Return of Britain's Got Talent draws in 6.1 million viewers after one year hiatus

Britain’s Got Talent returned to screens with an average of 6.1 million viewers, ITV has said.

Viewers saw an array of acts from a comedic robot to an original singer from The Greatest Showman as the talent show returned to screens after two years.

The TV audience peaked at 7.2 million.

Filming of the 15th series had been scheduled to begin last January, however production was delayed and then postponed until 2022.

Saturday’s launch episode saw Loren Allred, 32, reveal during her audition that she was the voice behind the hit song Never Enough from 2018 musical film The Greatest Showman.

She admitted she was not known for the track as she was previously “more comfortable singing behind the scenes”, but now wanted to put a face to the song.

After performing a striking rendition of the track, the audience and judges appeared in awe, particularly Amanda Holden, who awarded her the coveted Golden Buzzer which automatically grants her a place in the live semi-finals.

The first episode saw Titan the Robot secure four yeses after spraying water out of its mechanical eyes, causing Holden and Alesha Dixon to hide under their desk.

The judging panel – featuring Simon Cowell, Holden, Dixon and David Walliams – reunited after the show was shelved in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Britain’s Got Talent will continue on STV on Saturday at 8pm.