ITV bosses could force Simon Cowell to dump Bruno Tonioli as BGT judge after exec blasts him as ‘one-tone & hysterical’
ITV bosses could force Bruno Tonioli to be dumped as a Britain’s Got Talent judge after just two series — despite Simon Cowell wanting him to stay.
One executive at the channel branded the Italian choreographer’s style on the talent contest as “one tone and hysterical”.
They’re now considering taking advantage of the fact Bruno, 68, will struggle to be part of the rescheduled auditions in October as they clash with his US Dancing With The Stars stint.
An ITV insider said: “Nobody else has been agreed upon or approached as a replacement, currently the question is just — do we keep Bruno at all?
“There is much discussion going on.
“It’s nothing sinister, but maybe a change would be better.
“But Simon Cowell might insist he stays.”
The Sun exclusively revealed the filming clash facing the former Strictly Come Dancing judge earlier this month.
Bruno’s future on the show could become a major bone of contention as ITV thrash out the conditions of a £100million deal between the channel and the show’s producers, Thames.
Cowell, 64, insisted he wanted to keep his old pal in the job Bruno took in 2023 following the departure of David Walliams.
Cowell responded to the situation saying: “We’re doing the auditions — some of the auditions — this year and he’s going to be in America.
“So maybe there’ll be a stand-in for him. I don’t know.
“But I love Bruno on the show.
“I think he’s brilliant.”
Another ITV insider said: “This year’s BGT was a runaway hit and Bruno played a big part in that. He is much loved by the audience, the acts, his fellow judges, ITV and Thames alike.”
But the discussions among execs now centre around him being permanently replaced.
His hiring was a shock — that a dance background guy was selected to judge a variety show.
The new contract is likely to see BGT, which normally runs over seven weeks from April, extended to a run from February to May.
That is why the pre-recorded audition stage was moved from January back to October, so it can be edited to air earlier in the schedules.
An ITV spokeswoman said: “Any plans for Britain’s Got Talent 2025 will be announced in due course.”