It’s BGT time again – let’s hope producers’ intentions end up being as easy-to-read and efficiently executed as they were last year. The live semi-finals start on Monday, and the line-up for the first one has been announced.
It’s a brave punter who gets involved before seeing the running order, for reasons explored in the preview last year (and passim). We haven’t updated the graphs from last year’s preview as they reverted to eight-act rather than the nine-act semis of the previous five years, but suffice to note that the winners came from slots 6-4-8-6-4, the runners-up from 4-5-4-8-5, and the third places from 8-7-6-4-7. Plus ca change.
For the second year in a row, last year’s winner came from the third semi-final and the runner-up from the second semi-final.
Going into the live shows, father-and-son guitarists Jack and Tim vie for favouritism with magician Marc Spelmann at 5/1. Do share your thoughts and theories in the comments below as the live shows unfold.
I was amazed to see bet365 had lost voice guy at 13/5 second favourite in tomorrows heat. Using a friends account i steamed into that this morning.
Currently evens. Looks a steal to me
“Using a friend’s account”. I know your game Stoney! Thanks for the tip.
I was restricted to about a tenner on my own account :/
Hope you used a different ip address as that can become restricted aswell
When I say a friends account it really is. I transfer him the cash.
I use windscribe mostly to set my IP to wherever is appropriate. Useful for Gibraltar based betting sites. There are loads though, kproxy etc. Windscribe has been reliable for me. The trouble with the most common one,Tor, is that if you ever get your computer seized by the police, they will think you are up to all sorts of stuff on the “dark web”. Rubbish, but that’s how the police think.
Worth bearing in mind that the judges vote is returning for the semi-finals this year after being dropped last year.
Absolutely needed to happen. Last year was flat with the top 2 being decided by public vote.
Off topic: If anyone fancies a tasty longshot have a look at a triple on Petra Kvitova to win the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. You can find anything from 700/1 to 1000/1 on her. Certainly worth £1. She’s in sparkling form this year.
Obviously this is just a heads up. I’m not going to reimburse you for your house or even your £1 if she goes out in the first round – but at those sorts of odds I reckon she’s worth a punt.
You not getting involved in bgt jess?
Not watched it at all Stoney. I think I’m going to see Solo: A Star Wars Story tonight. Tbh I’m a bit bored of the Cowell shows. I might do X Factor in the summer and I might watch some BGT during the week but I’m not that bothered. I’ll certainly be having a look at ESC next year but right now I’d rather look at tennis than talent shows.
Talking of tennis ive got tickets for wimby this year. Court 1. Looking forward to that.
Sounds great. What day are you going? Court one is great up to the quarter finals. I reckon it’s best on the day of the last 16 (Monday / Tuesday of the second week) when you get a feast of the best players left in the tournament. It’s often better than Centre on those days because they have to take the top seeds of Centre at some point and make sure any survivors from outside the favourites get a least one go on it before the semis and the final.
(I’m about to leave for the pictures btw so I’ll reply when I get back).
Cool have fun.
Ive got day 2. It’s all ballots so I’m just greatful to have been able to get any tickets. Should get to see a few top players at least.
Should be a good day. You’ll certainly see seeds and the way the women’s game is at the moment, you might see some exciting match-ups even in the first round. Players like Cibulkova and Radwanska are teetering on the edges of the top 30 and then you’ve got players like Bencic, Puig and Stosur who aren’t even close. If someone like that gets drawn against a high seed you can guarantee they’ll be on a show court.
@Jessica Hamby
That Kitova treble sounds v interesting. Hers is an incredible comeback story, isn’t it? Beats the heck out of the one Sharapova wants people to buy into! I still vividly remember Kvitova absolutely wiping the floor with Bouchard in one of her Wimbledon final wins.
Is that treble available as a “special” bet? Like with golfers being chalked up at set prices to win a certain number of majors? (I’m just thinking that building a multiple bet on the same selection isn’t usually allowed as it’s classed as a related bet.)
I’ve got multi-sport money running onto Sloane to win this. I’m not religious but I’m performing a daily prayer for her to win! Thought she would be a lower price by now, but she seems to be one of those players whose odds are somehow more fluctuation resistant than others. (Just checking her price history on Oddschecker – which is palpably incorrect).
Just spotted that my Sloane is the same quarter as Petra. Darn it!
Sloane did well today but she’s at her best on the US hard courts. She has struggled away from there in the past. Her game is suited to clay though so she may surprise. I know her trainer has been pushing her to do better in Europe.
I don’t know about a special bet but I know the odds on Petra dropped massively today. This morning she was 14/1 for the French at William Hill. By this evening she had gone down to 6/1 and she hasn’t played yet.
In an almost direct contrast to Sloane, Petra seems to struggle in the US Open and she has a bit of a reputation for struggling on the US hard courts. I’m not sure it’s justified. She’s won the Rodgers Cup in Canada, and she’s won New Haven 3 times, as well as being a losing finalist and a semi-finalist there.
She was extraordinary against Bouchard, wasn’t she. The thing is that Genie didn’t play badly. Petra was simply incredible – and she seems to have found a consistency of incredible that she didn’t have before the attack and injury.
