document_title: Suits (season 5)

question_text: when does donna come back to harvey season 5

text: Suits (season 5)

text: Overview[edit]

text: The series revolves around corporate lawyer Harvey Specter and his associate attorney Mike Ross who, between the two of them, have only one law degree.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Regular cast[edit]

text:
Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter
Patrick J. Adams as Mike Ross
Rick Hoffman as Louis Litt
Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane
Sarah Rafferty as Donna Paulsen
Gina Torres as Jessica Pearson

text: Special Guest Star[edit]

text: David Costabile as Daniel Hardman

text: Recurring Cast[edit]

text:
Wendell Pierce as Robert Zane
Eric Roberts as Charles Forstman
Amanda Schull as Katrina Bennett
Rachael Harris as Sheila Sazs
Leslie Hope as Anita Gibbs
John Pyper-Ferguson as Jack Soloff

text: Guest Cast[edit]

text: Megan Gallagher as Laura Zane

text: Six actors received star billing in the show's first season. Each character works at the fictional Pearson Specter Litt law firm in Manhattan.  Gabriel Macht plays corporate lawyer Harvey Specter, who is promoted to senior partner and is forced to hire an associate attorney. Patrick J. Adams plays college dropout Mike Ross, who wins the associate position with his eidetic memory and genuine desire to be a good lawyer. Rick Hoffman plays Louis Litt, Harvey's jealous rival and the direct supervisor of the firm's first-year associates. Meghan Markle plays Rachel Zane, a paralegal who aspires to be an attorney but her test anxiety prevents her from attending Harvard Law School. Sarah Rafferty plays Donna Paulsen, Harvey's long-time legal secretary and confidant. Gina Torres plays Jessica Pearson, the co-founder and managing partner of the firm.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)611"Denial"Anton CropperAaron KorshJune 24, 2015 (2015-06-24)2.13[2]
Harvey's work is impacted by changes around the office; and Donna adjusts to working for Louis, who believes she's certain to return to Harvey. In other events, Mike and Rachel must decide how and when to share their big news; and an up-and-coming partner confronts Jessica about Harvey's way of doing business.
622"Compensation"Michael SmithRick MuirraguiJuly 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)2.27[3]
Harvey searches for a replacement for Donna while Mike takes on a case as a favor. Meanwhile, Rachel's father offers advice about her engagement to Mike, and Louis is embroiled in surprising money matters. Jack confronts Jessica about Harvey.
633"No Refills"Anton CropperChris DowneyJuly 8, 2015 (2015-07-08)2.16[4]
Mike brings in Robert Zane to co-counsel a case, pitting his instincts as a lawyer against his desire to stay in his future father-in-law's good graces.
644"No Puedo Hacerlo"Silver TreeGenevieve SparlingJuly 15, 2015 (2015-07-15)2.38[5]
Harvey steps outside his usual area of expertise, in order to take a case from a client who has a special tie to the firm. Mike and Zane work their class-action case together, but Mike learns they have different ideas about what constitutes a win - for themselves, and for their clients.
655"Toe to Toe"Kevin BrayNora Zuckerman & Lilla ZuckermanJuly 22, 2015 (2015-07-22)2.09[6]
In a session with his therapist, Harvey is talking about his dream that is troubling him lately. In his dream, he sees Donna and Travis Tanner sleeping together. This dream pops into his subconscious because he is in the middle of a case against him.
666"Privilege"Michael SmithKyle LongJuly 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)2.16[7]
Reeling from Dr. Agard’s revelation about the root of his panic attacks, Harvey is forced to make a tough personal decision in a case that touches a nerve. Meanwhile, Mike and Louis have taken over responsibility for Harvey’s oldest client, and must decide what to do when that client’s demands go against his own best interests. And Donna tries to work her magic to make Rachel’s dream wedding possible.
677"Hitting Home"Roger KumbleSharyn RothsteinAugust 5, 2015 (2015-08-05)2.08[8]
At Jessica’s behest, Mike teams up with Jack Soloff to co-counsel a case, and despite their history the two come to a surprising understanding. Meanwhile, Esther Litt returns to P.S.L. to solve a problem discreetly, but Louis rarely handles anything quietly – especially when it comes to family. And Donna and Harvey try to get their friendship back to normal, but Harvey has a hard time stomaching Donna’s “friendly advice.”
688"Mea Culpa"Kate DennisDaniel ArkinAugust 12, 2015 (2015-08-12)2.31[9]
Jessica does damage control in the wake of Harvey punching Louis, just as Jack Soloff and Daniel Hardman are looking for weaknesses to exploit. Meanwhile, Donna counsels both men on how to rectify their issues. And Mike must find a way to turn down his recently announced promotion without raising suspicion – while he and Rachel combat an opposing attorney who holds the key to uncovering his secret.
699"Uninvited Guests"Silver TreeChris DowneyAugust 19, 2015 (2015-08-19)2.30[10]
Rachel and her mom plan for Rachel’s dream wedding, but Rachel worries that the event could reveal Mike’s secret. In other events, Daniel Hardman and Jack Soloff make their move against Jessica and the partners; Harvey and Mike tangle with Hardman’s mysterious backer, and Louis tries to find Jack’s weakness.
7010"Faith"Anton CropperGenevieve SparlingAugust 26, 2015 (2015-08-26)2.34[11]
With their backs against the wall, Jessica and Louis make a last-ditch effort to rally the support of the partners, as Daniel Hardman and Jack Soloff attempt a takeover of the firm. Meanwhile, Mike and Harvey must each face down the demons of their past in order to make potentially life-altering decisions and as Jessica won the leadership vote Mike delivers Harvey his resignation letter he then gave it to Rachel and then was Arrested
7111"Blowback"Cherie NowlanNora Zuckerman & Lilla ZuckermanJanuary 27, 2016 (2016-01-27)1.74[12]
Ruthless US Attorney Anita Gibbs (Leslie Hope) takes Mike in for questioning, and refuses him access to a lawyer until he forces a taped statement regarding his denial of rights. A panicked Rachel calls her father Robert for support, inadvertently proving to him that Mike is a fraud, causing a rift between Robert and Rachel. Harvey, who wants to represent Mike, is torn between keeping Hardman and Soloff at bay and keeping appearances up against Gibbs at the firm. Harvey leverages Mike's resignation letter for bail, while Mike uses his ability to bring forth conspiracy charges to force Soloff to back down. Louis attempts to shield Donna from prosecution, but when she refuses to stand aside, Louis allows her and Harvey to reunite.
7212"Live to Fight…"Rob SeidenglanzSharyn RothsteinFebruary 3, 2016 (2016-02-03)1.51[13]
Mike and Louis discover that it was Sheila Sazs who reported Mike to the authorities after Louis recognises the wording and language in the anonymous email (sent from a general Harvard Faculty address) as hers. He pays her a visit at her home and asks Sheila to retract her email. While she refuses, she agrees not to come forward as the person who wrote the email, meaning that it cannot be used as evidence. She informs Louis that she was reading a journal article about Mike's promotion to Junior Partner when she realised that Mike had no paper-file in her file room and was likely a fraud. Meanwhile, Gibbs detains Donna's father in an attempt to get Donna to turn on Harvey. Mike goes to visit Professor Gerard and obtains a vague letter from him implying that Mike was in his ethics class at Harvard Law. Gibbs agrees to release Donna's father, provided that Harvey and Mike won't use Gerard's letter in the case. Gretchen informs Louis that she was the one who called the publishers of the journal to have the article written, but that she's supporting Pearson Specter Litt.
7313"God's Green Earth"Anton CropperGenevieve Sparling & Sandra SilversteinFebruary 10, 2016 (2016-02-10)1.71[14]
Anita Gibbs lures Rachel into a conversation by making everything said during their meeting inadmissible, then threatens Rachel's dreams of a law career unless she turns on the firm. Harvey, after confronting Gibbs about talking to Rachel, hears Gibbs say "God's green earth," thereby deducing that she wrote the New York Journal op-ed that greatly hurt the Pearson Specter Litt reputation. Louis puts pressure on Sheila and sends her on a "vacation" to Argentina. Donna, while looking through Gibbs' documents, discovers that Trevor talked to Gibbs.
7414"Self Defense"Patrick J. AdamsKyle LongFebruary 17, 2016 (2016-02-17)1.58[15]
As time runs out before the trial, Mike wants to represent himself while Harvey wants to lead the charge. To decide the issue, Harvey challenges Mike to a winner takes all showdown.
7515"Tick Tock"Roger KumbleDaniel ArkinFebruary 24, 2016 (2016-02-24)1.73[16]
The jury comes back but, before the outcome is announced, Mike decides to take up Anita Gibbs on one of her deals. Which one is not mentioned, but Harvey is shown racing to Gibbs' office to try and stop Mike.
7616"25th Hour"Anton CropperAaron KorshMarch 2, 2016 (2016-03-02)1.71[17]
Mike takes the prison deal that Anita Gibbs offered him, provided she doesn't go after Harvey or any of the other partners at Pearson Specter Litt. Harvey tracks down the foreman of the jury to know what the verdict was going to be. He learns that Mike was found not guilty, but chooses not to tell Mike the truth, thereby saving him the pain of knowing he made the wrong decision. Mike & Rachel decide to get married the following day, but Mike refuses to marry her in the end, telling her that, if she wants to, they can revisit it when he gets out. Meanwhile, Harvey tries to find a way to nullify the deal Mike made with Anita Gibbs, but fails. He then decides to hand over the case files for Liberty Rail, telling Gibbs that she can prosecute a murderer in exchange for Mike not going to prison. Gibbs rejects the proposal, saying Harvey should do the right thing and get the case prosecuted anyway instead of using it as a bargaining chip. Jessica, Louis, and Donna return to the office the next day and find that all the employees are gone. In the last scene, Mike is seen entering the prison gate.

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
No.

Title

Original air date

Time slot (EST)

Viewers(in millions)

Rating(Adults 18–49)

18-49 Rankon Cable

Note

1

"Denial"

June 24, 2015 (2015-06-24)

Thursdays9:00 p.m.

