'Britain's Got Talent' opened spectacularly, with a fantastic circus-themed opening. The performance was choreographed by Ashley Banjo, who in 2009 won 'BGT' with his street-dance group Diversity. The opening was inspired by the 2017 musical "The Greatest Showman" with the song "The Greatest Show." The camera followed the directions of circus performers as they led the viewers at home to the stage, while the audience in the theatre cheered.
The audience cheered even louder when Dec made his first solo appearance. He was lowered down to the stage on a hula hoop and was as confident as ever.
Any nerves that Dec may have had were soon gone when the audience showed how much support they had for him. He carried himself well as he stepped onto the stage for the first time this year, to present the show.
'BGT' also had a new home this year, with performances now taking place in London's Hammersmith Apollo. The night was an overall success, minus a few technical hitches. Some viewers lost transmission early in the show, with Dec apologising for "Technical problems" that had been caused by the weather.
Of course, Ant's absence did not go unnoticed with Simon Cowell joking "Ant you're coming back next year, don't do that!" after the show came back on after its technical difficulties. Dec also made reference to his friend at the start of the show.
He told the audience and viewers how the new venue was the only change to the show, before looking to his right, causing the audience to laugh.
2018's first semi-finalists
This year's first semi-final had a great variety of performers, who all fought for their place in the final. The first performance came from a young dance group, Cali Swing, who wowed the audience in their blue and yellow attire.
Unfortunately, it was shortly after their performance that the more than ten-minute technical issues occurred.
Next was Lifford Shillingford who sang his own rendition of The Beatles' 1965 song "Yesterday." Originally Alesha Dixon's golden buzzer, his live performance received mixed reviews. He seemed disappointed by the judge's reactions, but took it in his stride.
After Dec gave out the number to vote, Lifford Shillingford quickly left the stage looking unhappy.
Close-up magician Maddox Dixon once again impressed the judges and viewers with his Rubik's Cube, as well as a slight of hand trick in front of the judges' table. However, the most impressive was the floating woman, an act that allowed Dec and a member from back stage to become involved in the trick. This left the judges and Dec wondering how the trick was done.
Ellie and Jeki, who pleased judges with their instant costume changing audition, failed to do the same in the live show. The judges seemed unimpressed with last night's performance and made comparisons to the audition. Last night's performance had fewer changes, that took longer than the ones in their audition.
All of the outfits seen in both the audition and live show were designed by Ellie.
Dancer Shameer Reyes received four 'yes's' at his auditions. His brother Shaquille, who sang an original song also got four 'yes's'. But, it was only Shameer, the younger of the two, who made it through to the live show. He gave a great, energetic performance that started out in the audience. But he again received mixed reviews on his routine.
Lost Voice Guy had the judges and audience in stitches again. He had a fresh routine that made light of his cerebral palsy, while also educating people on his disability. He even managed to get in a dig about Simon Cowell and put him on mute. Lost Voice Guy brings a new outlook to disability, and could hopefully promote a deeper conversation in the future.
Following the comedy came the most dramatic act of the night: Matt Johnson. Amanda Holden summed up many viewers reactions when she said, "I was holding my breath along with you," after Matt Johnson successfully escaped once more. It was shared in his VT that his act was inspired by his brother, who suffers from seizures that cause him to struggle to breathe. Both the audience and judges were impressed.
To finish the show came the most patriotic performers The D-Day Darlings who sang "Britannia rule the waves" with great pride. The judges and audience were all equipped with small United Kingdom flags, that they swung in tune to the song. At the end of the performance, the girls stood back to reveal a group of veterans.
The veterans brought both a sense of pride and emotion to those watching.
First finalists decided
The final three contestants were, in no particular order Lost Voice Guy, Maddox Dixon, and The D-Day Darlings. As Dec had told the judges at the start of the show that the highest voted performer would be through to the final. The next two highest votes would go down to the judges' vote.
Once the final three had been decided, it was announced that Lost Voice Guy would be the first through to the 2018 'BGT' finals. He received cheers and applause from the audience, and he smiled with joy at his achievement. He, of course, had a thank you prepared, before leaving the stage.
That meant that Maddox Dixon's and The D-Day Darling's fate was left down to the judges' vote.
In the event of a tie, the winner would be decided by the public vote. But this was not the case with three out of the four judges voting to send The D-Day Darlings through to the final show. Alesha Dixon was the only judge who voted for Maddox Dixon stating that she wanted to "Keep it fair."
The 'BGT' 2018 first semi-final was spectacular. It showed the importance and significance of the show to the general public. Dec also impressed viewers with his solo hosting, still keeping the same upbeat and funny atmosphere that 'Ant and Dec' are known for. But perhaps it was just the massage that David Walliams gave Dec that really did it.