I had a little taste at 1344/1 (14/1 for French x 6/1 for Wimbledon x 16/1 for US Open) for the triple this morning. The woman in the bookie phoned someone senior before she would accept my tenner. Odds started dropping shortly after that. I don’t know what they are now.
This isn’t classed as a related bet because they are discreet, separate tournaments. The result of one has no effect on the result of the others. I had a similar bet on Jo Konta last year – put a pound on her to win the year Grand Slam just as she was starting to do well. The odds were insane (I might still have the slip somewhere – I’ll have a look and if I can find it I’ll tell you what they were).
She got pulped by Serena in the quarter final of the Australian. Serena went on to win the tournament without dropping a set.
I never knew you could do that type of bet. Whatever happens you’ve secured incredible odds! It is surprising what can and cannot be accepted. Correct score and 1st goalscorer bets are almost impossible to include in multiples, yet I have had other even more specialised bets accepted in multiples, usually by William Hill.
I also had bets on Jo Konta for the that Aussie Open. I remember just before that Serena match Paddy Power (eventually) went 9/2 (matching the general industry price) for Konta on the outright market. I cashed out immediately!
It’s often a case of beware the tennis player who has had time off the grind of the tour. Federer, Stephens, and Cilic come to mind. Kvitova could easily become the latest. Rather her than Sharapova!
I remember when it was the prevailing that Djokovic would never be able to win in Australian conditions and that Sharapova would never be able to win on the French clay, so I’m sure Kvitova could easily take the US Open.
Correct score and first goalscorer for the same match are related. If you were to do correct score for 3 separate matches or first goalscorer for 3 separate matches I would expect that to be accepted.
The price that I find most surprising is Elina Svitolina. She’s currently favourite but she’s never got past the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam (1 qf in Australia and 2 qfs in France) and only once (China) made the semi-finals of a Premier Mandatory (and one quarter-final in Miami but only last 16 anywhere else). I know she won in two sets today but she struggled. I think at one point she was 1-5 down in the first set.
She’s won a bunch of Premier 5 tournaments (including Italy last week) but they’re the third tier of the WTA. Her seeding is high because of the ranking points for Premier 5 tournaments but right now it looks like either she has a suspect tournament or else she’s raking advantage of tournaments where top players might be saving themselves for bigger things.
Corrections:
*suspect temperament
**taking advantage
I found out about trying to combine a correct score (in a footy match) in a multiple, a few years ago, one ESC, when trying to combine it with a Top 10 on Belgium – from a PP live chat agent. Then again, if I’d actually been in one of their high street shops and asked them to ring through… I recall how long it took me to have a heinz bet accepted re the 2012 Olympics, one afternoon standing in a Coral shop, explaining at length how and why the cycling components / selections were not related (although psychologically I was supposing they actually were.)
That’s a v tempting bet you’ve flagged up and although I’ve already missed the odds you secured, I might try a few quid on that myself! I’ve never asked. I’d been assuming incorrectly.
Apart from when Serena is in her pomp, ladies tennis seems to be endlessly unpredictable. I’m always happy to go with an outsider or two.
I think you’re right about there being no value in Svitolina. On clay results alone this season, multiple major winner Kvitova looks about the right odds now. I’m dearly wishing Sloane was in another quarter.
Coral’s odds are about the best that are displaying on Oddschecker at the moment. I don’t know about Betfair. Ladbrokes don’t have any odds for Kvitova on Oddschecker for any of the next 3 slams. They have them for everyone else.
It’s a punt, obviously. Only truly exceptional players can come anywhere near doing that. Three successive slams on 3 different surfaces is a hell of an ask. Only Serena and Djokovic have done it in recent years – but at those odds you can afford to bet a truly insignificant amount and still get a lot of added enjoyment from the matches.
I like to look for bets where I can place £1 or (if I’m feeling kerrrazy £10) at silly odds. If it was just about odds I could do the same bet with Konta or even Heather Watson but obviously given Konta’s form and Watson’s ability that would just be silly. Kvitova is playing so well that you can believe she might just do it. That makes it exciting.
She’s in the first match on Phillipe Chatrier today. It could all be over before lunchtime. It could be the start of something wonderful.
One last thing before I disappear for a while…
If you don’t fancy backing her for the US Open you can still get quite nice odds for Petra to do the double at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Given her clay form this year (winning in Madrid and in Prague) and her history at Wimbledon that might be a more attractive proposition.
As I post this it’s 2-1 against her (on serve) in the first round.
Oh dear. This is not going well!
*crying with laughter emoji*
On the bright side – her dress is nice. I like the colour.
Phew!!!! Still – a tough test in the early rounds is good to get the competitive juices flowing!
I’ve had an interesting day. Went past William Hill so popped in to find out what the current odds were (this was during the second set). They quoted 12/1 for the French Open but wouldn’t take a bet because it was in play. On a whim popped over the road to a branch of a small local bookies to ask about odds (won’t say the name in case it identifies my location). They were offering 20/1 for the French and 6/1 for Wimbledon.