2.13

0.6

#2

[2]

2

"Compensation"

July 1, 2015 (2015-07-01)

2.27

0.6

#3

[3]

3

"No Refills"

July 8, 2015 (2015-07-08)

2.16

0.6

#5

[4]

4

"No Puedo Hacerlo"

July 15, 2015 (2015-07-15)

2.38

0.6

#2

[5]

5

"Toe to Toe"

July 22, 2015 (2015-07-22)

2.09

0.6

#4

[6]

6

"Privilege"

July 29, 2015 (2015-07-29)

2.16

0.5

#5

[7]

7

"Hitting Home"

August 5, 2015 (2015-08-05)

2.08

0.6

#6

[8]

8

"Mea Culpa"

August 12, 2015 (2015-08-12)

2.31

0.7

#2

[9]

9

"Uninvited Guests"

August 19, 2015 (2015-08-19)

2.30

0.6

#2

[10]

10

"Faith"

August 26, 2015 (2015-08-26)

2.34

0.6

#2

[11]

11

"Blowback"

January 27, 2016 (2016-01-27)

1.74

0.5

#8

[12]

12

"Live to Fight"

February 3, 2016 (2016-02-03)

1.51

0.5

#12

[13]

13

"God's Green Earth"

February 10, 2016 (2016-02-10)

1.71

0.5

#8

[14]

14

"Self Defense"

February 17, 2016 (2016-02-17)

1.58

0.5

#12

[15]

15

"Tick Tock"

February 24, 2016 (2016-02-24)

1.73

0.5

#7

[16]

16

"25th Hour"

March 2, 2016 (2016-03-02)

1.71

0.5

#7

[17]


document_title: Anita Barone

question_text: who played carol in the first episode of friends

root

text: Anita Barone

text: Life and career[edit]

text: Barone was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned her BFA from the University of Detroit Mercy,[1] followed by an MFA from Wayne State University where she was taught by director/professor Robert T. Hazzard.[2]

tag: p

text: Barone appeared in the fourth-season Seinfeld episode "The Shoes" as Gail Cunningham, a chef who wanted Elaine Benes' shoes. In the early 1990s, she was a regular cast member of Carol & Company with actress Carol Burnett. Barone also played Carol Willick, Ross Geller's ex-wife, in the character's first appearance in Friends. She left the show as she wanted to pursue a more full-time role; she was replaced by Jane Sibbett. She starred on The Jeff Foxworthy Show for the first season (1995–1996) and in The War at Home[3] from 2005 to 2007. In 2000, Barone also co-starred in the sitcom Daddio.[4]

text: Barone's other television credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Quantum Leap, Empty Nest, Chicago Hope, Castle, Do Not Disturb, Ally McBeal, Caroline in the City, Party of Five and The Larry Sanders Show.[4]

text: In 2004, she was the recipient of the 2005 Methodfest Best Supporting Actress Award for her work in feature film, One Last Ride.[5]

text: In 2010, three years after The War at Home ended its run, Barone began her recurring role in the Disney Channel sitcom Shake It Up as Officer Georgia Jones, the mother of Bella Thorne's character CeCe Jones. Barone's husband, actor Matthew Glave, guest starred in two episodes of Shake It Up as J.J. Jones, the ex-husband of Barone's character.

text: Personal life[edit]

text: Barone is married to actor Matthew Glave, with whom she has two daughters, Madeline and Roxanne. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her family.

text: Filmography[edit]

text: Films[edit]

text:
The Rosary Murders (1987)
Ricohet (1991)
The Takeover (1995)
Just Friends (1996)
Running Time (1997)
Just Write (1997)
Dream with the Fishes (1997)
Santa's Little Helper (1999)
The Sex Monster (1999)
Buttleman (2002)
One Last Ride (2003)

tag: ul

text: Television[edit]

text:
Seinfeld – Gail Cunningham (one episode, 1993)
Friends – Carol Willick, Ross's ex-wife (one episode, 1994)
The Jeff Foxworthy Show – Karen Foxworthy (1995–1996)
Party of Five – Frannie (1997)
Daddio – Linda Woods (2000)
The War at Home – Vicky Gold (2005–2007)
Castle – Janice Freeman (2009)
Desperate Housewives - Doreen Vance (one episode, "Come On Over for Dinner", 2011)
Shake It Up – Georgia Jones (2010–2013) (recurring role)
The Exes - Julia (one episode, 2013)


document_title: Me and Mrs. Jones

question_text: who sang me and mrs jones original version

text: Me and Mrs. Jones

text: Billy Paul version[edit]

text: "Me and Mrs. Jones" was a #1 single originally performed by Billy Paul, recorded and released in 1972 on CBS Records' Philadelphia International imprint. The single, included on the album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul, was written by Cary 'Hippy' Gilbert, Kenny Gamble, and Leon Huff.

text: The single became Paul's only #1 single on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at that position for three weeks in December 1972. "Me and Mrs. Jones" also achieved this feat on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, remaining at the top position for four weeks.[1] On the Hot 100, it replaced "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" by The Temptations and was replaced by Carly Simon's "You're So Vain". It also hit #10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

text: The radio edit versions were shorter, omitting the second verse, as well as shortening the coda. The video clip of this song features Billy Paul playing piano in a recording session, while accompanied by dancers.[2]

text: Michael Bublé version[edit]

text:
"Me and Mrs. Jones"

Single by Michael Bublé featuring Emily Blunt

from the album Call Me Irresponsible

Released
September 3, 2007 (2007-09-03)

Format
CD single, Digital download

Recorded
2007

Genre
Big Band

Length
4:33 (album version)

Label
143, Reprise

Songwriter(s)
Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Cary Gilbert

Michael Bublé featuring Emily Blunt singles chronology

"Everything"
(2007)
"Me and Mrs. Jones"
(2007)
"Lost"
(2007)

tag: table

text: "Me and Mrs. Jones" was recorded in 2007 by Canadian crooner Michael Bublé and released as the second single from his third major-label studio album, Call Me Irresponsible. The song is a collaboration with Bublé's then-girlfriend, Emily Blunt, who appears at the end of the track to perform the final verse.

text: Background[edit]

text: Bublé's version of "Me and Mrs. Jones" was well received by critics, with Okayplayer stating, "He skillfully portrays the pain of this song’s affair and his take on the final verse could stand with anyone else’s." Additionally, the single was promoted by its performance during Bublé's AOL Sessions performances.[3] The track has also been performed at many of his concerts. Due to his break-up with girlfriend Emily Blunt shortly before the release of the single, the release was cancelled, the physical single pulled, and little or no promotion for the song was undertaken. Thus, "Me and Mrs. Jones" was not eligible to chart in any major music charts; however, it did chart in Switzerland due to strong downloads from the album.[4]

text: A short promotional music video was first broadcast on French television channels during April 2007. The clip alternates between scenes of Bublé performing by the window, in the dark, as it rains, used in the official music video, and scenes of a blonde woman during a day at the beach, horseback riding and watching the sunset as the clip ends.[5] The official music video was first broadcast during July 2007. It consists mainly of the scenes Bublé standing performing by the window, as seen in the French promotional clip. Some scenes show a brunette woman, representing "Mrs. Jones". Some shots from the promotional video of "Lost" were also used, particularly the ones where Bublé is sitting on a white bed. The video was directed by Sean Turrell.[6]

text: Track listing[edit]

text: UK CD single #1 (Withdrawn)

text:
"Me and Mrs. Jones" (Album Version) - 4:33
"It's All in the Game" - 2:36

tag: ol

text: UK CD single #2 (Withdrawn)

text:
"Me and Mrs. Jones" (Album Version) - 4:33
"Dream a Little Dream" - 3:08
"Me and Mrs. Jones" (Live Version) - 4:48

text: Chart performance[edit]

text:
Chart
Peak
position

Brazilian Singles Chart (ABPD)[7]
86

Swiss Music Charts
68[citation needed]

text: Other notable versions[edit]

text: A recording by the 1970s group the Dramatics peaked at No. 47 on the pop chart and No. 4 on the R&B chart in 1974.[8]

text: In film and television[edit]

text:
Robson Green sings the song over the opening credits of the Granada TV movie Me and Mrs Jones (2002), starring himself and Caroline Goodall. His cover was panned in The Independent, where Charlotte O'Sullivan described it as "simply a crime."[9]
The song was used in the film Bridget Jones's Diary, in the scene where Bridget's mother begins an extramarital affair, but was not included on the soundtrack release.[10]
In the sitcom A Different World, the song was first heard during Walter's (Sinbad) and Jaleesa's (Dawnn Lewis) first date at an Italian restaurant, therefore becoming "their" song. While on a date at the same restaurant to celebrate their first anniversary, Walter hired a waiter to serenade Jaleesa with "Me and Mrs. Jones", but she walks out during the song, due to a disagreement they were having at the time.
The song was used in the film Beautiful Girls (film) and appears on its soundtrack


document_title: Tandoori Nights

question_text: who directed the famous tv serial tandoori nights

text: Tandoori Nights

text: Tandoori Nights was a television sitcom broadcast on Channel 4 between 1985 and 1987. It consisted of two series of six episodes each. The series was directed by Jon Amiel and written by Farrukh Dhondy. It is the story of two rival restaurants in London, and starred Saeed Jaffery, Tariq Yunus, Rita Wolf and Zohra Sehgal. It was Channel 4's first Asian comedy series.

text: Plot summary[edit]

text: Jimmy Sharma is the owner of "Jewel in the Crown Tandoori Restaurant" in Brick Lane, in the East of London. His rival is the restaurant across the street "The Far Pavilions".


document_title: (Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend

question_text: original singer of ghost rider in the sky

text: Overview[edit]

text: The song tells a folk tale of a cowboy who has a vision of red-eyed, steel-hooved cattle thundering across the sky, being chased by the spirits of damned cowboys. One warns him that if he does not change his ways, he will be doomed to join them, forever "trying to catch the Devil's herd across these endless skies". Jones stated he had been told the story when he was 12 years old by an old cowboy friend.[1] The story resembles the northern European mythic Wild Hunt.[4]

text: More than 50 performers have recorded versions of the song. Charting versions were recorded by The Outlaws, Vaughn Monroe ("Riders in the Sky" with orchestra and vocal quartet), which topped the Billboard magazine charts, by Bing Crosby (with the Ken Darby Singers), Frankie Laine, Burl Ives (two different versions), Marty Robbins, The Ramrods and Johnny Cash. Other recordings were made by Eddy Arnold, Peggy Lee (with the Jud Conlon Singers), Christopher Lee, and Spike Jones and his City Slickers. Gene Autry sang it in the 1949 movie, Riders in the Sky. Jones himself recorded it for his 1957 album Creakin' Leather.[5] Children of Bodom, Impaled Nazarene and Die Apokalyptischen Reiter have also made covers.

