Amanda Holden gives opinion on Simon Cowell BGT replacement

BGT: Amanda Holden says she is 'team David'

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Amanda Holden has opened up on the new arrival to the Britain’s Got Talent judging panel. Penn Jillette, from iconic magic duo Penn and Teller, will be in Simon Cowell’s seat ahead of the special edition of the talent show titled The Ultimate Magician. The music mogul has stepped aside due to other TV commitments and Amanda was a fan of the change.

During the exciting new BGT instalment, Penn will join Amanda, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams in judging the nation’s finest magicians.

She was asked ahead of the new show what impact Simon’s absence will have on the ITV talent competition.

Amanda replied: “At first, you are like, ‘Is it going to be any good without Simon?’ But Penn stood in for him and in a lot of ways, he was a better choice for this special because you had somebody that knew what they were talking about.

“Every time an act came on, he then told me the history of the act, where it came from, who invented it, how it has evolved, who was the first person to do it and then he talked to me about Vegas, his residency and his own background.

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“He’s just a fascinating man and he’s the king of what he does, the acts were so nervous to perform in front of him.”

She added: “Penn knows his stuff so actually it worked out really, really well.”

Not only will there be a shake-up with the judging personnel but also in the presenting team too.

Stephen Mulhern will take the reins from Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly in welcoming the competing performers, who will be battling it out for a £50,000 prize.

Amanda also sang the praises of their replacement, who is an ITV veteran, presenting Catchphrase and In For A Penny on the channel.

On the duo’s importance of the show she said: “Ant and Dec are the linchpin of the whole thing but when they said Stephen Mulhern, it made sense.

“I love him, he came and did his stuff and was brilliant. Ant and Dec are really close with him so they won’t mind me saying this, but he was the perfect host.”

She continued: “He was the right host for this job and I think everyone will agree it’s better having someone with the knowledge of what the acts are doing rather than just commentary.

“Stephen was up for everything and because of his background in magic, it worked really, really well. He’ll always be part of the BGT family.”

The absent judge Simon was unable to take part in the talent show due to other filming commitments.

He recently sparked concern among fans during a promotional video for 2023’s version of Britain’s Got Talent.

In the video, he uttered: “I always say on this show, two or three minutes can change your life. And it has. And maybe this time it’s going to be you.

“So please audition now for next year’s season and I look forward to meeting you.”

His replacement Penn has the longest-running show in Las Vegas with his incredible double-act show.

Surprisingly, he admitted: “I don’t believe in magic.

“Performance is really important, but over the years, I’ve developed a real love for pure, raw skill.”

Britain’s Got Talent: The Ultimate Magician will air on Sunday 18th December at 8pm on ITV1

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