Asked about the US, they didn’t have any odds. Cashier phoned up someone senior, told me they didn’t have any and would have to set a special price for double and treble because if she won the French that would change the odds for the other competitions. Then told me they wouldn’t accept a bet on the double because it was in play. Then accepted a bet on Petra winning the French.
ok enough of this Tennis event please…
it’s quite disrespectful for Andrew, the writer of this BGT discussion, showing disinterest to the main topic.
No offence taken, tennis fans! 😉
🙂
Hope you had a nibble on that treble.
Will only get the opportunity to visit a high street bookie tomorrow.
Hope I didn’t come across as a doubting Thomas earlier, Jessica. My main concern was later expressed in what you reported, here: “Cashier phoned up someone senior, told me they didn’t have any and would have to set a special price for double and treble because if she won the French that would change the odds for the other competitions.”
That’s kind of encapsulates my thinking. There’s always wiggle room for bookies to invoke the wide-ranging (ambiguous) palpable error or obvious error rule, which will always be tucked away in the t&cs. I think the (potential) precise term is related contingency, for what’s under discussion here.
I’m certain I’ve looked at “pre-season” odds, on Skybet and Sportingbet for examples, where they have offered odds for top echelon participants to secure 2, 3 and 4 Majors / Grand Slams in that golf or tennis year. As best as I recall, they are under a “specials” section where those win accumulator odds offered were substantially less than would be calculated from a X times X times X (etc) reckoning. (I might have even struck a bet on Jordan Spieth in such a market, one year.)
And bookies have been known to be very naughty. I wouldn’t put it past them knowingly accepting (invalid) long-odds accumulators, the vast majority of which will lose, while aware they can apply the palpale errors rule to the occasional winning multiple. Win / Win. They have their cake and eat it.
If and when Petra wins the first two legs, it might be worth seeking and securing a written assurance that the bet is live and valid.
Are there any bookmaker industry workers among the commentariat who would definitively know?
You didn’t sound like a Doubting Thomas. My post at 03:21 was to Andrew.
It sounds like they will simply tell me that the bet is invalid if it looks like coming in and I ask for written confirmation.
Oh well. Good to know. I’ll watch out for special prices next time I do something like this.
The related bet area is one I’ve been interested in for a while. But I’m only offering an (informed) punter’s perspective, not definitive industry knowledge.
I could be wrong / misunderstanding.
In the “meet daniel gould” tab, he mentions he’s a former horseracing journalist; so either Daniel will know the answer to this, or will know someone who does?
I’m tempted to pop down and find out either this evening or tomorrow. I’ll probably go and ask them shortly, before they close. I’ll also try to find out what the real odds are.
I’m not an informed punter at all, but I have had similar bets accepted in the past with no questions asked – although none of them have won. Having said that, Andy Murray and Jo Konta to win the year Grand Slam aren’t very likely eventualities. The stakes were only a pound but, as I said before, the odds (particularly on Konta) were astronomical (and I think I threw in another quid to combine them into winning all 8 in a year between them). However those bets were lost halfway through the second week of the first Grand Slam.
Bet’s not valid. Issued in error. Here’s your stake back. No odds for French Open at the moment because it’s in play.
No it’s not. They’ve finished for the night.
Well some matches might have stopped halfway through so they carry over till tomorrow.
No. There aren’t any matches carried over. They either completed or didn’t start. No-one is mid match.
Well we can’t give you any odds on the French Open and we can’t give you any odds on your treble. Thanks. Bye.
Btw, if anyone thinks I’m making this up (and cares enough to pursue it) let me know and I will post links to pictures of the slips for the double and single. I no longer have the slip for the treble so I can’t do anything with that.
I won’t take it personally. We can still be friends.
Btw, if anyone thinks I’m making this up (and cares enough to pursue it) let me know and I will post links to pictures of the slips for the double and single. I no longer have the slip for the treble so I can’t do anything with that.
I won’t take it personally. We can still be friends.
We know from FOBTs and the bookies (failed) vigorous campaigning to keep the £100 roulette stake that they are unethical swine; from the annual Grand National day benefit (an astronomical market overround swizz; the amount of uncollected bets and winnings they profit from); from the “cookieless fingerprinting” IE snare tracking software they download onto your devices; the habitual late withdrawal of a runner in a 8 or 16 runner horse race; from the closure or effective closure of accounts that even show a sign of being profitable etc.
Add to this, the ignorance of many of their high street staff. How many times have you had to guide the counter staff through the screens to locate the odds on the niche betting selection you want to bet on? How many times have you had to explain to them the sport you want to bet on, for example when you thought asking for a price on Jordan Speith to win the Masters would obviously indicate you were seeking to place a golf bet?! In my experience, most of their staff appear to have no interest in their product.
I’d be careful posting any links that could identify your location, Jessica. I’m thinking re one of your posts above where you mention being wary about naming the branch of a small local bookies to you. (I do know what you mean. I posted something similar fairly recently out of a concern that my chatter re my Ian Poulter win bets might be viewed with disbelief.)
