The judges were left speechless as a Britain’s Got Talent audition was halted when health and safety staff rushed on stage to rescue Simon Cowell.
The 18th series of the hit ITV talent competition is set to return to our screens next Saturday (February 22) for its longest series ever—almost four months’ worth of episodes.
Thousands of hopefuls flocked to the auditions to showcase their skills, and while many impressed the judges, one tense moment left Simon fearing for his life.
Speaking to the Daily Record and other media at the press launch for the new series, Simon expressed gratitude to the health and safety workers who stepped in to help him.
In a teaser for the new series, the talent judge was seen being ushered on stage by a competitor, who attempted to smash a group of watermelons with a mallet – while Simon anxiously lay in the middle of them.
“You know the feeling when you kinda think somebody doesn’t want you on the show anymore? It was that. It was the closest, genuinely, where I’m thinking, ‘They actually want to kill me’. I swear to god, that’s how I felt,” Simon explained.
“The producers were howling with laughter,” added Amanda Holden, while Simon elaborated: “They were like, you know, ‘Carry on,’ and the health and safety guys, who are normally quite annoying, actually stopped him, thank god.”
Simon went on to explain that his nerves were exacerbated when the man became “nervous” and started slipping and “shaking” on stage as he smashed the watermelons. This left Simon’s fellow judges panicked as they watched on in horror.
“We were genuinely worried,” said Alesha Dixon, with Amanda sharing: “Even with like St John’s Ambulance, I don’t know what they would have done but anyway, in the wings. It was so precarious because it was melons they were smashing, so the water was everywhere, so any kind of safety that there must have been backstage was out of the window. It was horrific to watch.”
Simon explained that he could feel the wind of the hammer going past his head, with watermelon juice violently splashing in his face.
“I didn’t realise how much I cared about you, Simon,” Alesha quipped, with Bruno Tonioli also noting the intensity of the situation: “The hammer landed about an inch from his head.”
“Please don’t do that again. Can we just draw a line under that?” Alesha then urged before concluding: “It’s funny though, the hardest acts to watch end up being the most entertaining to watch back.”
This wasn’t the only unusual moment for Simon during the auditions, as he was also heckled by a woman in the audience while filming at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Boos and repeated insults were aimed at the 65-year-old, including shouts of “You old fart” when the judge critiqued any of the performers.
Britain’s Got Talent premieres on Saturday, February 22 at 7pm on ITV1