text: The melody is based on the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."[6]

text: Recordings[edit]

text: The original version by Stan Jones was recorded in late 1948, and composer Eden Ahbez sent the song to Burl Ives, who recorded his own version a year later.[citation needed]

text:
Burl Ives recorded the song on February 17, 1949, and the song was released by Columbia Records as catalog No. 38445. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on April 22, 1949, lasting six weeks and peaking at No. 21.[7]
The version by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra with Vaughn Monroe and The Moon Men on vocals, was recorded on March 14, 1949, and released by RCA Victor Records as catalog No. 20-3411 (in USA) and by EMI on the His Master's Voice label as catalog No. BD 1247, HN 3014, HQ 2071, IM 1425 and GY 878. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on April 15, 1949, lasting 22 weeks and reaching No. 1.[7] Billboard ranked it as the No. 1 song for 1949.[8]
The Bing Crosby version was recorded on March 22, 1949,[9] and released by Decca Records as catalog No. 24618. The recording first appeared on the Billboard charts on May 6, 1949, lasting 6 weeks and peaking at No. 14.[7]
The Peggy Lee version was recorded on April 18, 1949, and released by Capitol Records as catalog No. 57-608. It reached No. 2 on Billboard's Most Played By Disc Jockeys listing without appearing in the retail Top 30.
Spike Jones recorded the song on May 24, 1949, and it was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog No. 20-3741. Copies of the original release, containing lyrics ridiculing RCA stockholder Vaughn Monroe, are rare. The recording parodies the original Monroe recording, injecting much of Jones' quintessential humor along the way.

text:
In 1953 Goldtown Ghost Riders was a film starring Gene Autry. He sang the song "Ghost Riders in the Sky".
It was the opening track of Scatman Crothers' 1956 album, Rock 'n' roll with Scat Man.
Theodore Bikel sang a humorous version of the song in his An Actor's Holiday album (1956).

text:
The song was recorded by the Norman Luboff Choir and released on their 1960 album, Songs of the Cowboy.
Lawrence Welk and His Orchestra released an instrumental version in 1961, featuring Neil Levang on guitar, which spent 3 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 87.[10]
Curtis Lance (Dick Jensen) and the Uniques recorded an instrumental version in 1961.[11]
The Brothers Four recorded a driven, up-tempo version. with edited lyrics and truncated to three stanzas, for their third LP, B.M.O.C.: Best Music On/Off Campus for Columbia Records in 1961.
The Sons of the Pioneers included the song on their album Cool Water put out by RCA Records in 1961 under the name "Riders in the Sky".
A twangy guitar instrumental version by The Ramrods — featuring the sounds of mooing cattle, bronco cheers, and sound of cracking whips — was recorded in late 1960 and it made the Billboard Top 30 in 1961, as well as the UK Top 10. This was covered by UK band The Scorpions (not the German rock band) on the "Parlophone" Label.
The Ventures made a surf rock cover of the song in 1961. A live performance of the tune, featuring surf rock band The Original Surfaris appeared in the 1962 compilation album titled Surf's Up! At Banzai Pipeline. The performance incorporates the riff from the Jørgen Ingmann hit, "Apache".
Bob James, recording as The Bob James Trio, included it as the last track on his very first album Bold Conceptions released in 1962.
The Spotnicks, a Swedish instrumental rock band, covered this song on their 1962 album, The Spotnicks in London, Out-a space.
Frankie Laine recorded the song on his 1963 album, Wanderlust.
Frank Ifield recorded the song for his 1963 U.K. album, Born Free (Columbia 33SX 1534).[12]
Dick Dale recorded a surf-rock version for his second album, King of the Surf Guitar, released in 1963.
Californian singer Peter Tevis recorded a version with orchestral and choral arrangements by Ennio Morricone for the 1965 album, Un pugno di...West.
Baja Marimba Band recorded this song on the album, Watch Out, in 1966.
Tom Jones recorded this song opening the album, Green, Green Grass of Home, in 1967.
Takeshi Terauchi & Bunnys recorded an instrumental version of this song on their 1967 album, The World Is Waiting For Terry.
Davie Allan and the Arrows recorded two versions, one on the 1967 Blues' Theme album (Tower Records) and the other on the 2008 Moving Right Along album (Spinout Records).
Jimmy Wakely, a cowboy singer, recorded the song on Shasta Records.
Burl Ives made a second version of this song for his 1969 album Got the World by the Tail.

text:
Elvis Presley recorded it in June 1970 at MGM's soundstage in Culver City, California.
Susan Christie released a version on her 1970 album, Paint a Lady.
Roy Clark recorded an instrumental version for his 1973 album Roy Clark/Superpicker, an album of all instrumentals. The song reached No. 27 on the Hot Country Singles chart that year.
Former REO Speedwagon guitarist Gary Richrath quoted the melody of the song during his unaccompanied guitar solo on the band's 1977 live album, Live: You Get What You Play For.
Riders in the Sky recorded this song for their debut album, Three on the Trail, in 1979 and on several of subsequent albums.
Johnny Cash made a recording of the song in 1979 for his album, Silver, which was faithful to the original, and peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Johnny Cash also performs the song in his guest appearance on The Muppet Show in 1980.

text:
Country singer and rodeo cowboy Chris LeDoux recorded a version of the song for his 1980 album Old Cowboy Heroes. LeDoux's version swaps the placements of "yippie yi yay" and "yippie yi oh", and refers to the cowboy instead as a "cowpoke".
A version by The Shadows reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in 1980. This version was a semitone higher than the original.
Australian band, the Fabulaires from Adelaide did a cover version on their Apocalypso 12" E.P. circa 1980.
Rock band Outlaws made a recording on their 1980 album Ghost Riders that left out the last verse. They also released a live version of the song, recorded in 1982 at the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show, which appeared on Greatest Hits of The Outlaws... High Tides Forever.
Dean "Red Elvis" Reed recorded the song on the album Country in 1982 in East Germany and Czechoslovakia.[13][14]
A Sesame Street version titled "The Dirtiest Town In The West" with altered lyrics first aired in 1982.
Vic Damone recorded a version on his 1982 album Over The Rainbow.
Psychobilly band King Kurt released a version in 1983 on their album Ooh Wallah Wallah.
The Danish cowpunk band Disneyland After Dark (later just D-A-D) recorded the song "Riding With Sue" in 1986 for their album Call of the Wild where the riffs from the melody were used in an intermezzo.

text:
The Chaps released a Scottish parody version called "Rawhide" in 1982.
Peter, Paul & Mary recorded a parody of the song titled "Yuppies in the Sky" on their 1990 album Flowers and Stones.
Terry Scott Taylor and Daniel Amos recorded a version in 1990 that appeared on The Miracle Faith Telethon compilation album.
Impaled Nazarene recorded a black metal version of the song, which was released on the Sadogoat EP in 1993. It was subsequently included in the CD version of their bonus album, Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz.
The Alberta Celtic rock group Captain Tractor recorded an unusual version for their 1994 album Land. New lyrics describe the frenzy of corruption in a prairie town at the climax of a real estate bubble. Rather than fire-and-brimstone Christian imagery, the warning takes the form of vaguely Zen lamentations: "The winds still blow/The rains still fall/The trees don't seem to care at all!"
Buckethead played a dub style version of the song during his Giant Robot album tour in 1994.
Dick Dale once again covered the song for his 1994 album, Unknown Territory. For a time, this version accompanied a NASA montage as part of the preshow video on Space Mountain at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom.
Duane Eddy brought his electrified "twangy guitar" sound along with a sax edition by Jim Horn to a 1996 version on an Curb Album Ghost Rider.[15]
On the 1997 album, VH1 Storytellers, the song was recorded live with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. In that performance, Willie Nelson misses the start of the third verse because he forgets the text, and ends up switching the third and fourth verses.
Deborah Harry, lead singer of Blondie, recorded a trance version of the song, which features on the soundtrack to the film Three Businessmen (1998). The song (produced and arranged by Dan Wool and Pray for Rain) is available free on her website.[16]
Christopher Lee recorded a version of this song on the album Devils, Rogues & Other Villains, released by Nikolas Schreck in 1998 on his Wolfslair label.
The Blues Brothers performed the song in the 1998 movie Blues Brothers 2000. This version appeared on both the movie's soundtrack and the compilation album The Blues Brothers' Greatest Hits of All Time. Similar to the "Rawhide" scene in the first movie, the band is mistakenly booked at a bluegrass festival (announced to the crowd as "The Bluegrass Brothers"). Buster Blues' (J. Evan Bonifant) harmonica parts for the film were recorded by John Popper of Blues Traveler.
In 1999, Ned Sublette included a merengue rendition on his album, Cowboy Rumba.

text:
The German "Western Metal" band Dezperadoz (featuring a member of Sodom) covered the song on their 2000 album, The Dawn Of Dying.
Dolan Ellis, Arizona's Official State Balladeer since 1966, included this as the only cover on his CD, Tall Tales, Lost Trails & Heroes, released in 2000. He has sung the song throughout the nation and in 20 foreign countries, solo and as a member of the New Christy Minstrels, always telling the folk tale of Stan Jones, the Cochise County cowboy.
The Texas band, Ghoultown, recorded a version of this song on their album Tales from the Dead West (2000).
Concrete Blonde recorded a version for their last album, 2004's Mojave.
John Frusciante, Michael Rother, and Josh Klinghoffer performed a short instrumental version of the song live in 2004.
German heavy metal band, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, released a version titled "Ghostriders in the Sky" on their 2006 4-track EP, Friede Sei Mit Dir.[17]
California-based Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covered the song on their 2006 album Love Their Country This cover was later used in 2017 in racing video game Forza Horizon 3's trailer for its Hot Wheels Expansion.
Art Greenhaw, Grammy Award-Winning guitarist, producer and leader of The Light Crust Doughboys, recorded a world music fusion version of this song on the album Lone Star Sitar and released in 2006 on the Greenhaw Records label.[18]
During the credits of the 2007 movie Ghost Rider, a rock cover by the band Spiderbait is played. An instrumental version is also heard at points in the film.
Finnish melodic death metal band Children of Bodom covered this song under the title 'Ghostriders in the Sky' and have released it on the special edition of their 2008 album, Blooddrunk.

text:
Judy Collins, featuring the Nashville Rhythm Section and Ghost Riders Chorus, covered ”Ghost Riders in the Sky” on her 2010 album Paradise.
Florida/Utah death metal band, Gorlock, covered it on their 2011 EP titled Despair is My Mistress.
The song is the opening track on Roswell Rudd's album, Trombone For Lovers.
The character of Granddad Brown in the Irish comedy series Mrs Brown's Boys briefly covered Ghost Riders in the Sky in the 2011 Christmas special episode "Mammy's Ass". The scene involves Granddad singing the song whilst Agnes hits him over the head with a metal tray, testing a crash helmet (which Granddad's wearing) her friend Winnie is meant to be testing.
A track on Drop The Lime's 2012 album Enter The Night used the instrumental of "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky".
"Outsider" music star, The Space Lady, featured it on her GREATEST HITS LP. (2013, Night School Records)
Screaming Orphans covered on the album Lonely Boy. (2011)
In 2015, a lower tempo version of Johnny Cash's cover was used on the announcement trailer for the forthcoming Space-Opera RPG, Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Monster truck Black Stallion uses it as its theme song.
Country artist Ray Scott (singer) covered Johnny Cash's version of this song on his EP, "Roots Sessions, Vol. 1" which was released in 2015.
Chrome Division covered Johnny Cash's version of this song on their 2011 "3rd Round Knockout" album.

