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The second series of British talent competition programme Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV, from 12 April to 31 May 2008. Following the success of its first series, ITV commissioned the programme for additional episodes, with more venues used for auditions than in the previous series, and the number of semi-finalists, semi-final rounds, and finalists increased by production staff. Both the judges from the first series – Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan – and Ant & Dec returned to co-host the second series, along with Stephen Mulhern returning to front the second series of Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2.

The second series was won by street dancer George Sampson, with dance duo Signature finishing in second place and opera singer Andrew Johnston third. During its broadcast, the series proved to be a greater ratings success, averaging 10.2 million viewers. ITV was forced to defend the programme during its second series, after viewers criticised the involvement of a professional group in the contest.

Series overview

Following open auditions held the previous year, the Judge's Auditions took place early in 2008, within London, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Blackpool. With the success of the previous series, the production team decided to expand the show's filming schedule to include more episodes. This led to the addition of two more episodes for auditions and two more live episodes for semi-finals, in turn leading to a direct increase in the number of semi-finalists that the judges could move beyond the auditions stage of the competition. Both the judges and the presenters who took part in the first series agreed to return for the second series, leading to no significant changes in the panel or hosts.

Of the participants that took part, only forty made it past this stage and into the five live semi-finals, with eight appearing in each one, and ten of these acts making it into the live final. The following below lists the results of each participant's overall performance in this series:

Key:   Winner |   Runner-Up |   Finalist |   Semi-finalist

• ^1 Ages denoted for a participant(s), pertain to their final performance for this series.
• ^2 The latter value pertains to the age of the dog, as disclosed by its owner.

Semi-final summary

Buzzed out | Judges' vote |   Advanced – Public Vote

  Advanced – Judges' Vote |   Eliminated – Judges' Vote |   Eliminated

Semi-final 1 (26 May)

Semi-Finalist	Order	Buzzes and Judges' Vote			Result
		Cowell	Holden	Morgan
Boogie Wonderland	1				Eliminated
Kate & Gin	2				Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Michael Machell	3				Eliminated
Dean Wilson	4				Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Sophie Mei	5				Eliminated
Tracey Lee Collins	6				Eliminated
Phil Blackmore	7				Eliminated
Signature	8				Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 2 (27 May)

Semi-Finalist	Order	Buzzes and Judges' Vote			Result
		Cowell	Holden	Morgan
Mandy Ellen Dancers	1				Eliminated
Iona Luvsandorj	2				Eliminated
Cheeky Monkeys	3				Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Kay & Harvey	4				Eliminated
Bang On!	5				Eliminated
Flava	6				Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Sauris Nandi	7				Eliminated
Andrew Johnston	8				Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 3 (28 May)

Semi-Finalist	Order	Buzzes and Judges' Vote			Result
		Cowell	Holden	Morgan
Irresistible	1				Eliminated
Strike	2				Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Mary Halford March	3				Eliminated
The Deans of Magic	4				Eliminated
Charlie Green	5				Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Urban Gypsies	6				Eliminated
Hoop La La	7				Eliminated
George Sampson	8				Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Semi-final 4 (29 May)

Semi-Finalist	Order	Buzzes and Judges' Vote			Result
		Cowell	Holden	Morgan
James Stone	1				Eliminated
Charlie Wernham	2				Eliminated
Harlequin Stage School	3				Eliminated
Andrew Muir	4				Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
The Boogie Babes	5				Eliminated
Vizage	6				Eliminated
Jeremy Lynch	7				Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Faryl Smith	8				Advanced (Won Public Vote)

• ^3 Cowell pressed Holden's buzzer during Vizage's performance.

Semi-final 5 (30 May)

Semi-Finalist	Order	Buzzes and Judges' Vote			Result
		Cowell	Holden	Morgan
Caburlesque	1				Eliminated
Madonna Decena	2				Eliminated
Anya Sparks	3				Eliminated
Craig Harper	4				Eliminated (Lost Judges' Vote)
Diva Las Vegas	5				Eliminated
Nemesis	6				Advanced (Won Judges' Vote)
Per Diem	7				Eliminated
Escala	8				Advanced (Won Public Vote)

Final (31 May)

  Winner |   Runner-up

• ^4 The results did not declare any other position than that of the winner, 2nd place, and 3rd place.

Ratings

Criticism

The second series of Britain's Got Talent faced criticism for the involvement of professional performers in the contest. Media outlets revealed evidence that the group Escala, who took part in the contest in 2008, had previously been involved as guest performers for a wrap party on The X Factor in 2007. ITV refuted allegations that this was unfair conduct against other participants, by arguing that the programme's researchers applied the same process and treatment to everyone who auditioned, and that the contest was open to anyone regardless of their experience with the talent they chose to perform with.

References

1. "Breakdancer wins TV talent contest". The Press Association. Archived from the original on 2 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
2. "Reality TV hurts too much – WalesOnline". Icwales.icnetwork.co.uk. 31 May 2008.
3. Top 40 Acts Archived 29 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
5. Brook, Stephen (14 April 2008). "Britain's Got Talent back with 8.8m". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
6. Brook, Stephen (21 April 2008). "Ratings soar for Britain's Got Talent". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
7. Reevell, Philip (30 April 2008). "International formats bolster ITV weekend". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
8. Holmwood, Leigh (6 May 2008). "Talent shines but viewers head outdoors". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
9. Holmwood, Leigh (12 May 2008). "Talent sizzles as heat hits ratings". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
10. Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (19 May 2008). "FA Cup final scores a ratings victory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
11. Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: 7.1m UK viewers tune in to Eurovision". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
12. Holmwood, Leigh (27 May 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent dances off with honours". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
13. Rogers, Jon (28 May 2008). "ITV1 delivers masterclass to The Apprentice". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
14. Rogers, Jon (29 May 2008). "2.8m get the Mary Whitehouse experience". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
15. Rogers, Jon (30 May 2008). "Thursday peaktime blues for BBC1". Broadcastnow.co.uk.
16. Dowell, Ben (2 June 2008). "TV ratings: Britain's Got Talent semi-final shines for ITV". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
17. ^ "Britain's Got Talent wins ratings war – Showbiz – News – Manchester Evening News". Manchestereveningnews.co.uk. 18 April 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008.
18. Scala Are Bunch Of Real Pros Archived 1 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine

• 2008 British television seasons
• Britain's Got Talent