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Britain’s Got Talent fans were left delighted when KSI made his debut as a judge on the talent competition during Saturday night’s launch show.
The long-running show returned to TV screens this weekend and saw the YouTube star, 31, make his first ever appearance on the judging panel.
Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly explained that KSI would be filling in for Bruno Tonioli, who couldn’t make it to Blackpool as he was filming Dancing with the Stars in the US.
KSI was roped in to cover for his three days absence, and fans were left seriously impressed by his debut on the programme as they called for him to replace Bruno.
Viewers took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to comment on his infectious enthusiasm and ‘hilarious’ quips as they heaped praise on the influencer.
Comments included: ‘@KSI was made for BGT!’; ‘Delighted that my one of my favourite TV shows is back! Great that KSI is a guest judge’;
Britain’s Got Talent fans were left delighted when KSI made his debut as a judge on the talent competition during Saturday night’s launch show
The long-running show returned to TV screens this weekend and saw the YouTube star, 31, make his first ever appearance on the judging panel
‘#BritainsGotTalent How hilarious is KSI lmfao can we keep him as a full time judge!!!!’; ‘KSI so much better than Bruno’;
‘KSI is actually a great judge so far’; ‘Actually good addition adding much needed fun.’
In signing KSI, BGT bosses were said to be hoping that he would bring in some of his 80million followers as viewers of the long-running reality TV show.
An insider said of the signing: ‘Their new judge doesn’t just know a thing or two about entertaining, he has a colossal following who are largely young and tech savvy, which is just the sort of viewer that the show now thrives on.
‘BGT isn’t just a TV show it’s a global internet phenomenon as well, with clips of the various acts being watched a staggering 24 billion times around the world.
‘Which is why KSi is the perfect match, as his music alone has been streamed 2.7billion times.’
His signing prompted speculation that Bruno wouldn’t be back for the latest series, with the star firmly hitting back at the reports, insisting he’d return ‘with bells on’.
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon have all once again returned to the judging panel for the 2025 series.
Viewers took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to comment on his infectious enthusiasm and ‘hilarious’ quips as they heaped praise on the influencer
KSI is filling in for Bruno Tonioli, who couldn’t make it to three days of filming Blackpool as he was busy working on Dancing with the Stars in the US
Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon (L-R with KSI and Bruno) have all once again returned to the judging panel for the 2025 series
The new season is also set for a huge format change as it will be the longest series ever with four months of episodes.
Rather than its normal start date of April, it kicked off on February 22 with episodes airing each Saturday night, replacing the traditional nightly episodes.
The live semi-finals – which usually air nightly over the course of one week – will now be shown weekly on Saturdays also.
A large chunk of the auditions have also been filmed in Blackpool rather than the London Palladium.