I’ve only been concerned at a) bookies taking your money for bets on which they ultimately are very, very unlikely to ever pay out and b) on the scenario where Kvitova wins the first two legs of the treble and you seek to hedge by building up substantial liabilities betting against her.
Anyway: come on Sloane!
A good article (and comments) for anyone interested in more info on IE Snare.
https://www.geegeez.co.uk/iesnare-how-bookmakers-are-spying-on-you-from-your-own-computer/
Thanks Guildo.
You can still get 50/1 on Sloane. I’m tempted.
I’ll read your link later.
If asked I was going to put redacted pics of the slips on imgur and link to them but it’s probably not wise. I don’t think I’ll do that.
Have a good day.
Took a nibble on Sloane at 50/1. Let’s hope one of them makes it through that quarter. If it goes according to seeding they’ll meet in the fourth round. Should be a good match – great contrast of styles between Petra’s attack and Sloane’s defence.
I’m also hoping Sloane gets to play Camila Giorgi in the third. She’s a dynamic attacking player who is great to watch her but she’s not consistent enough to win tournaments. Her serve isn’t good enough.
FAO: ANDREW
Hi Andrew – I’ve sent a message to the sofabet gmail account. Pls read. Thanks.
Cheers Jess, replied.
Thanks.
Will pop something over to you later this evening or tomorrow morning.
I see Kvitova and Stephens have big tests in their next matches. I hope they both come through.
Had a nibble on Cameron Norrie @8, to come from behind and take Pouille. Unlikely, but Norrie seems a tough cookie.
Predictions for tonight, pre running order reveal
Winner- Lost voice guy (landslide)
2nd – Shameer
3rd – D day darlings
Judges choice- Shameer
tbh, i can only see either Lost Voice Guy or Marc Spellman as the eventual winner this year. maybe it’s time we have either a first comedian or a GB to win.
Looking forward to LVG tonight. They’ve passed up a couple of opportunities to push a comedian to the win (I’m guessing they could have got Daliso Chaponda or Jack Carroll over the line if they’d wanted to) and presumably it’s a box they’ll want to tick sooner or later. His audition routine was very funny.
I’m seeing definate similarities between Jack Carrol and LVG here and he wasn’t to far away from toppling attraction. I was close to a big win that year. I think with a weak field and a big geordie vote behind him, LVG is now a worthy favourite.
Given the caption under Cali Swing says they will be “opening the show in style” I wonder if this is the running order: http://www.itv.com/britainsgottalent/whos-performing-in-our-first-live-semi-final-tonight
Lifford’s chances suddenly look worse if so. No guarantee that will be the order though.
I wouldn’t be surprised – I came to on to say surely Matt Johnson has to be looked at as a prospective qualifier considering he got the Week One pimp slot? Looking back (if the Youtube order is correct) this slot was given to Sarah Ikumu, Alex Magala and Calum Scott in the past three years, all of whom made the final.
If that order is correct and he’s been given slot seven that’s pretty positive for him. I can see the D-Day Darlings being in a ‘fake’ pimp slot with Lost Voice Guy getting the other place from sixth.
On paper it looks a strong semi final but these things don’t always work out on stage.
Happy to have backed Lost Voice Guy at 12/1 last week to be crowned the winner. Brilliant audition. I always look for something that is different having successfully backed the winners from the last 2 years. I noticed in a speedy montage on the show recently Amanda saying something along the lines of ‘l think we need something to make us laugh’. With the other comedian axed (whi provided the misheard song lyrics) it to me clears LGV’s obstacle to pave the way for the win.
Fantastic. Nailed on to win tonight and hard to beat sunday.
Massive victory tonight beating that ridiculously pimped d day performance. Lvg unstoppable now.
On holiday in Italy for the week and not seen any of the audition shows so totally swerving BGT this year. Good luck all.
Tonight looks to be a 2 horse race for the top spot between Mags utopia and Ronan. Again running order will give us more idea but id be siding with Ronan winning the semi at this point.
Particularly if the running order is the same as ITV preview as it was last night. (http://www.itv.com/britainsgottalent/insider/ready-for-tonights-semi-final-here-are-the-acts-performing-tonight)
Looks to tally up with the Twitter page. Magus being deramped then. Ronan looks to be getting the opera singer push which I’m happy with as I’ve had an ew punt on him. Bad news for the Welsh guy.
You would see Ronan cleaning up tonight with that slot.
Money coming in for Ronan to win tonight. Threw a couple of pounds on Ronan to win at 11/4 with Betfred. He performs in the penultimate spot in the running order with a weak impressionist to get the pimp slot. This will make the opera singer stand out more. Death slot (2nd in running order) for Magus will weaken his chances, giving Ronan the win tonight I would suspect.
There was someone attempting to buy money for Magus Utopia to qualify this morning, now someone is trying the same for Ronan Busfield at a slightly higher price. Maybe they will both qualify together, but I hope it isn’t as straightforward as that.
Running order shake up.
Indeed. Given the 4 judge standing ovation I’m surprised B Positive were up first.
Magus not as early as originally thought.
They can afford to give an act at least that much given they have absoutely no chance of progressing from the opening slot.