text: Additional versions[edit]

text: Versions in various genres have also been made by the following artists:

text:
Carlos Malcolm
All-American Boys Chorus
Boston Pops Orchestra
Chrome Division
Dean Martin
Dixie Chicks
Fred Penner
Kaleidoscope
Marty Robbins
Mary McCaslin
R.E.M.
Scary Bitches (UK goth rock)
Shebeen (North Ireland underground music, as "Ooh Ah Up the 'RA, or The SAM Song")
The Tubes (under the track title, "Cowboy Fee & The Heifer's Dream")
Youn Sun Nah (on her album Lento)
Vocal Majority

text: Non-English versions[edit]

text: Estonian

text: Estonian-Canadian musician Jüri Lipp translated and recorded a surf rock version in Estonian in 1968.

text: Finnish[edit]

text:
A Finnish version titled "Aaveratsastajat" was written by Kullervo (born Tapio Kullervo Lahtinen) and it has been recorded by several popular artists including Henry Theel ja Metro-tytöt, Kari Tapio, Danny, Tapani Kansa, Reijo Taipale, and Ismo Alanko.
Juha Vainio wrote an alternative, humoristic version titled "Hirvenmetsästys" (The Moose Hunt). Pertti Metsärinteen yhtye recorded it in 1970.
An instrumental jazz version by Kalle Kalima on the album High Noon released in 2016.

text: French[edit]

text:
A French-language version titled "Les Cavaliers du Ciel" was released by Les Compagnons de la chanson in 1949.
French guitarist and singer, Gill Dougherty, also released a version on his 1990 album, Live In Bourges.
In 1992, another French language version titled "Où tu iras" was released by Les Naufragés, on their album A contre-Courant.

text: German[edit]

text:
In 1949, a German-language version titled "Geisterreiter" was recorded and released by East German entertainer, Rita Paul & Her Cornel-Trio. In the same year, a version was released by Gerhard Wendland.
Additional German-language versions have been released by surf-punk-electro band, Mikrowelle, and television entertainer, Götz Alsmann featuring Bela B of Die Ärzte.
An instrumental version was done by the Austrian band "da Blechhauf`n" in 2012.[19]

text: Italian[edit]

text: An Italian-language version of the song, titled "I Cavalieri del Cielo" was recorded by famous Italian singer Gino Latilla in 1952.

text: Lithuanian[edit]

text: A Lithuanian-language version of the song titled "Jupi Ja Je" was recorded by Adolfas Jarulis ir Estradinės melodijos in 1971.

text: Portuguese[edit]

text: Brazilian artist Milton Nascimento recorded a Portuguese-language version under the title "Cavaleiros do céu" released on his 1981 album, Caçador de Mim.[20]

text: Spanish[edit]

text:
In 1966, a Spanish-language version, "Jinetes en el cielo", was recorded and released by the Mexican group, Los Baby's.[21]
Mexican singer Pedro Vargas also recorded a version.
The popular singer from Spain, Raphael, also released a Spanish version in the 1970s. The lyrical subject was changed to reflect a cowboy doomed to ride for eternity for breaking a young girl's heart. The song ends happily when the girl saves him from that horrible destiny by crying and praying for him then letting a rose fall on his grave.
Mexican singers (and actors) Manolín and Shilinsky (find them in Wikipedia in Spanish) recorded a comic version. [22]

text: Influences[edit]

text: Apart from the numerous recordings by various artists, "Ghost Riders in the Sky" has inspired various artists.

text:
The Doors' Riders on the Storm, from the album L.A. Woman (1971).[23]
The chorus lines of this song are and have been since the 1960s a terrace song of the Aston Villa Football Club of England. The words have been modified to include the line "Holte Enders in the Sky," a reference to the occupants of the vast stand behind the goal at the southern end of the Villa Park stadium.[citation needed]
REO Speedwagon's "Ridin' the Storm Out", from the album Ridin' the Storm Out (1973).
Def Leppard's "Foolin'", from the album Pyromania (1983), with the line "On and on, we rode the storm".
Motörhead's Iron Fist, from the album Iron Fist (1982).
The song was also the inspiration for the Magazine Enterprises' horror-Western comic-book character the Ghost Rider.[24] After the trademark to the character's name and motif lapsed, Marvel Comics debuted its own near-identical, non-horror version of the character in Ghost Rider #1 (Feb. 1967), drawn by Ayers. This character was renamed the Phantom Rider when Marvel debuted its demonic motorcyclist character Ghost Rider.


document_title: Parks and Recreation (season 6)

question_text: what episode of parks and rec is the unity concert

text: Parks and Recreation (season 6)

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, the councilwoman for the town of Pawnee who loves her home town. She has not let politics dampen her optimism; her ultimate goal is to become President of the United States.[4] Poehler departed from the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where she was a cast member for nearly seven years, to star in Parks and Recreation.[5][6] It was only after she was cast that Daniels and Schur established the general concept of the show and the script for the pilot was written.[7]
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins, a nurse and political outsider who gradually becomes more involved in Pawnee government through her friendship with Leslie. Jones was among the first to be cast by Daniels and Schur in 2008, when the series was still being considered as a spin-off to The Office, where Jones had played Jim Halpert's girlfriend Karen Filippelli.[7][8]
Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford, Leslie's sarcastic and underachieving subordinate,[9] who eventually begins to consider leaving his city hall job to pursue his own entrepreneurial interests.[10] As with Jones, Daniels and Schur had intended to cast Ansari from the earliest stages of the development of Parks and Recreation.[7][8]
Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson, the deadpan parks and recreation director who, as a libertarian, believes in as small a government as possible. As such, Ron strives to make his department as ineffective as possible, and favors hiring employees who do not care about their jobs or are poor at them.[9] Nevertheless, Ron consistently demonstrates that he secretly cares deeply about his fellow co-workers.[11]
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate, a cynical and uninterested parks department intern who eventually becomes the perfect assistant for Ron.[12] The role was written specifically for Plaza; after meeting her, casting director Allison Jones told Schur, "I just met the weirdest girl I've ever met in my life. You have to meet her and put her on your show."
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer, a goofy and dim-witted but lovable slacker. Pratt was originally intended to be a guest star and the character Andy was initially meant to appear only in the first season, but the producers liked Pratt so much that, almost immediately after casting him, they decided to make him a regular cast member starting with season two.[13]
Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt, Leslie's husband, a competent but socially awkward government official trying to redeem his past as a failed mayor in his youth.[14] Scott left his starring role on the Starz comedy series Party Down to join the show.[15]
Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger, an excessively positive and extremely health-conscious government official.[16] Unlike Scott, Lowe was originally expected to depart after a string of guest appearances,[17][18] but later signed a multi-year contract to become a regular cast member.[18][19]
Jim O'Heir as Jerry Gergich, a sweet-natured but painfully incompetent longtime city employee who is the main target of the office petty unkindness, yet enjoys his life as the husband of a gorgeous woman and the father of three beautiful daughters. He reached retirement with a full pension in season 5, but returned to the Parks office to work as an intern. As of season six, the other characters have taken to calling him "Larry Gengurch," after accidentally calling himself that name.
Retta as Donna Meagle, the confident and competent office manager for the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department. She is now accepting of her coworkers, previously dismissing them as boring. She has little tolerance for stupidity, can sometimes be selfish, enjoys casual dating, and is irresistible to many men. Donna loves her car, a Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV.

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
John Balma as Barney Varmn, an incredibly boring accountant. He regularly attempts to hire Ben as an employee.
Alison Becker as Shauna Malwae-Tweep, a newspaper journalist working for The Pawnee Journal.
Kristen Bell as Ingrid de Forest, an elitist city councilwoman from Eagleton.
Lucy Lawless as Diane Lewis, a middle school vice-principal and Ron's wife.
Richard Burch as Herman Lerpiss, the owner of the Pawnee Pawn Shop.
Andrew Burlinson as Wyatt "Burly" Burlison, the lead guitarist of Andy's band "Mouse Rat".
Mo Collins as Joan Callamezzo, a tabloid journalist and hostess of the local news/talk show Pawnee Today.
Billy Eichner as Craig Middlebrooks, the former office manager of Eagleton's parks department. After the Pawnee-Eagleton city merger, he is brought into the Pawnee parks department as the "associate administrator", and forms a strong friendship with Donna.
Sydney Endicott as Madison, a young intern at the parks department.
Mary Faber as Kathryn Pinewood, a representative for the Pawnee Restaurant Association.
Andy Forrest as Kyle, a government employee who is constantly ridiculed by Andy.
Jon Glaser as Councilman Jeremy Jamm, a member of the Pawnee city council and Leslie's nemesis.
James Greene as Councilman Fielding Milton, the longest serving member of the Pawnee city council.
Eric Isenhower as Orin, a creepy and disturbed friend of April.
Jay Jackson as Perd Hapley, a popular Pawnee television journalist and the host of news programs Ya Heard? With Perd! and The Final Word with Perd!.
Marc Evan Jackson as Trevor Nelsson, one of Pawnee's top attorneys in the employment of Dr. Saperstein.
Yvans Jourdain as Councilman Douglass Howser, the head of the Pawnee city council.
Richard Portnow as Mitch Savner, a local businessman and potential investor for Tom's restaurant.
Ben Schwartz as Jean-Ralphio Saperstein, Tom's dimwitted and cocky best friend.
Jenny Slate as Mona-Lisa Saperstein, Tom's crazy ex-girlfriend and Jean-Ralphio's sister.
Helen Slayton-Hughes as Ethel Beavers, an elderly government employee.
Brady Smith as Grant Larson, director of the Midwest branch of the National Parks Service.
Kevin Symons as Councilman Bill Dexhart, a member of the Pawnee city council who is frequently embroiled in outrageous sex scandals.
Cooper Thornton as Dr. Harris, a sarcastic doctor at Pawnee's hospital.
Jeff Tweedy as Scott Tanner, the former lead singer of a band called "Land Ho!".
Susan Yeagley as Jessica Wicks, the vain and superficial widow of Nick Newport Sr., one of the richest men in Pawnee.
Henry Winkler as Dr. Saperstein, a gynecologist and father of Jean-Ralphio and Mona-Lisa.

