BGT winner says 'controversial' act is 'at an unfair advantage' as he addresses show final

Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts has claimedthat one act in this year's final may hold an unfair advantage over the rest. The singer, who took the crown in the very first series back in 2007, has remained a devoted viewer ever since and has not been afraid to speak his mind about the show.

With 10 finalists preparing to take to the stage for the chance to scoop £250,000 and a coveted spot at the Royal Variety Performance, he shared his thoughts about two of the acts hoping to follow in his footsteps.

Those up for the win are; The Hawkstone Farmers Choir, Matty Juniosa, Anastasiia and Salsa, Sadeck Berrabah and LMA, Fabian Fox, Liew Yang, Ted Hill, Sonny Green, Rafferty Coope and Celestial.

Celestial are drone show performers who craft immersive spectacles through LED storytelling. Given the nature of their act, their semi-final performance was pre-recorded for safety, technical and timing purposes - something Paul believes could create an uneven playing field.

Weighing in on the golden buzzer, which they received in both their audition from Amanda Holden and by all four judges in the semi-final, he said: "The golden buzzer also takes power away from the audience. In the past, viewers had more influence over who progressed. I also thought the situation with Celestial was controversial."

He added via Sky Vegas: "They're fantastic, but because their performance relied on darkness, it couldn't really be done fully live in the same way as the other acts.

"What viewers saw was heavily polished and pre-recorded, and that creates an unfair advantage over acts performing live with no safety net."

He continued: "We don't know whether there were technical issues or mistakes because editing removes those things.

"I'm not questioning their talent, but there's a completely different pressure when everyone else is performing live and one act has the benefit of a polished pre-record."

A spokesperson for Britain's Got Talent didn't respond when contacted for comment.

Turning his attention to another act, Paul shared his thoughts on The Hawkstone Farmers Choir and their ties to Jeremy Clarkson.

The group, made up of farmers from across the nation, was originally brought together during rehearsals for adverts promoting Jeremy's Hawkstone beer.

Having previously sung the choir's praises on Heart Radio, the former Top Gear host encouraged viewers to cast their votes and expressed his gratitude to Amanda for hitting her golden buzzer.

Weighing in on the act, Paul said: "The Hawkstone Farmers Choir do feel slightly like an advert for Jeremy Clarkson's brand at times, and normally something that close to branding would raise questions.

"Whether it helps them depends on whether they've genuinely got the quality to back it up. Personally, I don't think they were the best choir in the competition. The gospel choir that some people criticised for being over-produced were stronger vocally and probably deserved the place more."

Britain's Got Talent airs tonight at 7.30pm on ITV and ITVX