Jeremy Clarkson broke into tears on Saturday, May 30, 2026, when the public voted his Hawkstone Farmers Choir as the champions of Britain's Got Talent 2026 on ITV.
The group secured the title after receiving over one million viewer votes during the live grand final at London's Eventim Apollo, defeating runner-up drone act Celestial and third-place dog act Anastasiia and Salsa.
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Judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI held no voting power during the final broadcast as the audience selected the winner of the £250,000 prize from 10 competing finalists.
Clarkson initially formed the singing collective to feature in his beer advertisement before the group continued performing to raise mental health awareness within the agricultural sector.
“This is for all the farmers out there, for anybody that’s struggling – it’s not a taboo subject; if you’re not OK, speak up.
This is for the farmers.” said Katryna Shell, a member of the choir.
The victory marks the first time a choir has won the competition across its 19-year history, succeeding the 2025 winner, magician Harry Moulding.
According to Metro. co.
uk, numerous viewers criticized the broadcast on social media platform X, labeling the episode as the worst final in the history of the program.
Audience viewership for the live specials reached a new low of 3 million viewers, contrasting with historical figures that previously exceeded 10 million viewers.
>>> Hawkstone Farmers Choir Wins Britain's Got Talent 2026 Grand Final
“The main thing out of this is we want to support people who are lonely or...” said Gwen Woodfuffe, a member of the choir.
The 19th series featured several controversies, including rule interventions by hosts Ant and Dec during auditions and complaints regarding dangerous acts like American performer Leroy Patterson.
The series also marked the debut of full-time judge KSI, who faced scrutiny earlier in the month over resurfaced video footage from 2012.
“You can’t joke about somebody else’s lived experience of being victimised.” said Lucy Duckworth, a representative of rape support organization The Survivors Trust.
During the final, judge Alesha Dixon also performed alongside her former Mis-Teeq bandmates Sabrina Washington and Su-Elise Nash for their first joint appearance in over two decades.
“We had quite enough drama on the telly last night,” said host Ant McPartlin during the launch of the live shows.
Co-host Declan Donnelly agreed with the statement after judge Simon Cowell noted that the panel could act poorly during the broadcasts.
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The talent competition is scheduled to celebrate its 20th anniversary on television during the 2027 series.
