A Britain’s Got Talent act left the audience in tears during a recent audition – and they were set up by Jeremy Clarkson.
During Friday’s auditions at the Birmingham Hippodrome, which mark the first of the upcoming series, the 33-strong Hawkstone Farmer’s Choir took to the stage and delighted the judges.
The group, who are named after the Clarkson’s Farm star’s brewery, are based near his Diddly Squat Farm and look to raise awareness for the struggles faced by British farmers.
They delivered a rendition of Elbow’s One Day Like This as the crowd – and judge Amanda Holden – got very emotional.
According to The Sun, choir leader Katrina revealed their unique background as she told everyone: ‘Jeremy Clarkson did a thing — and that thing is the Hawkstone Farmers Choir.
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‘He put us together five months ago. Every single one of us is in agriculture one way or another.’
Jeremy, who appeared alongside singers in a ‘banned’ advert earlier this year, didn’t join the choir at the audition, but Katrina revealed the former Top Gear presenter ‘does sometimes come down and sing’.
She also opened up on how the group has given the farmers an outlet and way to get together.
‘We work by ourselves day in, day out, sometimes 16 hours a day. This has brought us together,’ she said. ‘We’re not singers by nature, but we’ve got one thing that unites us and that’s farming.’
She explained: ‘We love what we do but it can be incredibly hard and really lonely, very isolating. So to do this together means the world to us.’
Amanda, who lives in the Cotswolds, told the choir that their performance left her feeling ‘so much power’.
She added: ‘I love the whole community, how you come together and work your socks off. You absolutely smashed it.’
Stacey Solomon, who stepped in to replace Simon Cowell after he was forced to pull out of filming, was also full of praise for the ‘special’ moment.
She said: ‘I don’t think anyone understands the power of a choir unless you’ve been in one, and it’s so special to see you all come together.’
On Thursday last week, head judge and music executive Simon, 65, fell ill, which saw the auditions for that day postponed.
At the time a BGT spokesperson told Metro: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, today’s filming of Britain’s Got Talent has been postponed.’
In an Instagram video, he later shared: ‘It’s Simon, I’m alive and I’m in Birmingham, I just want to say thank you for all your get-well messages,’ before pulling the camera close to his face and showing his grazed forehead.
Britain’s Got Talent returns to ITV later this year.
