Britain's Got Talent (series 9)

Judges and presenters

After the conclusion of the eighth series on 7 June 2014, speculation began about who would return to the judging panel for series 9. On 8 June, it was reported that Simon Cowell may leave the panel. David Walliams sparked rumours that he may not return. However, Amanda Holden announced on 31 October that she, Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Walliams would all return as judges for series 9. On 16 January, ITV confirmed that Cowell, Holden, Dixon and Walliams would be returning for series 9.

Ant & Dec returned to present the main show on ITV for their ninth series, while Stephen Mulhern continued to host the spin-off show Britain's Got More Talent on ITV2.

Golden buzzer

The golden buzzer returned for its second series. The first golden buzzer used was by Ant & Dec at the Edinburgh auditions for dance troupe Boyband. Cowell pressed the golden buzzer on the first day of the Manchester auditions for singer Calum Scott. Holden used her buzzer during the Birmingham auditions for choir Revelation Avenue. Dixon used hers during the first day of the London auditions for dance act Entity Allstars, leaving just Walliams who confirmed via Twitter that he used his Golden Buzzer on the last day of auditions in London for a comedy singer, Lorraine Bowen.

The first golden buzzer aired in the first episode, when Cowell pressed it in Manchester for Calum Scott. The second golden buzzer was aired in the second episode, when Ant and Dec pressed it in Edinburgh for BoyBand. Holden's golden buzzer for Revelation Avenue aired during the third episode. Dixon's golden buzzer for Entity Allstars aired during the fifth episode. Finally, Walliams's golden buzzer for Lorraine Bowen happened in the sixth episode.

Calum Scott won his semi-final, earning a spot in the finals. Entity Allstars were third but won the judges' vote to advance to the final. Revelation Avenue and Boyband were also third but lost the judges' vote. Both acts were possible wildcard picks, but only Boyband won a wildcard, securing a place in the final. Lorraine Bowen was eliminated in the semi-finals.

Auditions

Every week the auditions show aired from 8.00pm until 9.15/9.20pm.

Open auditions

The open auditions were held from 11 October to 9 December 2014 in Newcastle, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Birmingham, Leeds, Dublin, Norwich, Glasgow, Bristol, London and Manchester.

Judges auditions

The judges auditions were held in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and London. Auditions began in Edinburgh on 19 January and were held at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre, followed by Manchester from 29–31 January at The Lowry. Auditions took place in Birmingham from 5–7 February 2015 at Birmingham Hippodrome and ended in London from 11–12 & 14 February 2015 at the Dominion Theatre.

Semi-finals

The semi-finalists were chosen on 8 March 2015.

Each results show will feature a guest performance. Ricky Martin performed on 25 May, followed by 2014 finalists Jack Pack on 26 May. Dixon performed on 27 May, followed by Olly Murs on 28 May and 2014 winners Collabro on 29 May.

Semi-final 1 (25 May)

Semi-final 2 (26 May)

Semi-final 3 (27 May)

Semi-final 4 (28 May)

Semi-final 5 (29 May)

Final (31 May)

The final took place on 31 May from 7.30pm until 10.00pm.

It was announced during the semi-final 5 results show that the public would be able to choose a wildcard from the acts that lost judges' vote: Henry Gallagher, Revelation Avenue, IMD Legion, Boyband and Jesse-Jane McParland. It was revealed at the beginning of the show that McParland had been chosen as the viewers' wildcard, whilst Boyband were the judges' wildcard.

Wildcard vote

Final results

Ratings

The first six shows of series 9 held up a very high consistency in the ratings and topped the ratings for series 8 on most occasions. The final, which aired on 31 May, became the most watched UK TV show of 2015, overtaking the record previously held by the third auditions show and the live 30th anniversary special episode of EastEnders.

Lorraine Bowen

Army musician Leah Pettinger accused golden buzzer act Lorraine Bowen of plagiarism, claiming that she had written "The Crumble Song" when she was nine after she was inspired by her mother's interest in baking, and has the evidence. Pettinger threatened to take legal action, despite Bowen arguing that she had written the song herself and registered it under her name with the Performing Rights Society.

Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon

Ofcom received complaints from viewers about judges Amanda Holden's and Alesha Dixon's low-cut dresses during the live broadcast, with viewers claiming that the dresses were unsuitable for a family show that started before the watershed. A spokesman for Ofcom confirmed that these complaints would be assessed, and the following month they concluded that both judges were appropriately covered and were not portrayed in a sexualised manner.

Andrew Fleming

In the first live semi-final, Dixon and Holden were accused of being too harsh on contestant Andrew Fleming when they described his act as "dated". Further controversy erupted after Cowell blamed the production of the programme for "allowing him to fail", while fellow comic Bobby Davro stated that Fleming had been sold short by the producers.

Marc Métral

Marc Métral was investigated by the RSPCA after claims of cruelty to his dog Miss Wendy. There were also complaints to ITV and to the regulatory body Ofcom. The complaints were made as the act involves the dog wearing a false mouth worn like a muzzle which Métral controls with a remote control, the animal charity was concerned that it might have caused the dog distress. Cowell asked the RSPCA to attend rehearsals to make sure the dog was treated correctly and he was told she was "happy and looked after well".

The HoneyBuns

During the live semi-finals Cowell stated, whilst critiquing the performance of the girl band, The HoneyBuns, "We've got Little Mix, now we've got Big Mix". This was seen to be a direct jibe aimed at the weight of the various members of the group, and raised anger on social media.

Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse

During an interview the morning after the final, O'Dwyer told that the tightrope section of their final's routine was done by Chase, one of her other dogs, and not Matisse. Both dogs partook in the semi-finals, so viewers were aware that the pair looked very similar and that O'Dwyer had trained multiple dogs. During the finals, Matisse and Chase were never seen on the stage at the same time, so many viewers did not realize Chase was included in the act. Some viewers felt that they were misled or tricked since they assumed Matisse performed the tightrope trick. The show's producers apologized saying that "Jules' act involves a team of dogs" and "[they] are sorry if this was not made clearer". Cowell had been unaware of the switch and reportedly launched an investigation. At least 800 complaints were received by Ofcom and 130 by ITV.