Oh absolutely, but given the standards of some of the semi-finals over the years I’m surprised they threw that away so early on.
Funity can feel hard done by being slung that early. I thought they were very good.
Just switched on and saw a kid singing “isn’t she lovely she’s my mum”.
Holy cow.
You guys have got some strong stomachs to look at that sort of thing. I won’t have it in the house.
Jessica. That was truly nauseating wan’t it? I loved the way the judges had to go along with it, even saying that if he didn’t qualify he could still be brought in on a wild card. They surely can’t want him to do well, but they could be promoting acts that won’ be competition on the night I suppose.
Had to have a watch of Tuesday’s Semi on catch-up, Jessica, to see that kid singing. Didn’t disappoint! Cal-mum Courtney 🙂
In his own way, Son of Paul Potts was a fun surprise, too. Haha! I couldn’t believe my eyes! Felt for him, though, when Amanda’s comments finished him off.
It was obvious the panel were seeking to dampen the comedy-impressionist and the West Country comedian. The comedy-impressionist deserved more acclaim as he is a pencil-slim, young-looking guy often impersonating burly, stocky older men. He’s super talented. The stand-up had some absolute killer lines, but the funniest part for me was watching Simon Cowell’s prudish reactions to the near-the-knuckle (of the ring finger) jokes. Then again, I did feel as though I should be watching in black and white and expecting Frank Carson on next. Very old-school. Nothing progressive about the fellah.
I haven’t seen LVG (not since Mourinho replaced him), but I imagine they want to clear the decks for him?
The whole show was a bit retro? Futunity paid slight homage to Michael Jackson, or seemed to borrow the styling of the Thriller video, without particularly mimicking the dancing. At show’s end, or at drunken party’s end, the Shaggy homage act got going. Shaggy does seem to disappear from view before landing with a splash every decade, doesn’t he? Felt timely!
Donchez must have a real chance at pulling off a huge upset here
I’ll be happy with a Donchez win tonight.
The bigger picture besides tonight’s profit is a good night for lvg.
Anyone know what odds Donchez was to win the heat earlier today. Im guessing around the 66/1 mark. And there was me happy getting 3s
Sporting Profit on Twitter posted it was 12/1 earlier today. Seems short to me but he was a golden buzzer act I guess.
Notice how much Walliams is championing LVG on the show and via twitter. Even big Geordies like Alan Shearer in full support.
Tonight’s show felt like an X Factor live show from 2011 – a scattergun approach at nobbling everyone but the top three. Even Magus Utopia, with positive comments, didn’t come across as well thanks to the camera angles.
It certainly felt a lot less clearly planned and slickly executed than Monday’s show, when they seemed to get exactly the 1-2-3 they expected and wanted. Not sure they even knew what they wanted last night. It might of course just have been a deliberate effort to mix things up a bit running order-wise, but then Cowell did seem to wear an increasingly “for fuck’s sake” expression as the night wore on.
What do we all think of the extent of the potential for cock-ups and last-minute mind-changes on this show? Must be logistically challenging doing five live shows in a row with 40 acts who are all doing a live show for the first time. Wondered a few times last night if they might have changed plans on the hoof, maybe if the acts they expected to bring it were disappointing in the final dress reherasal? Ronan, for instance, had a lovely VT and nice staging (which are presumably locked in days in advance) but no standing-O and crappy comments (which are presumably alterable up to show time).
I think they definitely adjusted some plans. There was no real stand out and as you’ve touched on, Ronan had good staging, a good VT and I think they might have been hoping for a ‘moment’ until they saw his rehearsal! Generally in the past when they’ve ended on a novelty act it suggests it hasn’t been a great evening. The two poor comedians back to back didn’t help, they should have spread them as they sucked momentum away. B Positive should have gone on later, they’d have lifted the show a bit.
On Monday the running order perfectly matched the order the acts were listed in on the website that afternoon, whereas last night it was totally different. That may have been intentional, we’ll see if they’re the same or different for tonight later. Certainly the order they have on there for tonight looks plausible (http://www.itv.com/britainsgottalent/live-shows/excited-for-tonights-semi-final-check-out-whos-performing) and there’s potential for a better show.
Quite surprised at tonight’s lineup. Aleksandar, Rise Unbroken and Gruffydd all got pimp slots in the audition shows and Marc Spellman got the biggest reaction of the series. Seems oddly stacked.
After watching Semi 2, I had a look at acts in the top echelon of the betting.
Gruffydd Wyn was very good, and looked genuinely extremely nervous, but he’s not the best operatic singer I’ve heard on BGT. I found myself searching for Charlotte and Jonathan’s audition. The confidence journey thing already felt a bit passé to me, even before watching the following emotionally-powerful acts…
Watching Marc Spelmann act reminded me of the importance of telling your story. Put me back in mind of Germany’s use of visuals and use of life events, in Eurovision
Jack and Tim were lovely to watch and listen to. The lad shines like a young Osmond. Beautiful connection, song and singing. Where they a little understated, classy and subtle? Like OG3NE from ESC 2017, will their understatement impair their result?
