ITV Changes the Live 'Britain's Got Talent' Schedule as Fans Urge Channel Bosses to Ban Controversial Acts After Fakir Testa's Performance with Simon Cowell — Video

A barefoot man walked onto the "Britain's Got Talent" stage, said almost nothing, then stripped off his shirt — and what followed left Simon Cowell pressing his red buzzer, the studio audience screaming in horror, and the nation at war with itself.

ITV has confirmed the first BGT semi-final will air live from the London Apollo on Saturday, April 25 — less than one week away. The show runs 7pm to 9pm, which means the final episode of "Celebrity Sabotage", normally scheduled after BGT, will be bumped to the earlier slot of 6pm.

Semi-finals will then air on consecutive Saturdays, with the fourth moved to Sunday, May 17 due to the Eurovision Song Contest airing the evening prior. The grand final is set for Saturday, May 30.

The reshuffle comes hot on the heels of one of the most polarising auditions in recent BGT memory — courtesy of 45-year-old Spanish performer Fakir Testa, whose act during the April 18 episode had fans simultaneously gasping and reaching for their phones to complain.

The Audition That Divided a Nation

Testa introduced himself to the judges with patrotic pride, revealing he hailed from Madrid, Spain. But when Alesha Dixon asked whether he'd brought anyone with him, he smiled coyly and said, "Maybe." To which Dixon remarked, "Maybe? You're a man of mystery."

Testa responded with a cartoonishly theatrical laugh, saying, "Yeah," and walked offstage — barefoot. The curtains dropped, and when they rose again, this is what the audience saw:

Testa reappeared alongside his performance partner — both dressed in a warrior-inspired aesthetic of chains, leather, and boots. He was bare-chested, still barefoot, and utterly composed.

His partner drew the swords from the stand and handed them to Testa, who sliced small white cards into pieces — a demonstration that the blades were not props.

She stacked them on the frame. Testa placed an apple on the lowest blade and stepped onto it, splitting it clean in half. The judges flinched. The audience gasped.

Then Testa stepped onto the bottom sword — and began to climb. The audience screamed, but he did not bleed. He did not wince. He reached the top with his arms open wide, much to the audience's relief and excitement.

His partner then attached an extension to the top of the stand that arched over Testa's shoulders and handed him another machete.

He demonstrated its sharpness with more card-cutting, then placed the blade in front of his face, sharp edge upward, hooked his chin over it — and dangled, arms and legs extended. The crowd erupted.

When Simon Cowell Came Onstage

As Testa stepped down, Cowell pressed his red buzzer. "What's the point of the car?" he asked. Dixon buzzed too, and the crowd booed.

But Testa wasn't finished. He pointed directly at Cowell and walked toward him. Cowell — clearly intrigued — made his way to the stage, where Testa's partner had already climbed atop the SUV.

Cowell, already regretting his buzzer, apologized sheepishly. "Sorry about that," he said, pointing to his red X. "It was Amanda. Amanda pushed it." The two shook hands, and Cowell slid into the driver's seat.

What came next was the moment that truly divided viewers. Testa picked up a heavy chain attached to the front of the car, linked it to a sword, pulled the blade over his head — sharp end up against his neck — braced his bare feet against the stage floor, and pulled. The car, with Cowell inside, moved.

The studio erupted. Despite having pressed her buzzer, Dixon gave Testa a yes — admitting the act was deeply uncomfortable to watch, but acknowledging that it's what the crowd wanted. Cowell said yes too. Testa was visibly moved.

Viewers React: 'This Should Not Be Aired on TV'

Online, the reaction was swift and sharply split. Many were thrilled — but a vocal portion called for acts like Testa's to be banned from the show entirely.

"Why they showing things like this with kids watching..." one alarmed viewer demanded. "This should not be aired on TV. Terrible knife crime in the UK and this was awful to watch 🙈," another urged, clearly distressed.

"Why would you show this on TV? Yes it entertainment for some but it could also give ideas too…. There is enough issues without glorifying them.. 🤦‍♂️," a third seethed. "Knives acts shouldn't be shown as it gives people ideas!" another insisted bluntly.

"I don't watch it and haven't read all the comments but I'm assuming the act was dangerous, so maybe the producers of these programmes should bear in mind that children watch, and would still be allowed to watch even if a warning was given out beforehand," one measured commenter reasoned.

"Should not be allowed such an act," another wrote flatly.

Meanwhile: KSI's Golden Buzzer Stuns Everyone

Testa wasn't the only act stirring debate. A Japanese performer going by Mr Cherry — who declared his love for the UK repeatedly and arrived wearing three pairs of Union Jack-printed pants — delivered a strength act so bizarre and so committed that guest judge KSI slammed his golden buzzer without hesitation.

Mr Cherry's performance involved opening an impossibly tight jar of pickles, crushing Red Bull cans with his backside, and popping open champagne bottles with his buttocks. The audience, unsure whether to cheer or question everything, did both.

"I've never been so speechless about a golden buzzer choice 😂 I'm still deciding whether I liked this act or not 😂" one bewildered viewer confessed. "I'm just shocked like what but funny 🤣," another spluttered, lost for words.

"Never thought I would see that on national tv😂❤️," a third marvelled, equal parts horrified and delighted.

"Golden buzzer shouldn't have been used," one purist huffed, entirely unmoved. "He's the best act of the year," a lone enthusiast declared — and seemed to mean every word.

With the live semi-finals beginning April 25 and the grand final set for May 30, "Britain's Got Talent 2026" is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about series in years — for better or worse.