text: Guest stars[edit]

text:
Blake Anderson as Mike Bean, CEO of tech company "Gryzzl".
Matt Besser as Crazy Ira, one of the hosts of the radio show Crazy Ira and The Douche.
Dan Castellaneta as Derry Murbles, the host of the Pawnee radio show Thoughts for Your Thoughts.
The Decemberists as themselves.
Bo Burnham as Chip McCapp, a spoiled teenage country singer.
Sam Elliott as Ron Dunn, the former head of the Eagleton parks department.
Ginuwine as a fictional version of himself; he is Donna's cousin.
Kathryn Hahn as Jennifer Barkley, a successful political campaign manager and old acquaintance of Ben and Leslie.
Jon Hamm as Ed, an incompetent employee at the National Parks Service.
Kay Hanley as herself.
Erinn Hayes as Annabel Porter, a well-respected Pawnee lifestyle guru.
John Hodgman as August Clementine, an Eagleton radio host.
Rob Huebel as Harvey Spielyorm, the unlikable owner of a tent store.
Keegan-Michael Key as Joe, a school principal and Donna's ex-boyfriend.
Heidi Klum as Ulee Danssen, the mayor of a town in Denmark.
Nick Kroll as Howard "The Douche" Tuttleman, one of the hosts of the Pawnee radio show Crazy Ira and The Douche.
Andrew Luck as himself
Tatiana Maslany as Nadia Stasky, a doctor and love interest for Tom.
Robert Mathis as himself
Megan Mullally as Tammy Swanson (aka Tammy Two), Ron's sex-crazed ex-wife.
Michelle Obama as herself.
June Diane Raphael as Tynnyfer, a former employee of the Eagleton parks department.
Peter Serafinowicz as His Royal Excellence Lord Edgar Darby Covington, 14th Earl of Cornwall-Upon-Thames and 29th Baron of Hertfordshire, who also goes by the name "Eddie", the head of a British charitable organization.
Yo La Tengo as Bobby Knight Ranger, a fictional Night Ranger tribute band.
Adam Vinatieri as himself

text: Production[edit]

text: On July 31, 2013, it was reported by BuzzFeed that Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones would be leaving the series around the middle of the season.[20] Their final episode was episode 13, "Ann and Chris". Due to the departure of Jones and Lowe, longtime regulars Jim O'Heir and Retta were added to the show's opening credit sequence starting with episode 14, "Anniversaries". Jones appears as a special guest star in episode 16 when Ann has her baby.

text: Chris Pratt was absent for much of the early part of the season, due to him filming Guardians of the Galaxy in London. Executive producer Michael Schur stated the show went to London for the first two episodes in order for Pratt's character Andy to make an appearance. Pratt made a brief return in the sixth episode, with Schur adding that Pratt would return to the series in the tenth episode, the series' 100th episode.[21]

text: In February 2014, NBC announced a digital tie-in for the show, titled "The Hapley Group", which aired on February 20. Created "to help viewers remain engaged with their favorite programs" while NBC broadcasts the 2014 Winter Olympics, it featured Jay Jackson, Matt Besser, Nick Kroll and Mo Collins reprising their roles as Perd Hapley, Crazy Ira, The Douche, and Joan Callamezzo, respectively, with Seth Morris as Mike Patterson, a new character who recurred on the TV show as well.[22] The tie-in, directed by Morgan Sackett and written by Greg Levine, features the characters in a heated, political round-table discussion of Pawnee’s hot topics.[23]

text: Retta tweeted on February 27, 2014 that filming for the season had finished.[24]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: † denotes an extended episode. ‡ denotes an hour-long episode.

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
U.S. viewers
(millions)

91

92
1

2
"London"‡
Dean Holland
Michael Schur
September 26, 2013 (2013-09-26)
3.27[25]

Diane tells Ron that she's pregnant, Ron proposes, and they get married in the municipal building. Leslie wins an international award that takes her, Ben, Andy, April and Ron to London, while Tom learns who his business competitor is. Ann and Chris progress in their relationship.

93
3
"The Pawnee-Eagleton Tip Off Classic"
Nicole Holofcener
Alan Yang
October 3, 2013 (2013-10-03)
3.14[26]

Leslie, Ben and Chris go to Eagleton on government business, while Ann takes April to her veterinary school orientation in Bloomington. Ron attempts to destroy every piece of evidence of his existence after receiving a junk mail flier, and Ann suggests that she and Chris move away from Pawnee after their baby is born.

94
4
"Doppelgängers"
Jay Karas
Donick Cary
October 10, 2013 (2013-10-10)
3.23[27]

Leslie pairs the Pawnee Parks Department with their Eagleton counterparts, however, none of them seem to get along. Jerry (now known as Larry) comes out of retirement to become the Parks' department filer. Ann tells Leslie that she and Chris are planning to move away from Pawnee to Michigan, which Leslie does not take well.

95
5
"Gin It Up!"
Jorma Taccone
Matt Murray
October 17, 2013 (2013-10-17)
3.27[28]

When Donna uses the department's Twitter account instead of her own, Leslie helps calm the over reaction to the sex-themed tweet. Elsewhere, Tom tries to impress someone who stops by the Parks Department by making her simple request take extra long, and Ron meets with a lawyer to craft his last will.

96
6
"Filibuster"
Morgan Sackett
Harris Wittels
November 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)
3.03[29]

Andy returns briefly from London, while Ron takes Donna hunting after failing at a computer version. Leslie plans an 1990s themed birthday party for Ben, only to miss it in order to attend a filibuster to fight for the rights of former Eagletonians to vote.

97
7
"Recall Vote"
Wendey Stanzler
Aisha Muharrar
November 14, 2013 (2013-11-14)
3.03[29]

Leslie prepares Halloween festivities at town hall on the day of her recall vote, while Ron convinces Tom to sell his business in order to gain money through the deal.

98
8
"Fluoride"
Michael Trim
Matt Hubbard
November 21, 2013 (2013-11-21)
2.81[30]

Leslie accepts that she has been recalled, and attempts to introduce Eagleton's water fluoridation to Pawnee, using a new attitude as a lame duck, but Jamm ruins it with fear-mongering. Tom counters with T-Dazzle, a rebrand, but Jamm decides to introduce Drink-ems, an unhealthy drink to replace water. Leslie berates Sweetums for the Drink-ems idea, which costs Ben his job. Needing Ben to have a job, Leslie decides to apologize, but through encouragement from Ben, she gets Tom to once again rebrand fluoride as H2-Flow, which successfully works. Meanwhile, Chris tries to learn parenting techniques from a reluctant Ron, who is really just showing him how to build a crib. Elsewhere, Donna gets upset with April for choosing spirit dogs for the department, and choosing hers under basic explanations.

99
9
"The Cones of Dunshire"
Julie Anne Robinson
Dave King
November 21, 2013 (2013-11-21)
2.81[30]

Leslie faces off with Councilman Jamm on a park proposal. Laid-off Ben gets a new hobby, before accepting a job offer from an accounting firm that has been courting him for two years. Tom, April and Donna help Ron sell his cabin. Chris gets Leslie to finally come to terms with his and Ann's move to Michigan.

100
10
"Second Chunce"†
Dean Holland
Amy Poehler & Michael Schur
January 9, 2014 (2014-01-09)
3.43[31]

Leslie comes to terms on her last days in office, when Councilmen Dexhart gets into another scandal, she tries to convince the department to run again. Meanwhile, Ann and Chris find out that they are having a boy. Andy comes home from London.

101
11
"New Beginnings"
Alan Yang
Sam Means
January 16, 2014 (2014-01-16)
3.05[32]

Leslie returns to her old job and Ben becomes City Manager after Chris stepped down. April and Andy pull pranks on Ben.

102
12
"Farmers Market"
Adam Scott
Joe Mande
January 23, 2014 (2014-01-23)
2.98[33]

Leslie fights with Ben over the ways the new Farmers Market is being handled. The department gets annoyed with Ann's pregnancy aspects. April supports Andy on playing music for children.

103
13
"Ann and Chris"
Dean Holland
Aisha Muharrar & Michael Schur
January 30, 2014 (2014-01-30)
3.03[34]

Leslie throws a goodbye party for Ann and Chris, and tries to fulfill a promise by finally beginning to break ground on Pawnee Commons (the project that got her and Ann together). The guys search for a going-away gift for Chris. Ann and Chris say their goodbyes and leave Pawnee.

104
14
"Anniversaries"
Morgan Sackett
Megan Amram
February 27, 2014 (2014-02-27)
2.52[35]

Ben tries to surprise Leslie with an anniversary gifts, but ends up spending more time with Larry. Donna doesn't show up for work, so April tries to discipline her using the internet which backfires. Leslie tries to put a spin on the Pawnee-Eagleton merger. Andy and Tom come up with an idea to hold a concert to celebrate the merger. Meanwhile, Ron writes letters to all the things he hates.

105
15
"The Wall"
Ken Whittingham
Jen Statsky
March 6, 2014 (2014-03-06)
2.95[36]

Ben and Tom try to get sponsors for the Pawnee/Eagleton unity concert and Tom ends up getting an investment offer for one of his ideas; Leslie tries to tear down the wall dividing the two towns, only to release bees, causing Jamm to propose a secede bill; Leslie also gets an offer to run a new National Parks office out of Chicago. Meanwhile, Ron begins to bring his newborn son, John, to the office, as he rebuilds an abandoned floor in Town Hall.

106
16
"New Slogan"
Dean Holland
Alan Yang & Sam Means
March 13, 2014 (2014-03-13)
2.72[37]

Ben revamps the Pawnee website, on which Leslie solicits suggestions for a new town slogan, but The Douche convinces his radio listeners to write in obscene slogans. April tries to keep Tom from leaving by saying bad things about potential restaurant locations. She realizes Donna was doing the same thing by showing him awful locations, so they both try to make things right. Andy discovers Ron is Duke Silver and tries to convince him to play the unity concert.

107
17
"Galentine's Day"
Beth McCarthy-Miller
Emma Fletcher & Rachna Fruchbom
March 20, 2014 (2014-03-20)
3.05[38]

Leslie throws a Galentine's Day brunch in an effort to find a new best friend. Ben, Tom and Larry search for tents for the Unity Concert. With new parental instincts Ron looks after Andy. Meanwhile, Leslie visits Ann after she gives birth to her baby, Oliver.

108
18
"Prom"
Ken Whittingham
Matt Murray & Harris Wittels
April 3, 2014 (2014-04-03)
2.67[39]

After it is cut from the budget, Leslie brings back the senior prom, and asks Ben and Tom to be DJs. Andy tries everything to get April, who hates prom, to go with him.

109
19
"Flu Season 2"†
Nick Offerman
Megan Amram & Dave King
April 10, 2014 (2014-04-10)
2.56[40]

Leslie and Andy try to find music for the unity concert while battling the flu; Donna, Tom and April go wine tasting for Tom's new restaurant. Ron and Ben have a bonding session. Later, Ben realizes he wants to start a family, and Leslie announces that she is pregnant.

110
20
"One in 8,000"
Dean Holland
Donick Cary & Joe Mande
April 17, 2014 (2014-04-17)
2.39[41]

Leslie and Ben try to keep Leslie's pregnancy a secret, which proves a problem when they realize she is having triplets. Meanwhile, Donna seeks Ron's help dealing with her ex-boyfriend at a school, and April organizes Andy's schedule while trying to learn his secret. Leslie and Ben eventually tell the office, with everyone offering some form of help to them once the babies arrive.