Rise (Unbroken) put me in mind of the Italian Eurovision entry and the #metoo build up for Israel’s entry. They could be attracting a lot of votes from London as well as Manchester? The dancing wasn’t amazeballs (although I absolutely loved the concept) but no-one was at all bothered by that. I don’t think they attracted a golden buzzer? If not, that’s a shame as it will be difficult to come up with multiple choreographies, eventually the eye will settle on the quality of the dance show? Or does that matter? Loved the group friendship.
I wondered how short priced favourite LVG was going to top that little lot … but, boy, he did. Some of his lines had me howling. LVG for BGT sounds snappy, too.
Anyway, it’s interesting thinking of this BGT in ESC terms, or will that prove misleading?
It did prove misleading!
Earlier this evening, I left a reply to Score’s post above, or at least thought I had, where I asked after which acts were BGT trying to nobble, given the upcoming Semi was “oddly stacked” and added, if so, that this must be being done for the benefit of an act not in this Semi of Death.
The two I would have been looking to bury would have been Marc Spelmann and Rise Unbroken. Although Marc was a bit grim faced, robotic even, and Rise’s actual dancing wasn’t to a wow standard, they would be difficult acts to dampen with judging-panel negative criticism.
I liked Gruffydd but I felt his talent was being overhyped. That reports were suggesting he was being handed the pimp slot suggested that BGT feel that he is not a real threat for the win. I looked further down the betting for a bigger priced Semi winner and had a look at Aleksandar Mileusnic, who looked impressive, until I read that he is an ex Voice contestant. At that point, I stopped looking! After all, it had been Eurovision that ate my attention, not BGT.
BGT and XF viewers are more immune to contestants whose backstory is repeatedly rammed down their TV screens and throats? Years of exposure to XF has definitely had that effect on me. Whereas ESC viewers are less cynical? Despite the fact that XF and BGT have their very popular equivalents throughout Europe.
By the way, I’ve just watched the audition of tonight’s winner, Robert White’s. WTF? How on earth was he 80/1 to win the outright? Just randomly watched Micky Kerr’s audition and he’s funny as heck as well. Reminds me slightly of Omid Djalili’s support act. Who else is lurking under the radar?
It’s hard to keep a good comic down.
Will be interesting to see how BGT manage having LVG, Robert and Micky, three semi winners, in their final.
This has got to work in DVJ favour.
I missed out on having the chance of a “Semi” bet on Robert, and even though I highly rated Micky I have to admit I didn’t have a “Semi” bet on him, either! I’ve resisted having bets on BGT as I was wrapped up in the ESC and then primarily focused on sporting events.
Leeds is a big city and Micky is Yorkshire through and through, so even if you’re “Yorkshire” and not that impressed by him, it would be difficult to vote for another comedian, than it would to vote for a dance act?
Just watched DVJ’s audition. Hmmm. The panel claiming not to know what the acronym DVJ stood for; claiming not to know that Ashley Banjo, DVJ’s choreographer, previous winner of BGT and “friend of” BGT was in the building; one of the dancers stating they only had 3 weeks rehearsal. Yeah.
Odd … that vibe of privilege in the air.
Just watched their Semi performance. Got to hand to them. It was brilliant. Just fantastic skill, performance and entertainment. What a show!
Personally, I hope LVG and Robert come 1st and 2nd, but watching that DVJ Semi performance (now: again) is a reluctant pleasure.
My heart hopes LVG wins. I think he will, with the current odds plenty cramped.
Arguably, LVG’s presence and that of the Giang Brothers are not helpful to DVJ’s chances.
Best performance I’ve seen: Robert’s Semi.
Anyone outside the top three in the betting a chance of contending?
Gruffydd Wyn is indeed performing last. Confirmed
Confirmed where?
Twitter. By one of his mates
Cheers
I’m not entirely confident about LVG winning. Spelman could cut it close and if the D-Day Darlings bring out more veterans and have a memorial about people who died in the background or something they could give him a run for his money too.
I’ve only seen a bit this year so take this with a grain of salt.
The website running order was correct except Marc Spellman and Mr Uekusa were switched around. I THINK the intro at the start of the show had the acts in the correct performance order too, whereas yesterday was different from both the website and the final order.
All circustantial but it does suggest there was a last minute change of plan, to the extent they couldn’t even update the introduction before it went to air.
Tonight’s show was far more polished and slick once again, as if things went exactly as planned.
Interesting that another comedian has won a semi.
Who got the most votes. Who will they run with.
Im still of the opinion that Lvg wins from here. I get the vote split argument but Robert doesn’t tap into the geordie vote and vote split didnt stop diversity.
True. Vote splitting isn’t the only potential factor, or perspective to be considering. There can be a positive, too, in certain circumstances. I used to be responsible for much of a retail store’s pricing; a store which sold niche products.
Though if Micky Kerr pulls a blinder, then there would be three funny guys competing, which could makes things a bit crowded and might be to their mutual disadvantage, though not necessarily.
Robert White has obvious advantages over LVG. But LVG is as funny as you could ever imagine a guy in his circumstance could be. They’re both very clever guys. Just watched a clip of Robert’s performance tonight: he’s a sensation.
