Flawless, Shaun reach Britain's Got Talent final

London dance group Flawless and teenage singer Shaun Smith made the Britain's Got Talent final after Monday night's semi-final on ITV1. On night two of the semis, Flawless won the public vote and therefore went straight through to the final after their brilliant military-themed dance performance to a hip-hop medley. Piers said: "I said earlier that if Susan Boyle doesn't win, I'm a doughnut. And following that quite unbelieveable performance, I might have to consider the idea of being a doughnut." Shaun (pictured) and ventriloquist Gareth Oliver were the runners-up in the public vote, but judge Amanda Holden held the casting vote and chose to put Shaun through to the final. Piers Morgan had earlier voted for Gareth after Simon Cowell plumped for Shaun. Shaun, 17, from Staffordshire, sang U2's With or Without You and drew a standing ovation from both the judges and the audience. Simon told him: "You are a dark horse in this competition." Earlier, the show was treated to some peculiar performances from the likes of gold-toothed rapper DJ Talent, escape artist Merlin Cadogan and transvestite Peter Coughlan, who Simon dismissed as 'a fat bloke in a red wig'.

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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.