111

112
21

22
"Moving Up"†‡
Michael Schur
Aisha Muharrar & Alan Yang
April 24, 2014 (2014-04-24)
2.71[42]

Leslie, Ben and Andy visit San Francisco for a National Parks Conference, where Ben (with the help of First Lady Michelle Obama) convinces Leslie to take the job in Chicago. Tom opens his restaurant early, which backfires and the investor pulls out. The Parks Department holds the Pawnee/Eagleton Unity Concert, which is a success. Tom reopens his restaurant the night of the concert, having better luck this time and gaining another investor. Later, Leslie convinces her National Parks boss to bring her job to Pawnee, using the City Hall building's third floor that Ron has finished renovating. Three years in the future, Leslie is shown being stressed but successful at her new job, while she and Ben raise their triplets.


document_title: Britain's Got Talent

question_text: who were the first judges on britain's got talent

question_tokens: who were the first judges on britain 's got talent

text: Britain's Got Talent

text: History[edit]

text: The show's format was devised by X Factor creator and Sony Music executive, Simon Cowell, who was involved in the creation of other Got Talent programmes across several different countries. To showcase his idea, a pilot episode was filmed in September 2005, with the judging panel consisting of Cowell, Fern Britton (at the time, presenter of This Morning), as well as tabloid journalist Piers Morgan.[6] The pilot was not broadcast on television until it was shown as part of a documentary series entitled The Talent Show Story in January 2012.[6]

text: The original plan for the show was for it to be aired within 2005–2006, before the broadcast of America's Got Talent, with Paul O'Grady presenting the programme under the title Paul O'Grady's Got Talent, after having hosted the pilot. His selection as the host in the original production plans was due to the popularity he was attaining from his teatime chat show, The Paul O'Grady Show.[7] However, complications arose when O'Grady was involved in a row with ITV and refused to appear on another of the broadcaster's programme, eventually defecting to Channel 4 to continue hosting his teatime show and effectively putting plans for the show on hold.[8] In a 2010 interview, O'Grady commented about the row by stating:[9]

text: "I did the pilot for Britain's Got Talent – which was originally going to be called Paul O'Grady's Got Talent. But I told the producers they were having a joke if they thought I would front a show with that title. The original panel of judges was going to be Simon Cowell, Fern Britton and Piers Morgan. I was the host. Then when I had the row with ITV I was banned from the studios. I remember I rang Simon and told him he had a huge hit on his hands, but there was no way I could do it. I said, if I am banned I have to be banned from everything. I can’t be a hypocrite and come in and do this. I had to bow out."

text: On 12 February 2007, following the success of America's Got Talent the previous year, ITV announced their intentions for a British series of Got Talent. Their announcement revealed changes to the original plan for the programme, with Ant & Dec revealed to be the hosts for the new programme. While Cowell remained as part of the judging panel, the new plan intended for David Hasselhoff and Cheryl Cole. However, both resigned before the programme was due to air, leading to Morgan being part of the panel as originally planned, and actress Amanda Holden joining him and Cowell as a judge; Hasselhoff would later join the panel for the programme's fifth series after being a part of the panel for America's Got Talent, while Cowell later employed Cole to be a replacement for Sharon Osbourne on The X Factor. At the same time, the broadcaster also announced that the show would be accompanied by a sister show on ITV2, entitled Britain's Got More Talent, with Stephen Mulhern as its presenter.

text: Format[edit]

text: Auditions[edit]

text: The show holds two rounds of auditions for contestants. The first round, referred to as the "open auditions", are held across several different cities around the UK during the Autumn months. The second round, referred to as the "Judges' Auditions", are held the following year during January and February, prior to the broadcast of the show later that year during spring or early summer - these auditions consists of the contestants who made it through the first round, and are held within a select set of cities, which has commonly included Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London. For the Judges' Auditions, each site used for these is located within a theatre or convention hall. These sites are primarily chosen for the purpose of having facilities that can handle large volumes of contestants, with each set up into three arrangements when auditions are taking place: a waiting area for contestants to prepare and await their turn to perform, with monitors to allow them to see the performances of other contestants; the wings, where a contestant enters and leaves from, and where friends and family of the contestant can view them from; and the main stage, where the contestant performs their act before the judging panel, who are located in front of the stage. The main stage area is usually modified to include the judges' panel desk, along with a special lighting rig above the stage, consisting of Xs that each have the name of a judge under them.

text: Each contestant that auditions is given a number by the production team and remains in the waiting area until called out into the wings, giving them a certain amount of time to prepare their act. Upon being allowed onto the main stage, they will usually be asked by one of the judges for their name and what they plan to perform, along with other details such as age, occupation, personal background, and what they wish to achieve if they won. After this, they are then given three minutes to conduct their performance before both the judges and a live audience, with some acts being supported by a backing track provided by the production team. If at any time, the judges find the performance to be unconvincing, boring or completely wrong, they may use the buzzer before them, which changes the Xs from white to red; if all the judges press their buzzers, then the performance is immediately over. However, a judge can retract their buzzer's use if they felt they had done so prematurely before witnessing a contest's performance to the end; this is true if the performance appears to look bad, but later turns out to have been good in their eyes.

text: Once a performance is over, each judge will give an overview of what they thought about the act, before casting a vote. If the contestant(s) receives a majority vote of "Yes", they then proceed onto the next stage in the contest, otherwise they are eliminated from that series' contest. In Series 8, a new feature was added to the auditions, which had been previously used on Germany's Got Talent, called the "Golden Buzzer".[10] Situated in the centre of the judges' desk, the Golden Buzzer allows a judge to effectively send the contestant(s) into the live semi-finals, regardless of the opinions of the other judges, if they felt that a contestant's performance was outstanding; when pressed, the judge's X turns gold and the stage is showered in gold glitter strips. However, as a general rule, they may only press it once per series and cannot press it again in later auditions; the hosts of Britain's Got Talent may also press the Golden Buzzer for a contestant, but must also adhere to the same rule.[11][12]

text: Filming for the show begins during the Judges' Auditions, with footage that is recorded in these being edited into a series of episodes that are aired on a weekly schedule before the live semi-finals, and featuring the best highlights of the auditions, including those from the best performances the judges saw, to the worst that appeared, whether funny, poorly conceived or generally bad, and in some cases totally inappropriate. These episodes also include interviews with the contestants in a separate area, as well as additional interviews conducted within the wings before and after a performance, that are conducted by the hosts, who also give personal comments about a performance while watching from the wings.

text: Judges' decisions[edit]

text: This stage takes place after the auditions have been completed, and is also referred to as Deliberation Day, in which the judges look through the acts that have successfully made it to this stage, and begin whittling them down to those who would stand a fair chance in the live semi-finals. The amount that goes through has varied over the show's history, though usually consists of a number that can be divided equally over the semi-finals being held in a series. Once the judges have decided on who will go through, all contestants that have reached this stage are called back to discover if they will progress into the live semi-finals or not. After this has been done, the acts are divided up between the semi-finals that the series will have; usually eight in each series, except for the sixth to tenth series which had nine acts per semi-final.

text: For the fifth series, some acts were asked to perform again, as the judges had had difficulty coming to a final decision on the semi-finalist, and thus needed to see their performance again in order to make up their minds; it is only time in the show's history that this has happened, and has not been repeated since.[13]

text: Semi-finals and Final[edit]

text: Contestants that make it into the semi-finals by making it through the auditions and being chosen by the judges (or, from series 8, received the Golden Buzzer during their audition), perform once more before an audience and the judges, with their performance broadcast on live television. Until the tenth series, live episodes were broadcast from The Fountain Studios in Wembley, the same site used for The X Factor, but following its closure in 2016,[14] the show relocated its live episodes to Elstree Studios in 2017, before moving to Hammersmith Apollo the following year. Like the Audition stage of the contest, each semi-finalist must attempt to impress by primarily conducting a new routine of their act within the same span of time; the judges can still use a buzzer if they are displeased with a performance and can end it early if all the buzzers are used, along with giving a personal opinion about an act when the performance is over. Of the semi-finalists that take part, only two can progress into the final, which is determined by two different types of votes - a public phone vote, and a judges' vote.

text: The phone vote, which occurs after all the semi-finalists have performed, determines the first winner of the semi-final and takes place via a special phone line over a short break from the programme. During this time, the public votes for the act they liked best, through a phone number in which the final two digits are different for each semi-finalist - these digits are primarily arranged by the order of their appearance. Once the lines have closed and the votes have been counted, the programme airs a live results episode, in which the semi-finalist with the highest number of votes automatically moves into the final. The second winner is determined by the judges' vote, which held after the results of the phone vote have been given out, and determines whether the second or third most popular semi-finalist in the public vote moves on to the final. The judges' vote, held after the result of the phone vote, determines the second act that wins this stage, and is conducted between the second and third most popular acts the public voted on. After the number of judges was increased to four, the rule on the judges' vote was modified - if the vote is tied, the semi-finalist with the second highest tally of public votes automatically moves on to the final. For the eleventh series only, the judges' vote was not used, meaning that the finalists were determined by the public vote only - the semi-finalists in each semi-final for this series with the highest and second-highest tally of votes, moved on to the final. From the start of the sixth series, the show introduced a new format known as the "Judges' Wildcard", in which the judges can reinstate an act that had been eliminated from the semi-final, through a private vote conducted before the airing of the final. This format was later expanded to include a "Public Wildcard", in which the public could vote on an act that had been eliminated in the semi-finals during the judges' vote and reinstate it for the final; although used in the ninth and tenth series, this format was dropped for the eleventh series.

text: For the final of each series, the format of the contest operates in exactly the same manner as the semi-finals, including being broadcast live on television, though this time the winner is determined purely by a phone vote, with the finalists attempting to secure more votes than the others by performing a new routine at their best. Upon the result being given, the top two acts are brought onto the stage, with the hosts announcing which of them received the most votes. The winner of each year's contest receives a cash prize, and earns the opportunity to perform in the Royal Variety Performance later that year.

text: For the show's scheduling, the live episodes are usually arranged to take place over the course of a week, with the semi-finals aired mainly on weekdays, and the final aired on the weekend; in some series, the schedule featured a break between the live episodes of the semi-finals, due to coverage of live events. All live episodes are divided into two parts when they are aired - the first half focuses on performances, each beginning with a short clip of the semi-finalist/finalist's background, and ending with comments by the judges; the second half occurs after voting is closed, usually after another programme has aired between the two parts, and focuses on the results of the phone vote, with a guest performance taking place prior to the announcement of the results. This format was initially used for the live finals only, up until the start of the semi-finals in the fourth series.

