Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden root for the stand-ups

Two of the Britain’s Got Talent judges say they want a stand-up to win the next series of the talent show.

As the programme returns for its 11th season on Saturday, both Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden say they hope a comedian will take the crown.

Dixon said: ‘At the beginning of the series Amanda and I both said we would like to see a stand-up comedian win.

‘It’s one of the toughest areas of performing and when you think of a comedian in their normal world they wouldn’t have just two minutes to go out and impress an already judgmental audience.

‘To do that on our show is really hard so when somebody comes out and nails it you are really rooting for them. We've got a couple of really incredible ones this year so I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed.’

Holden added: ‘For the first time ever we have some really fantastic comedy acts, which I desperately want to win the show – that would be my dream.’

The comedian to come closest to winning was Jack Carroll, who came second in 2013 when he was just 14.

Published: 13 Apr 2017