Britains Got Talent Auditions

The Jackal · Joined: 17 Jan 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Bucks

Given the fairly poor representation stand up had on BGT last year, I have applied, and have an audition next month. Has anyone done an audition last year/this year ..? I'm prepped and relaxed on what I'm doing, but any tips or things that you wish you knew before hand would be greatfully received. I have no real expectations, If nothing else the queueing and people watching should be entertaining.

Thanks in advance

Chris

hodgson · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 1146

Unless you are very experienced at performing to extremely mainstream audiences I would avoid doing it altogether.
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Paul Savage speaks Easy · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 1506 Location: Wolverhampton

Do jokes. One liners. Don't expect to be able to get a story out.

JapaneseBoy · Joined: 16 Jul 2010 Posts: 263 Location: London

I would imagine they have already lined up who is going to win this thing. Unless it's you I wouldn't touch this with a barge pole. The producers of these things are looking to make cringe inducing television most probably at your expense.

NCF_Entertainment · Joined: 12 Apr 2011 Posts: 31 Location: Nottingham

I did it last year as my comedy character harmonica monocle man, the producers loved it but David Hasselhoff was a ball bag who clearly didn't know what he was doing, got roundly booed off in Birmingham, the crowd are brutal as hell if you're not a dancer, a singer or a child, they hate majic and comedy from what I heard from other acts I was doing it with but you can ask for it not to be shown on the telly if you want.
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hodgson · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 1146

I don't think they have any agenda to keep comedy off the show. If you were to win the crowd over then you'd go through, simple as. CJ Harper went to the semis one year but then he's a very, very experienced mainstream act who knows how to work the kind of people who'd go to watch a BGT audition. I couldn't do it myself but it could be done by the right act.
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jagger · Joined: 19 Oct 2002 Posts: 1514

I think the main problem any stand up faces on the show is that you are likely to go on stage following a number of musical acts so the audience won't be warmed up for a comedy act.

If I were you I'd be tempted to audition as a character act because if you are successful you can run with the character but if it flops you can drop the character and there is no harm done to your reputation.

emceehamster · Joined: 27 May 2010 Posts: 380

I would go with 3 minutes of pure gags, real simple, funny shit. Make em laugh.
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hodgson · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 1146

Problem is, humbleness is the key to winning over audiences on these things. A lot of people will assume an comedian has a high self opinion

"Thinks he's funny does he? We'll fucking well see about that"
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The Jackal · Joined: 17 Jan 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Bucks

Thanks - all useful. The bit on just doing gags and one liners is (i think) spot on - appreciate the input. Genuinely interested to see how the process works etc. Thanks again

Chris

hodgson · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 1146

Good luck but if you feel like you've been insulted, made to look stupid or stitched up afterwards then you can't really complain because you must know full welll that might well happen
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The Jackal · Joined: 17 Jan 2011 Posts: 21 Location: Bucks

Again, fair point. Eyes wide open, so we shall see!

Gloucesterboy · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 3111

It might be your day?
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BalloonDr · Joined: 24 Aug 2009 Posts: 159 Location: Southampton

My personal experience;

First audition is completed in a room with a producer and a guy with camera.

Two months after this I received a phone call informing me that I was through to auditioning in front of Cowell, Morgan, and Holden, and also that I should keep 3 consecutive days in my diary free as I could be auditioning on any one of these dates.
One month on (one week before audition dates) from the phone call I still had no definite confirmation on my audition date. Two days later I receive a text telling me what date my audition is on. One hour on from that text I receive another text informing actually it’s the day before the previous date I was told.

Day of audition I'm told to arrive at hotel to be ready for audition from 2pm-10pm I sit in a room full of other acts who over the course of the afternoon/evening get interviewed one by one whilst being ordered to shift around from where their sat to make the background of the interviews look busy. (gets annoying after be asked the 10th time)

10pm I get shifted to Apollo with 4 other acts ready to go on stage.

11pm I step out on stage (my act consists of comedy magic) the audience laugh the judges don't buzz I finish, they tell me that what I did isn't long enough and that I’m not going through.

Time wasted lessons learnt. Unless what you do is phenomenally BRILLIANT, UNIQUE or MENTAL, AWFUL then it won't be shown on TV as my performance wasn't shown because it wasn't any of those things. When you sign the form you sign over all rights to that videoed performance you can't at a later stage ask them not to show it if something goes horribly wrong because they'll use it for entertainment value. Likewise if they don't show it they'll retain the rights to it so should in the future you become a big star? They'll sell it on and make money from it of which you'll be entitled to none.

Just my experience and thoughts I was younger and naïve and I won’t be doing it again. What possible monetary gain is there for Mr Cowell from a comedian, a tour? DVD sales? Nothing compared to the earnings possible from a music act.

In comedy there is no short cut to the top just hard work.
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Angelo Marcos · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 277

I don't think that stand up can really work in the format of Britain's Got Talent. The audience want to see a thing, a gimmick they can point to as a 'talent'.

I wrote a whole diatribe about this last year:
http://www.chortle.co.uk/correspondents/2010/12/23/12452/comedy_cant_thrive_on_britains_got_talent

It's a shame, but I just don't think the format of BGT is right for stand up. I may be wrong - in fact I hope I am - but for the moment it just doesn't seem to be the right vehicle for stand up comedy.

Good luck at the audition though - at worst you'll get some good material out of it, and at best you'll win and shut us all up! Wink

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