text: Judges[edit]

text: For the first four series after the show began in June 2007, the judging panel consisted of music executive and television producer Simon Cowell, television and West End star Amanda Holden, and newspaper editor and journalist Piers Morgan. In 2009, the producers made plans to alter the show's format to allow for a fourth judge when the third series was set to begin, with plans for Kelly Brook to be the new judge on the panel.[15] Less than a week after the series began, the producers dropped this change on the belief that this alteration to the show's format would complicate it, resulting in Brooks being credited as a guest judge for that series.[16][17][18] In 2010, Cowell fell ill during filming of the fourth series and was unable to attend the Birmingham auditions, leading to Louis Walsh stepping in as a guest judge in his place, until he had recovered.[19]

text: In 2011, the panel saw its first major change, when Morgan revealed he was leaving the show to travel to America and begin filming of his new show.[20] As Cowell had announced he wouldn't be present for the fifth series' auditions, due to his busy schedule with launching The X Factor USA,[20] the show's producers decided to amend the panel, and recruited comedian Michael McIntyre, and actor, singer and former America's Got Talent judge David Hasselhoff, to join Holden during the auditions,[21][22] with Walsh returning as a guest judge for the London auditions due to Hasselhoff's commitments with a pantomime at that time. When the series entered its live episodes, Cowell returned to oversee the acts as a fourth judge. Later that year, in October 2011, both Hasselhoff and McIntrye declined to return for the sixth series, while Cowell announced he was returning full-time to the show.[23]

text: On 2 January 2012, the producers revealed its decision to adopt the use of a fourth judge for the programme's format, announcing that both Cowell and Holden would now be joined by David Walliams and Alesha Dixon for the sixth series, with the latter moving to the talent show after deciding to leave BBC's Strictly Come Dancing.[24] During filming in February, Holden was unable to attend the London auditions, due to having given birth to her daughter at that time which had led to her suffering some after-effects from her pregnancy. As a result, the producers brought in actress and model Carmen Electra as a guest judge until she recovered. In subsequent series, the line-up remained as Cowell, Holden, Walliams and Dixon, with no further incidents except for the eighth series in 2014 - Cowell missed the first day of the Manchester auditions, leading to Ant & Dec filling in for him, and was also absent for the final day of the London auditions - and the tenth series in 2016 - Cowell was late for an audition, and was temporarily replaced by Walliam's mother Kathleen, who was attending it.

text:
Series

Main Judge

Guest Judge

1

2

3

4

1

Simon1

Amanda

Piers

N/A

N/A

2

3

Kelly2

4

Louis3

5

Michael

David H.

6

Alesha

David W.

Carmen4

7

N/A

8

Ant & Dec5

9

N/A

10

Kathleen6

11

N/A

12

text:
^  Cowell was not present for auditions in the fifth series; he served as a judge for the live shows only.
^  Brook was credited as a guest judge for the Manchester auditions, after the producers dropped plans for her to be a permanent judge in this series.
^  Walsh served as a guest judge in place of Cowell during the fourth series, and Hasselhoff during the fifth series.
^  Electra served as a guest judge in place of Holden, during the sixth series.
^  Ant & Dec served as guest judges in the eighth series, substituting for Cowell on the first day of the Manchester auditions.
^  David Walliams' mother, Kathleen Williams, served as a guest judge in place of Cowell, while attending a session in the tenth series.

text: Series overview[edit]

text:
Series

Start

Finish

Winner's prize1

Winner

Runner-up

Third place

Ave. UK viewers(millions)

1

9 June 2007

17 June 2007

£100,000

Paul Potts

Connie Talbot

Damon Scott

8.38

2

12 April 2008

31 May 2008

George Sampson

Signature

Andrew Johnston

10.21

3

11 April 2009

30 May 2009

Diversity

Susan Boyle

Julian Smith

13.36

4

17 April 2010

5 June 2010

Spelbound

Twist and Pulse

Kieran Gaffney

11.05

5

16 April 2011

4 June 2011

Jai McDowall

Ronan Parke

New Bounce

10.40

6

24 March 2012

12 May 2012

£500,000

Ashleigh and Pudsey

Jonathan and Charlotte

Only Boys Aloud

10.07

7

13 April 2013

8 June 2013

£250,000

Attraction

Jack Carroll

Richard & Adam

9.71

8

12 April 2014

7 June 2014

Collabro

Lucy Kay

Bars & Melody

9.84

9

11 April 2015

31 May 2015

Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse

Jamie Raven

Côr Glanaethwy

9.31

10

9 April 2016

28 May 2016

Richard Jones

Wayne Woodward

Boogie Storm

9.43

11

15 April 2017

3 June 2017

Tokio Myers

Issy Simpson

Daliso Chaponda

9.12

12

14 April 2018

3 June 2018

Lost Voice Guy

Robert White

Donchez Dacres

8.33

text: ^  In addition to the cash prize, winners also earn the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in the year they win.

text: Series 1 (2007)[edit]

text: The first series was aired during 2007, between 9–17 June. Auditions for this series took place within the cities of Manchester, Birmingham, London and Cardiff, between January and February earlier that year. The series had 3 live semi-finals, featuring a total of 24 semi-finalists, all of whom were vying for a chance to perform at the Royal Variety Performance, as well as claiming a £100,000 cash prize. The series was won by opera singer Paul Potts; the results of the other finalists were not announced.

text: Series 2 (2008)[edit]

text: The second series was aired during 2008, between 12 April to 31 May, and featured notable differences. Not only did the series run for much longer, auditions took place in Blackpool and Glasgow, the latter following complaints that Scotland hadn't been visited during the previous series, along with Manchester, Birmingham, London and Cardiff. In addition, the show had five live semi-finals, featuring a total of 40 semi-finalists. The series was won by street-dancer George Sampson, with dual dance group Signature coming in second, and singer Andrew Johnston placing third.

text: Series 3 (2009)[edit]

text: The third series was aired during 2009, between 11 April to 30 May, with auditions held in the same five cities as before. Initially, the producers intended to change the format by including a fourth judge on the panel, but this was later dropped a few days after auditions began. The series was won by dance troupe Diversity, with singer Susan Boyle coming in second, and saxophonist Julian Smith placing third.

text: Series 4 (2010)[edit]

text: The fourth series was aired during 2010, between 17 April to 5 June; a single episode of this series, intended for airing on 22 May, was pushed back to 23 May, in order to avoid it clashing with live coverage of the UEFA Champions League Final that year. The auditions were once more held across the same five cities as before, though the series also held auditions with Newcastle upon Tyne; the city had been originally planned to hold auditions for the previous series, but these were cancelled before this could happen. Owing to illness, Cowell was unable to attend the Birmingham auditions, which led to Louis Walsh being in brought in as a guest judge for these.[25] The series was won by gymnastic troupe Spelbound, with dancing duo Twist and Pulse coming in second, and drummer Kieran Gaffney placing third.

text: Series 5 (2011)[edit]

text: The fifth series was aired during 2011, between 16 April to 4 June, and was the first to be broadcast completely in high-definition; like before, a single episode intended for airing on 28 May, was pushed back to 29 May, to avoid it clashing with live coverage of the UEFA Champions League Final that year. Auditions took place across the same five cities, though also included Liverpool. This series saw a change in the judging panel, following Piers Morgan's departure from the show,[26] with Holden joined by David Hasselhoff and Michael McIntyre during the auditions; Cowell appeared during the live episodes of the series with the rest of the panel,[27][28] while Louis Walsh returned as a guest judge for the London auditions when Hasselhoff couldn't attend due to other commitments at the time.[29] The series was won by singer Jai McDowall, with singer Ronan Parke coming in second, and boyband New Bounce placing third.

text: Series 6 (2012)[edit]

text: The sixth series was aired during 2012, between 24 March and 12 May. For this series, the cash prize was increased from £100,000 to £500,000, and a new feature was introduced called the "Wildcard", in which the judges could select one of the acts eliminated in the semi-finals, to return and compete in the finals. The show also increased the number of semi-finalist for the semi-finals to 45, with nine acts per semi-final, and the number of judges for the entire contest to 4; the previous series also featured four judges, albeit for the live episodes only. In addition, the show attempted to bring in a new way of voting for the semi-finals via a mobile app, but this was suspended for the series after it suffered technical problems during the first live semi-final.

text: This series featured an open audition in London, along with inviting other acts to audition via YouTube, before holding Judges' Auditions within Birmingham, London, Manchester and Cardiff, Blackpool and Edinburgh. As both McIntyre and Hasselhoff announced in late 2011 they wouldn't be returning,[23] the show announced on 2 January 2012 that they would be replaced by David Walliams and Alesha Dixon,[30] and join both Holden and Cowell for the new series, the latter having announced he would be returning as a full-time judge on the show.[31][32] Holden was unable to attend some of the auditions due to her pregnancy that year, leading to Carmen Electra stepping in as a guest judge for these. The series was won by trainer and dog duo Ashleigh and Pudsey, with opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte coming in second, and Welsh boys choir Only Boys Aloud placing third.

text: Series 7 (2013)[edit]

text: The seventh series was aired during 2013, between 13 April to 8 June; the show took a break on the 29 May, due to live football coverage of England's friendly with the Republic of Ireland. While the show retained the new features introduced in the previous series, the cash prize was reduced to £250,000, with the series featuring auditions within five cities - Birmingham, London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester. The series was won by shadow theatre troupe Attraction, with comedian Jack Carroll coming in second, and opera duo Richard & Adam placing third.

text: Series 8 (2014)[edit]

text: The eighth series aired during 2014, between 12 April to 7 June. This series was the first to introduce the "Golden Buzzer", and for the first time since the first series, auditions were not held in Scotland, instead being held in Northern Ireland within Belfast, along with Cardiff, London, Birmingham and Manchester; Edinburgh joined these cities to hold open auditions in late 2013, along with Blackpool and Brighton, with additional open auditions held in various local branches of Morrisons within "Talent Spot" tents, owing to the show's sponsorship deal with the supermarket chain at the time. The series was won by boy band Collabro, with opera singer Lucy Kay coming in second, and rapper duo Bars & Melody placing third.

text: Series 9 (2015)[edit]

text: The ninth series was aired during 2015, between 11 April to 31 May. This series saw the "Wildcard" feature updated; along with the judges being able to put forth an eliminated act from the semi-finals into the final (referred to as the Judges' Wildcard), the show now also allowed the public to vote between the three most popular eliminated acts, with the one with the highest number of votes going forward into the final - this act is referred to as the Public Wildcard. Audition took place within Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, and London, with the latter three cities holding open auditions in late 2014 along with Newcastle, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Leeds, Norwich, and Bristol. The winner of the series was trainer and dog duo Jules O'Dwyer & Matisse, with magician Jamie Raven coming second, and Welsh choir Côr Glanaethwy placing third.

