The Britain’s Got Talent 2022 semi-finals kick off tonight, with the first 10 acts taking to the stage – including Maxwell Thorpe, a Sheffield-based busker who blew the judges away with his rendition of Luciano Pavarotti’s Caruso.
While the 32-year-old will be one of the first contestants to perform live tonight, Thorpe told RadioTimes.com in an exclusive interview that he was meant to audition for the show three times before.
When asked whether he’d been tempted to audition in the past, Thorpe revealed that he had planned previously but never made it in front of the judges for various reasons.
“From a young age, before Britain’s Got Talent, I wanted to go on X Factor, but I sang completely differently than I do now,” he explained.
“I think I did it twice and it just happened that I couldn’t make that date of the audition because of the Duke of Edinburgh Award or something like that. And then I remember one time in Sheffield, I think the event got cancelled or something like that.”
He added that the last time he was due to audition for the show, he withdrew at the last minute.
“I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to do it, I’m really going to do it’ but I couldn’t get sleep that night and so I just backed out out of fear really.
“I was really quite scared so I thought, you know, it’s not for me, it’s not my path at that time. I was just terrified of being on the screen.”
Thorpe said that he decided to audition this time around after having a child.
“I’ve had a son and so in the last two or three years with COVID and everything, my perspective has changed and my priorities,” he said.
Thorpe will be performing in tonight’s live show alongside the London Community Gospel Choir, impressionist Suzi Wild, dance troupe Born to Perform, The Witch, magician Junwoo, ventriloquist Jamie Leahey and singer Mel Day.
Britain’s Got Talent continues on ITV at 8pm on Monday 30th May 2022. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.