BGT: Simon Cowell insists ‘we’ll meet again’ after semi-finals were postponed

Britain’s Got Talent: Simon Cowell insists ‘we’ll meet again’ as the auditions come to an end… after live shows were postponed by COVID-19

Britain’s Got Talent‘s auditions came to a close on Saturday, with the shows future thrown into doubt by the coronavirus pandemic.

The show ended on a poignant note with Simon Cowell insisting ‘they’d meet again,’ following eight weeks of incredible performances.

Currently ITV bosses have confirmed the Britain’s Got Talent live shows will be airing sometime this autumn, with sources claiming it could face a clash with BBC rival Strictly Come Dancing.

Moving: Britain’s Got Talent’s auditions ended on a poignant note on Saturday, as Simon Cowell vowed ‘they’d meet again’ after the live shows were postponed by COVID-19

Following a montage of auditions from throughout the series, the show’s final moments saw Simon turn to the audience and say: ‘I hope you enjoyed the show, one day we’ll meet the again.’

Viewers then saw a title card that simply said: ‘To be continued,’ with Declan Donnelly narrating: ‘Thank you all so much for watching, we’ll see you all again soon for the semi-finals.’

The BGT semi-finals usually take place in late May or early June, but in March they were postponed due to the coronavirus lockdown.

ITV bosses have confirmed that the show will return later this year, but an exact air date is yet to be confirmed.

On hold: The live shows are currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, with ITV bosses confirming they are expected to air sometime this autumn

On hold: The live shows are currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, with ITV bosses confirming they are expected to air sometime this autumn

On Friday it was reported that BGT will go head-to-head with Strictly Come Dancing in the autumn ratings war, with both shows expected to air in September.

A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre TV column: ‘Both are hugely popular and this will split the audience if they are on at the same time. Both the Strictly launch show and the first proper dancing episode both air in September.

‘But that’s when Simon Cowell and the BGT producers are planning on airing the semi-finals now they have their line-up locked in.

‘They could try and air the semi-finals across a full week, but the final episode will likely clash with Strictly.’

We'll be back! Viewers also saw a title card that said: 'To be continued,' with Declan Donnelly narrating: 'Thank you all so much for watching, we'll see you all again soon for the semi-finals'

We’ll be back! Viewers also saw a title card that said: ‘To be continued,’ with Declan Donnelly narrating: ‘Thank you all so much for watching, we’ll see you all again soon for the semi-finals’

Judge Amanda Holden has previously said that she and the rest of the panel have been given an autumn date for filming to resume.

However, that will depend on what social distancing guidelines are still in place as the show will not go ahead without a live audience.

She explained: ‘All of the main judges have been given a date to hold in early autumn to see if it works live.

‘But we would never do it without an audience because we’ve always said the British public is the fifth judge.

‘So we can’t do it without them – it would be no fun without them! We’ll see what happens, but we are planning to do it this year.’ 

Back on screens: On Friday it was reported that BGT will go head-to-head with Strictly Come Dancing in the autumn ratings war, with both shows expected to air in September

Back on screens: On Friday it was reported that BGT will go head-to-head with Strictly Come Dancing in the autumn ratings war, with both shows expected to air in September