Come the final, it might just come down to who’s funnier on the night.
I imagine a few commentators and / or readers will be having a flutter on the World Cup next month.
I tend to find it’s often best to wait nearer to the tourney before putting down any bets.
A two fold reason for this: a) you won’t be caught out by key player injuries sustained in upcoming friendlies; and b) you will be able to cherry-pick the best of a full range of generous bookie offers. (The potential downside is to be swayed by the results and performances of and in those friendlies – which often are not reflective of teams’ and players’ true standings / form.)
Already, SkyBet and Hills are running some very good promotions re outright winner and top goalscorer markets.
I don’t usually bet early … but I have had a small dabble on Sadio Mane @230 and @240 in the top goalscorer market; and @10 for Coutinho to be top goalscorer for Brazil. (I’m not a Liverpool supporter, by the way! And generally prefer to avoid players known from the Premier League.)
Although I like Gareth Southgate and think promoting an internal candidate who was the youth team coach can be a brilliant strategy (looking at Pep and at Zidane), I still think quotes as low as 14/1 (Ladbrokes-Coral) for England to win the WC are potty low.
14-1 is probably a reflection of a very favourable draw whereby we shouldn’t really face anyone half decent until the last 8. Assuming of course that both teams will have already qualified when we play Belgium in the last group game making it something akin to a friendly with no real consequence as to who finishes first or second.
I can’t be the only person who gets annoyed by all of the (lengthy) sports comments on this site? There are literally hundreds of more appropriate and suitable places where these sporting opinions could be discussed. I don’t enjoy having to scroll through all of the tennis, football or bloody GOLF posts in order to read what people are saying about BGT. I find them very irritating. *And breathe*
It’s not just about the subject matter though, it’s about posting in a community. Posting to people with whom you are familiar makes it better – even the arsey ones. (◠‿◠)
A separate sports thread would certainly tidy things up a bit.
Well tonight seems like an easy enough heat for Jack and Tim to win. But I have an interesting theory regarding DVJ. The producers seem to be carefully disposing of all the dance acts and we don’t have 1 in the final yet. I would not be surprised to see these massively pimped and propelled into the final. Possibly even winning the heat.
It still probably wouldn’t stop people hijacking the TV threads with their irritating and misplaced sporting posts. A separate sports website would be even better….oh wait.
Seperate sports thread posted! Cheers Stoney
I’ve taken 25s on DVJ on the basis they will be a lot shorter tomorrow. Looking like they have the pimp slot tonight as well.
I think DVJ will be pimped tonight too. As you say, no dance acts in the final yet and they’re the only decent one left.
Jack & Tim probably for the other slot although they’ll want to be careful to avoid too many singing acts. No one else really stands out but this time yesterday I didn’t fancy Robert’s chances so there’s always room for an upset. With 2 comics through already I suspect Noel’s chances are dead in the water though.
What a slick job from the producers thought. DVJ looking a steal at 4/1 For tonight’s semi
I’m so over acts like DVJ.
With all the singer’s and comedians in the final they have a shot. Im happy to have them at 25/1
Good call Stoney. But I’m with Phil on being fed up to the back teeth with acts like that. But not for betting purposes….
Worth watching to see the judges try to keep calm after being sprayed with water and covered in toilet paper. Two evening gowns ruined and two Armani suits. Probably total value £5 grand at least. Biggest laugh I’ve had since BGT began.
Im shocked Robert white has gone favourite tonight. He absoutely needs Lvg in the 1st half and deramped to have a chance of winning.
So you don’t think Robert White is a vastly superior comedian, with more diverse material and with a wider range of post-show opportunities than LVG?
Tim B
This is BGT. Quality doesn’t matter as much as the current presentation. LVG has a selling point. Comedians are two a penny. LVG is funnier than a lot of others that are on TV all the time. James Acaster for example. Who did he sleep with to get all that airtime?
Never heard of him. The LVG vs Robert battle is an interesting one though. What LVG has on his side is a more sympathetic character, but I fear his act is going to suffer from the law of diminishing returns. Is he able to come up with some new jokes about him being disabled, or will he be repeating himself in Sunday’s final?
Lvg could turn up and do nothing and he would still have a massive chance because of the Geordie vote.
Robert White may be a funnier comedian. But he is nothing special, I’m sure there have been people like him turned away every year previously. I just can’t see a way he gets enough votes to win with Lvg taking a share of the comedy vote. LVG ticks various other boxes with more conviction.
Im also more than open to the thought of DVJ creeping through the middle and winning on Sunday.
You’re lucky to have never heard of James Acaster. But he is a panellist on many comedy shows, and a regular on Live at the Apollo etc. No offence, but if you are betting on current acts, which include comedians, maybe it’s worth paying some attention to the current market? Just google James Acaster and I bet you have seen him, even if you don’t remember his name. LVG is the sort of act that goes down well on the comedy circuit these days. BTW James Acaster earned £1.5 million last year from his books, gigs, and comedy club appearances. I don’t like him, and I don’t find him funny, but I note that other people do and I take this into consideration when I’m betting.I go to a lot of comedy gigs as I get free tickets and I assure you that LVG would go down well at universities, metropolitan comedy clubs etc. However, that doesn’t mean the televoters will go for it, as their demographic is light years away from the sorts of people who go to comedy clubs.
