Britain’s Got Talent 2018: Who is hosting, when does it start and what is the format?

Britain’s Got Talent still manages to be full of surprises, even after 11 series.

We already know that the judges have favoured singing acts in this year’s show, but what else can you expect from the 2018 edition?

Here’s everything you need to know.

When does it start?

Britain’s Got Talent is back on ITV this weekend, with the first auditions show airing on Saturday, 14 April at 8pm.

Who are the judges?

Simon Cowell seems to have hit a sweet spot when it comes to the BGT judge line-up – he’s kept it the same since 2012.

That means Amanda Holden is back (she’s never missed a series before), alongside former Strictly champ Alesha Dixon and comedian David Walliams.

Will Ant McPartlin be featured?

ITV has confirmed that Declan Donnelly will present the talent competition’s live shows solo.

It comes after McPartlin stepped down from his TV commitments and returned to rehab following a drink-drive crash.

The pair will be seen together in the opening shows, as McPartlin was present for the auditions phase of the series.

Donnelly fronted the finale of Saturday Night Takeaway without McPartlin, admitting the show had been ‘tinged with sadness’ due to his colleague’s absence.

What’s the format?

Have you been living under a rock for the last ten years? You have? Here’s how Britain’s Got Talent works – the series largely consists of weekly audition shows, where the judges are faced with unknown acts displaying their unexpected talents.

If the judges don’t like what they see, they can hit their large red buzzers – and if all buzzers go off, the audition is over.

Each judge gets a say over whether an act makes it through – three ‘yeses’ will send them through to the next round.

The live semi-finals take place nightly over the course of a week, with viewers able to vote from home for their favourite acts in the run-up to the grand finale.

The winner gets a spot on the prestigious Royal Variety Performance.

Britain’s got Talent returns to ITV on Saturday, April 14 at 8pm on ITV.