Simon Cowell was reportedly heckled with brutal insults during Britain’s Got Talent auditions in Blackpool.
The TV judge, 65, allegedly faced boos and yells of “you old fart” when he criticised any of the performers while filming the ITV talent show at Winter Gardens.
The interruptions and jibes from the “raucous” audience has caused a “headache” for producers as they struggle to edit out the taunts in the footage, sources claimed.
However, Cowell and his fellow judges Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and Bruno Tonioli reportedly saw the funny side and even “encouraged” the hecklers to “misbehave”.
“Simon isn't vain in that way and found the heckling absolutely hilarious - even when they were calling him an old fart,” an insider told The Sun.
“He loves having BGT in Blackpool precisely because the crowds are so raucous and enthusiastic. And he knows that sometimes he might be on the receiving end of their passion.”
The insider went on: “He even encourages them to misbehave, even if sometimes the misbehaviour can cause a headache for the production team. Thankfully they were compensated for any hassle by a rare chance to have a good laugh at the boss's expense.”
The Standard has contacted representatives for Cowell and BGT for comment.
BGT will return to viewers’ screens with the series 18 premiere on February 22.
The episodes will reportedly run for double the usual length of time and see Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly returning as hosts.
A trailer for the upcoming series sees acrobatic acts flip across the stage, a drummer covered in paint as he rocks out on his kit and a pole dancer dressed in a bird mask.
It also featured a fire-wielding magician, dance tropes and a basketball player landing a slam dunk into a very high net.
Social media star KSI is also set to appear as a guest judge as he fills in for Tonioli on a handful of audition days.
The YouTube personality and boxer, real name Olajide JJ Olatunji, sat in on three audition days, including in Blackpool, while Tonioli fulfilled filming commitments in the US.
Singer Sydnie Christmas was crowned the winner of the show last year, winning a £250,000 prize and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance.
