Get Ready for Unprecedented Access to Judges!

series 19 made a triumphant return to television screens on Saturday. 

And now head judge Simon Cowell, 66, has revealed viewers will be able to get closer to the action than ever before, as he opened up about what fans can expect from the new series. 

Discussing his plans to lift the lid on the ITV favourite, he said: 'Fans can expect lots of surprises. We've tried to make it different this year. 

He continued: 'The intention is to open up as much of the background of the show as possible so that the viewer can see everything, what goes on behind the scenes, what it's like to be a contestant, what it's like to work on the show. 

'So it's almost like we've opened up a lot more to let people see how the show's made. We’re letting people behind the Wizard of Oz’s curtain, you could say.'

When asked whether fans will see a more personal side to the judging panel, he added: 'A bit, yeah! You can expect to see things you’ve never seen from us. 

'But I think it's more aimed at the contestants, the crew, the people who work on the show, because it is an army, and I think people are interested at home, personally, about things like how we set up an act between auditions, the stuff that we see in the theatre.

'I think it's important to kind of show all of that, have it a bit rough around the edges. We always say we’re a circus coming to town, well now you’re going to see all the chaos it takes to bring it alive.' 

It comes as the Britain's Got Talent judges gave their verdict on after her debut on the panel of the  talent competition.

The former contestant, who rose to fame in 2009, will appear alongside , and star for an upcoming episode. 

Simonwill go missing from the panel for one episode, as Amanda, 55, takes on the role of head judge on the ITV series. 

And it will see Stacey, 36, who is the host of Sort Your Life Out, a  panellist and star of her own reality series Stacey & Joe, take a seat on the panel.

Luckily for Stacey, the show's judges and hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly alike admitted they were thrilled to have her on board, gushing over her as 'warm, funny and down to earth'.

Asked what it was like to have Stacey join the series, co-star Alesha, 47, said: 'Stacey was adorable. She’s so sweet, very natural, and I liked the way she spoke to contestants because she's always coming from a good place. 

'She’s a good person, and she cares. If there was something she didn’t like or didn’t get, she would say, but she’d do it in that Stacey charm that she has. 

'She knows how it feels to be on stage and audition, so she had that empathy for them. I thought she did a great job!'

While host Ant, 50, chimed in: 'Stacey knows exactly what it's like to stand on this stage, audition and be judged for a show like this.