Had to post this somewhere. Watched BGT tonight, rarely watch it, and saw Marty Putz. I just got a weird deja-vu feeling about him and remembered someone on an old programme called ‘Saturday Night Live’ about 30 years ago who did a similar act, including ironing his face. Checked on you tube and it’s actually the same bloke. He was on an iconic comedy programme 30 years ago!!! No idea why I remembered him but it was so weird. I hope he does well now. Anyway, the bloody Diversity kids will probably win as they seem set up for it.
markovs
What a memory you have! Respect. I watch SNL quite often and they have some good comedy on there. I would have loved it if Marty Putz had won, but the BGT voter and self important judges preferred boring instead. Father and son act with an overly confident and irritating out of tune son, and yet another bloody dance act. Which will probably win and then disappear except for appearances at Butlins. If they’re lucky.
The final is a hugely top heavy male dominated line-up. Tomorrow I expect at least one female to go through. Either Mandy or Sarah. Possibly both.
Lexie is also a female, from what I can tell.
Also I wouldn’t under-estimate her chances. Even young girls from Salford can be very determined.
DVJ went 1/33 to win last nights semi with bet365 just before the lines closed. This is the shortest I have ever seen any act go. Must have been 1 hell of a landslide victory last night.
Looks very much like tonight Father Ray will go into tonights semi as favourite. Lvg is the only pre show favourite that has gone on to win the semi. For that reason and what I mentioned yesterday i have backed Mandy for the win tonight. They will certainly want a magician/illusionist in final so i see her as getting a big pimping tonight.
Of course once running order becomes obvious this cpuld all change. These semis have become the most transparent of all time. By 8.45 every night we pretty much know who has won the semi.
Based on Holden/Dixon’s comments last night they’ll be pushing for Mandy tonight.
If the running order matches the website (did on Monday, didn’t on Tuesday, did with one switch per night on Wed/Thu) then the Giang Brothers will close the show. With 5 singing acts through already they might want to push variety tonight so this would tie in.
another positive for Mandy is the only other female(s) through to the final is the d-day darlings, surely they’ll be desperate for another woman
Good point. Why didn’t i think of that.
I have a feeling they’ll put Mandy through as a wild card, despite promising that dance act whose name I’ve completely forgotten, as will the whole world after the final, even if they were to win.
I notice the dancers have been given the death slot tonight.
Father Kelly on Lorraine earlier dropped a little hint of his song tonight (You’ll never walk alone) keeping Hallelujah in reserve for the final maybe.
Hi, long time reader, occasional commenter. Question for staging aficionados on tonight’s Semi.
Would it be a reasonable suggestion to venture that, following down the path of when people have smoke and a sky backdrop whilst singing its meant to make them look like angels, Made Up North had the opposite, all the skyscrapers visually shrinking them?
Paul
You just got your answer!
What a complete shock that was tonight. Im guessing quite few people got burnt. And even more men in the final!
Simon Cowell pretending to be happy was the highlight for me.
Stoney
Anything that pisses off Simon Cowell is always a bonus.
Lol he was absoutely seething. I dont know why he went to such lengths to pretend he was happy with the result though. Not that it really did him any harm but we all know he doesn’t put a fancied act on so early in the show. It felt as though maybe him and mickey had had words about this. It was strange.
Stoney
He hates losing control. They didn’t give Mickey Kerr a chance, but he upstaged them, The Giang brothers were probably more favoured, but on previous form acts like that haven’t always done well, and despite the running order, they didn’t get much pimping. Pity I didn’t have money on them! Great to be wise in hindsight.
Lvg retains his place as the worthy favourite. For me he is the winner tomorrow night but if DVJ could win id be even happier. Either will do im not being greedy.
Stoney
It says in the Mirror today that he’s worked his fall in the hotel room into the act, so he’ll have new material. Here’s hoping it works. I can’t see him below top 3, so I’m covered at that.
Effectively its a 4 horse race. I know Mickey won the other night but im not giving him much hope at winning this. Id say the winner almost certainly comes from the top 3 in the betting
Hi guys, first post on here. I’ve had a decent go on DVJ at 25/1 which has come in nicely. I thought Ashley Banjo would have them doing a great routine which they did. I presume they’ll have a fresh one for the final too. The best value was 4/1 for them to win the semi with bet 365 but I had problems depositing grrr. Also, I got some Donchez at 50/1 to win his semi which was a result ha.
I’m really not sure about tonight. On the one hand, you would think that the three comedians would take some votes from each other but I’ve seen two polls on different websites and both had LVG 1st and Robert White 2nd. Plus, after so much outrage that DVJ have got it easy because of help from Ashley and last in the running order (I disagree fwiw) then the shows producers are less likely to give them one of the last spots this time.
No real outrage was there, DVJ or Gruff will pimp. (A remote possibility DDD have something decent to end with).