Who are the big winners from years past, and who is haunted by dreams of what could have been?

 

1. Susan Boyle

 

SuBo is undoubtedly the biggest act to come out of BGT in the past nine years,despite never actually winning the show. Going from a rocky start to absolutely wowing the judges at her audition, Susan has gone on to become one of the most well-known singers in the world.

Since coming in second in 2009, Susan has become a global icon: her audition has been watched over 200 million times and her debut album sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and was certified 7x Platinum in the UK alone!

Most recently Susan could be spotted in 2016 Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander 2 where she made a cameo appearance.

 

2. Paul Potts

 

Paul Potts went from phone shop manager to opera icon after winning the first ever series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007.

His audition has been watched over 140 million times and his debut album One Chance reached number one in the UK, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden.

A film, named One Chance – after his debut album, was made of his life and starred actor and comedian James Cordon as Potts.

You can keep on top of his new music by checking out his SoundCloud.

 

3. Ashley and Pudsey

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Ashley and Pusdey featured on the 2012 series of the show and won the show with a Mission: Impossible themed routine, beating opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte.

Since their win, the human-canine pairing have gone from strength to strength, releasing a film in 2014 with Jessica Hynes and David Walliams, and appearing on several TV shows, including as judges on That Dog Can Dance!

They have been appearing on stage in pantomime for the past four years, most recently in the Easter panto of The Wizard of Oz in 2015. 

Pudsey is also an published author and in late 2012 he released his memoirs: My Autobidography. It's a bone-a fido success story from one of the industry's smallest, furriest names. 

 

But what about these guys? The stars who rocked their audition, and then sort of faded away? 

1. Shaheen Jafargholi

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Shaheen made his BGT appearance is series 3 where he made it through his audition by the skin of his teeth after Simon demanded a second song from the 12 year old singer.

He initially sang Amy Winehouse’s cover of Valerie, before switching to Michael Jackson’s Who’s Lovin’ You.

This video was seen by Michael Jackson who invited Shaheen to perform with him as part of the ‘This Is It’ tour in London, however Michael Jackson died before that could happen.

Shaheen instead took to the stage at MJ’s funeral, which was broadcast around the world, to reprise Who’s Lovin' You. Apparently at the ceremony, Larry King leaned forward while Shaheen was singing and whispered in the ear of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy 'Who is that?'

Gordy replied: "I have no cotton pickin' idea who that is, but if I were [still] in the business, I would sign him tomorrow."

 

2. Paddy and Nico

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Paddy and Nico wowed everyone with their salsa in 2014 but finished ninth, an achievement all the more staggering because Paddy was 80 years old at the time!

After earning Amanda’s Golden Buzzer, which sent them straight through to the live semi-finals the duo became an inspiration to many, with judge David Walliams saying “You’ve shown that no matter how old you are, you can still do something spectacular and beautiful.”

Since the show, Paddy and Nico have been rather under the radar as they have been performing at salsa congresses around the world, however in December 2015, a video was released on YouTube where a doddery old lady turned into a dance diva before the startled eyes of the public. The name of that old lady? Paddy Jones!

Britain's Got Talent returns on 9th April on ITV. Here are Ant and Dec talking about the show at the 2016 RTS awards.