Bruno Tonioli reportedly threw Britain’s Got Talent auditions into chaos when he pressed his Golden Buzzer twice before admitting he’d never watched the show.
The former Strictly judge, 67, has joined the panel of the ITV talent competition for as a replacement for comedian David Walliams, 51, who left after he made ‘disrespectful’ comments about contestants from previous series.
Professional dancer Bruno apparently did not realise that the Golden Buzzer, which automatically sends auditionees through to the live finals when pressed, could only be used once, and reacted when the audience began cheering for an impressive act.
Producers were sent into a panic over whether to allow the contestant through, or to cancel Bruno’s over-excitable intervention — with show boss Simon Cowell locked in a heated discussion with the head of production company Fremantle over what to do.
Eventually, they sent the guy through.
A source said: “It was madness. The buzzer worked but there was no glitter in the cannon above the stage as it had already been used up.
“A producer raced over to try to tell Bruno he couldn’t do that.
“Then Bruno said he’d never actually watched before!
“Apparently it was because he didn’t want to be influenced by other shows’ judging styles.