Britain's Got Talent has returned for its 2023 series with a brand new line-up.
Despite the huge fanfare of the much loved show's comeback - and the arrival of new judge Bruno Tonioli - viewing figures were down, newly released stats have revealed.
The ITV show's return drew around half a million fewer viewers than last year, when the show came back on air for the first time since the pandemic.
ITV said the first episode of the 16th series had an average of 5.5 million viewers based on overnight figures. The peak viewing figure of the premiere of the talent show on Saturday at 8pm was 6.2 million viewers. Last year the show returned on a Saturday to ITV with an average of 6.1 million viewers and a TV audience peak of 7.2 million after two years off air due to Covid social distancing measures.
However, the broadcaster said BGT is ITV's most-watched show of the year.
When the sixteenth series of the award-winning show aired on Saturday night, many viewers took to Twitter to comment on proceedings.
Many shared their frustration with the show's editing - with some claiming there were too many slow motion moments and the judges and audience were shown more than the acts themselves.
Viewers tuned in on Saturday night as the ITV talent show returned for its 16th series.
Ant and Dec were back as the hosts of the programme, waiting in the wings to speak to the contestants before they tried to impress the judges with their acts.
However, just minutes in, viewers slammed the new editing style.
They took to social media to brand it as "awful".
One wrote: "Why do they show the audience, judges and Ant and Dec more than the acts? Not to mention the ridiculous slo-mo shots. Both the editing and production are horrendous."
As another said: "#BGT better in the early years, less editing and no scripts in place to enhance acts @ITV."
"The editing on all the acts on #BGT is awful - all the slowed down bits etc?," a third added.
A fourth commented: "The awful editing and manipulation of the audience reactions to everything is already jarring."
It was Bruno Tonioli's debut as the newest member of the judging panel.
Bruno got stuck straight in to his new job as he replaced usual judge David Walliams after he stepped down from the role.
He loved one dance act so much that he pressed the golden buzzer during Ghetto Kids' performance, which Simon said had "never been done before".
If an act is awarded the golden buzzer at the end of their audition, it grants them a place in one of the live semi-finals of the show.
Usually the golden buzzer is pressed by a judge once the act is finished and the judges have had a chance to talk about how the act did.
But, Bruno decided to break the rules and press the golden buzzer half way through the performance so they finished off their dance with the confetti falling all around them.
