Britain’s Got Talent Final, review: For a variety contest, there was a distinct lack of, well, variety

Comedian Axel Blake triumphed on an overlong final full of emotion, upsets and far too many commercial breaks

Thanks to Paddington Bear and Prince Louis, it was a Platinum Jubilee weekend of unexpected comedy heroes. Britain’s Got Talent (ITV) continued the trend by crowning funnyman Axel Blake as its well-deserved winner.

The 33-year-old property maintenance manager from West London was endearingly lost for words when he bagged the £250,000 cash prize and a coveted spot at this year’s Royal Variety Performance. His stage presence was arguably superior to his material but Blake possessed timing, style and undoubted star quality. He was the Golden Buzzer choice of head honcho Simon Cowell. Anyone would think Cowell knew what he was talking about.

Having gallantly vacated its regular Saturday night slot for the jubilee celebrations – well, the Queen out-ranks even Ant and Dec – the variety contest climaxed with an over-long but thrillingly unpredictable grand final. Following four TV days of pomp and pageantry, it was a relief to slump in front of something so reassuringly formulaic.

This 15th series has been a mixed bag. Cowell and co hoped to make a triumphant comeback after their pandemic-enforced year off. Instead the show has been beset by complaints about too many professional performers and ringers roped in from foreign editions. Thankfully, viewers voted with their feet and ensured that plucky outsiders came out on top.

ITV execs also breathed a sigh of relief that the Wales vs Ukraine World Cup play-off, which preceded this show in the schedules, ended in victory for Wales within 90 minutes. Had the match gone to extra time and penalties, they’d have been faced with an awkward clash. Instead the timings worked perfectly – although I fear ratings in the Valleys might have dipped due to wild celebrations.

A ringer? New York singer Loren AllredCredit: Shutterstock

New Yorker Loren Allred has sparked “fix” rows. Not only has she performed on the soundtrack of blockbuster film The Greatest Showman but she’s competed on the US version of The Voice and duetted with Andrea Bocelli. The judges bent over backwards to justify her presence in this final. They protested too much. The singer was a ringer.

For a variety contest, there was a distinct lack of, well, variety. The final was dominated by music and comedy, with no room for acrobats, magicians or novelty acts. Half the line-up were precocious children. No finalist was aged over 40. Amber & The Dancing Collies were announced as the judges’ wildcard, partly to add a point of difference. Prancing dog Nymeria was a waggy-tailed wonder but panto villain Cowell was roundly booed for suggesting that Dutch trainer Amber Karstens should change Nymeria’s name. Hey, it’s dog eat dog in showbiz.

The judges dispensed platitudes about how every act was a potential winner. The most noteworthy aspect of the panel’s input was how much Cowell has softened since his “Mr Nasty” days. He referred endlessly to his son Eric, empathised when mistakes were made and even became emotional. I rather like the new, cuddlier Cowell – although he still needs to bare those dazzling teeth occasionally.

As is usually the case with these shiny-floored showpieces, proceedings went on for at least half an hour too long. The bloated 150-minute runtime was padded out with recap VTs, plugs for QR codes and incessant commercial breaks. The musical guests were the cast of West End show Sister Act. Presumably all the big names were busy outside Buckingham Palace.

Still, this was a final full of flag-waving patriotism. The Queen was reverentially mentioned throughout. It might not have been the classiest leg of the Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations but it was a rousing show with a heartwarmingly worthy winner. Let’s hope Axel Blake performs in front of the Queen herself this autumn. She might find him almost as amusing as a certain marmalade sandwich-scoffing Peruvian bear.