Britain’s Got Talent 2018: Ratings hit nine million for first time ever in live semi-final without Ant McPartlin

The show is set to wrap up with a series of live shows
Record: The show beat its all-time record with the nine million viewers
PA
Safeeyah Kazi29 May 2018

Britain’s Got Talent’s ratings hit a peak of nine million viewers for the first live semi-final, up one million on last year.

Monday night saw the show hit its peak audience of the series as viewers tuned in to see Declan Donnelly host without long-term presenting partner Ant McPartlin for the first time in the ITV show's history.

The eventful evening saw Lost Voice Guy and The D-Day Darlings bag their place in the final.

According to TeleMix, the near nine million viewership beat the 7.9 million viewers of the same episode last year.

Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly with their TV Presenter award and The Bruce Forsyth Entertainment award during the National Television Awards 2018
Getty Images

Viewers were quick to praise Donnelly for his “professionalism” as he took to the stage alone, months after having fronted the final two Saturday Night Takeaway shows on his own too.

McPartlin’s final appearance on the show aired during the last of the pre-recorded auditions on Saturday, with many fans tweeting about how much they would miss him.

Lost Voice Guy: The act bagged himself a place in the final
ITV/Syco /Thames

The presenter stepped down from his work commitments to return to rehab after he was arrested for crashing his car into two vehicles in Richmond earlier this year.

He was fined £86,000 and banned from driving for 20 months after pleading guilty to being twice the legal drink drive limit.

Donnelly will host the final week of live Britain’s Got Talent shows on his own, and is expected to present this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here solo.

Britain's Got Talent 2018 Judges - In pictures

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