front of the world.
“So if I can do that, anything in your imagination can happen.”
KSI said: “You have superpowers bro.”
Holden added: “I would love an act like this to be on the Royal Variety Performance. So it’s a yes for me.”
Penman later told Ant and Dec: “To come from somebody that was ashamed to be who he was, tell my story and demonstrate my abilities, was incredible.”
Other auditions that made it through included Dom and his dog Ninja’s parkour act, and dance team LMA from Liverpool, who blew the judges away with their tutting dance performance.
Holden said: “We have so many dance groups that come on to the show that promise us difference, and they never are. And that was as different and exceptional as it gets. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Cowell told the group they “nailed” their audition before bringing out the choreographer Sadeck, who he praised for “raising the bar” on the show.
Previous winners include magician Harry Moulding, who won series 18 and bagged the £250,000 cash prize and a spot on the bill of the Royal Variety Performance.
Britain’s Got Talent returns on ITV1 and ITVX next Saturday at 7pm
