In a telly first, Simon has declared he intends to blast this year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner into orbit. He has teamed up with show’s new sponsor, Virgin’s Richard Branson, to offer the prize of a flight in Virgin Galactic’s 2,500mph spaceship. Branson’s rocket for space tourists could be ready for lift off as soon as next year, taking passengers on a weightless trip above the atmosphere.
Yesterday, just a few hours after jetting back to the UK following his New Year break in Barbados, Simon said: “We are trying to work out a way so that the winner of the show gets to go up in the spacecraft and will be the first person to perform in space. "I am being serious, I swear to God. You could be the first singer or dog act, whatever, performing in space.” Simon, 52, even pledged to join them. “I would go on the spaceship myself. I love the idea that, if they are up for it, they have the option of performing in front of the whole planet in space. It can’t be compulsory, but it will happen.” He is trying to revitalise BGT after a lacklustre 2011 series and the cash prize will also more than treble to £350,000 – most of it from his own pocket.
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Glossing over the problems of gravity and oxygen in space, he added: “It’s tens of millions of pounds but Richard is up for doing it. Don’t worry about the details, we’ll make it happen.” And he laughed: “If it’s a juggler that wins, then we’ll need to make heavier balls. If it had been a few years ago, Susan Boyle could have been singing Unchained Melody in front of the whole planet. Amazing. What does the winner of The Voice get?” Ah yes, The Voice, the forthcoming new BBC singing contest that has its sights set firmly on Simon’s X Factor in the Saturday night ratings battle. His annoyance, he reveals, is the reason he poached Strictly Come Dancing’s Alesha Dixon for the BGT judging panel. He says he likes Alesha but the decision was 70/30 based on his desire to get one over on the BBC.
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