text: Series 10 (2016)[edit]

text: The tenth series was aired during 2016, between 9 April to 28 May. Auditions were held within Liverpool, Birmingham and London, with all three holding open auditions in late 2015 along with Cardiff, Glasgow, and Manchester. It was the last series to hold live episodes within The Fountain Studios, before its closure at the end of the year. The series was won by magician Richard Jones, with singer Wayne Woodward coming in second, and dance group Boogie Storm placing third.

text: Series 11 (2017)[edit]

text: The eleventh series was aired during 2017, between 15 April to 3 June; the final was originally planned for 4 June, but this was moved forward to avoid it clashing with the One Love Manchester benefit concert that day.[33] The series saw two major changes: the first saw the total number of semi-finalist reduced to 40 with eight per each semi-final, as it had been prior to the sixth series; the second saw the Judges' vote being dropped, with the two semi-finalists with the highest number of public votes moving on into the final. In addition, the live episodes were now broadcast from Elstree Studios, owing to the closure of the previous site. Auditions were held within Salford, Birmingham, London, and Blackpool, with the latter two cities holding open auditions in late 2016, along with Peterborough, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Kingston upon Hull, Lincoln, Reading, Manchester and Luton. The series was won by pianist Tokio Myers, with magician Issy Simpson coming second, and stand-up comedian Daliso Chaponda placing third.

text: Series 12 (2018)[edit]

text: The twelfth series was aired during 2018, between 14 April to 3 June.[34] Following the previous series, the Judges' vote was brought back into the show's format, while the live episodes were aired from Hammersmith Apollo and presented solely by Declan Donnelly; although Anthony McPartlin had stepped down from his TV commitments in March 2018, he still appeared in the series' audition episodes, which had been filmed during January and February that year.[35] Auditions were held within Manchester, Blackpool and London,[36] with two of these cities holding open auditions in 2017, alongside a number of locations within the United Kingdom and Ireland, including Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Dublin, and Inverness.[37] The series was won by stand-up comedian Lost Voice Guy, with comedy singer/pianist Robert White coming second, and singer Donchez Dacres placing third.

text: Britain's Got More Talent[edit]

text: Britain's Got More Talent is a companion sister show that is broadcast on ITV2, and is aired after each episode of Britain's Got Talent since the main show began in June 2007. Hosted by Stephen Mulhern (with occasional appearances by Ant & Dec), the programme operates in a similar manner to the former spin off show The Xtra Factor (the companion show of The X Factor), in that it features interviews with contestants and behind-the-scenes footage, though what is shown depends on what the main show is focused on during its broadcast. When the auditions stage is being broadcast, its sister show focuses on highlights of acts that couldn't be shown on the main show, with Mulhern operating in a similar manner to Ant & Dec by viewing the performances in the wings and giving comments, as well as interviewing contestants before and after their performance. When the main show begins broadcasting live episodes, its sister show conducts live "after-show" episodes, featuring interviews with the semi-finalists/finalists, as well as chatting with the judges.

text: In addition to this format, each year also sees Britain's Got More Talent broadcasting a special set of compilation episodes featuring the best and worst auditions from that year's contest, entitled Britain's Got Talent: Best and Worst, which are presented by Mulhern who introduces each clip shown.

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Britain's Got Talent has been nominated for a number of National Television Awards in the category of 'Most Popular Talent Show' since 2007. But has lost out to its sister shows The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing. Ant and Dec have won the award for 'Most Popular Entertainment Presenters' at the same awards for twelve consecutive years (as of January 2014). Britain's Got Talent has also been nominated for two British Academy Television Awards in 2008, but failed to win any awards. In 2007 and 2008, the show was nominated at the TV Quick and Choice Awards in the 'Best Talent Show' category, losing out to The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing respectively.

text: In 2008, it was a recipient of a Royal Television Society Programme Award for its technical achievements. It has also won four Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards from five nominations. In 2009, it won its first ever Digital Spy Reality Award for George Sampson for 'Favourite Reality Contestant'. The show was further nominated in the 'Reality Show' category, but lost out to The X Factor in the 'Reality TV Presenter' category for Ant & Dec and two nominations in the 'Reality TV Judge' category for Cowell and Morgan.

text:
Year
Group
Award
Nominee
Result

2007

National Television Awards

Most Popular Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

Most Popular Entertainment Presenter

Ant & Dec

Won

Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards

Best Reality Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

Best TV Presenters

Ant & Dec

Won

TV Quick and Choice Awards

Best Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

2008

National Television Awards

Most Popular Talent Show

Nominated

Most Popular Entertainment Presenter

Ant & Dec

Won

Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards

Favourite Winner

George Sampson

Won

British Academy Television Awards

Lew Grade Award

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

Audience Award

Nominated

Royal Television Society Programme Awards

Best Production Design-Entertainment

Dominic Tolfts

Won

Nickelodeon UK Kids' Choice Awards

Best TV Presenters

Ant & Dec

Won

Best Family TV Show

Britain's Got Talent

Won

Best TV Baddie

Simon Cowell

Won

2009

TV Quick and Choice Awards

Best Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

Digital Spy Reality TV Awards

Favourite TV Reality

Nominated

Favourite TV Reality Judge

Simon Cowell

Nominated

Piers Morgan

Nominated

Favourite TV Reality Presenters

Ant & Dec

Nominated

Favourite Reality Contestant

George Sampson

Won

2010

National Television Awards

Most Popular Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

British Academy Television Awards

Best Entertainment Programme

Won

2011

National Television Awards

Most Popular Talent Show

Nominated

TV Choice Awards

Best Talent Show

Won

2012

National Television Awards

Most Popular Talent Show

Nominated

2013

Broadcast Awards

Best Entertainment Programme

Nominated

National Television Awards

Most Popular Talent Show

Nominated

2014

Nominated

2015

Nominated

TV Judge

Simon Cowell

Nominated

David Walliams

Won

2016

Most Popular Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

2016 British Academy Television Awards

Best Entertainment Programme

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated[38]

2017

22nd National Television Awards

Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated[39]

TV Judge

Simon Cowell

Nominated[39]

David Walliams

Nominated[39]

2017 British Academy Television Awards

Best Entertainment Programme

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated[40]

Diversity in Media Awards

TV Programme of the Year

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

2018

23rd National Television Awards

Talent Show

Britain's Got Talent

Nominated

TV Judge

Simon Cowell

Nominated

David Walliams

Won

2018 British Academy Television Awards

Best Entertainment Programme

Britain's Got Talent

Won[41]

text: Controversies and criticism[edit]

text: The show was criticised by psychologist Glenn Wilson, who referred to it as a "freak show". He stated that "[contestants'] deficiencies and shortcomings are as important as their talent. We enjoy the stress we are putting these people under – will they or will they not survive?"[42]

text: The treatment of contestants at the audition stage was heavily criticised by the Daily Mail, which described applicants being kept waiting for over 10 hours with no food or drink provided, with no certainty of being allowed to perform more than a few seconds of their act. It also detailed how staff intentionally built up the hopes of low-quality performers in order to maximise the dramatic effect of the judges' put-downs, and the fine points of the contracts performers must sign, which gives the show infinite freedom to "modify" the footage for their own purposes, and to use the footage indefinitely for whatever purpose they choose.[43]

text: In two separate interviews in 2012, MC Kinky said "Shows like X Factor and Britain's Got Talent reduce the art of making music and practising your craft to the level of a low rent game show with huge financial backing and support. It's a means to make money, not a means to produce ground breaking or interesting artists that demonstrate what they are feeling or are compelled to do. It's corporate"[44] and "it's a churn 'em out fast food form of putrid shit that I have no affiliation with".[45]

text: In 2013, Bruce Forsyth questioned the show's allowing children to audition. He said, "I don't think that's entertainment. I don't think they should put children on that are too young. If you're going to do that, have a separate show. Have a children's show, British Children Have Talent."[46] Cowell responded to Forsyth, stating that: "someone, Mr Grumpy, said we shouldn't have children your age on the show", after the performance of dance troupe Youth Creation.[47] Jessie J joined the debate, declaring: "I cannot agree with kids having to go through three or four auditions when it's purely for ridicule. I don't understand why it's legal, I think it's wrong".[47]

text: In 2013 it was revealed that up to 50% of acts on the televised shows had been headhunted by producers. In 2012, electropop band Superpowerless were approached to appear in the semi-finals. They attended the audition after assurances that the act would be portrayed in a positive light. On the day they felt that all interviews, especially those with Stephen Mulhern, were conducted in a manner intending to portray them in a negative light, reducing their act to a novelty/comedy routine intended for ridicule and humiliation. While many newspapers wrote articles on this topic, very few were published as the news outlets were told that running the story would cut that publication out of any advance coverage of the show in the future.[48]

text: Live tour[edit]

text: Between 2008 - 2011, several of the show's semi-finalists, finalists, and winners from various series, took part in a live tour entitled "Britain's Got Talent Tour". The event consisted of several shows held across various UK cities during the Summer months, with site locations including Cardiff, Liverpool, Birmingham, Belfast, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Nottingham, London, and Manchester. When the first live tour, hosted by Stephen Mulhern, was announced on 17 April 2008, demand for tickets for the thirteen dates set for it was high. This led to an extension in the number of performances for it, increasing the overall number from twelve - the ten finalists from that year's series and two of the semi-finalists, Tracey Lee Collins and Anya Sparks - to twenty two, including matinées, and a duet with Faryl Smith and Andrew Johnston. In 2009, Mulhern hosted a new live tour, which initially featured four dates before it was later increased to run for eighteen shows, and included performances by Diversity, Flawless, Aidan Davis, Shaun Smith, Stavros Flatley, Hollie Steel, 2 Grand, Julian Smith, Shaheen Jafargholi, Susan Boyle, Darth Jackson, DJ Talent and the 2008 winner, George Sampson. In 2010, a third live tour was created, featuring a much larger schedule and taking place across 16 cities and 23 shows. It was hosted by comedian Paddy McGuinness, and featured performances by that year's finalists of Britain's Got Talent - Spelbound, Twist & Pulse, Kieran Gaffney, Tobias Mead, Tina & Chandi, Paul Burling, Christopher Stone, Janey Cutler, Liam McNally and Connected.

text: In 2011, a fourth live tour was created. Hosted by Mulhern, it featured performances by the finalists of that year's Britain's Got Talent - Jai McDowall, Ronan Parke, New Bounce, Razy Gogonea, Michael Collings, Paul Gbegbaje, Steven Hall, James Hobley, Les Gibson and Jean Martyn.[49] However ticket sales were drastically reduced due to low interest in the tour was as a result of the financial climate that year. Because there were raised concerns a new tour would flop if sales failed to improve, the tour was axed in 2012.[50]

text: Merchandise[edit]

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text: There are 6 pieces of related merchandise:

text:
Best of The Auditions DVD (2009)
The Electronic Board Game (2009)
The Magic Set (2009)
Finalists of 2009: Annual 2010 (2009)
Be the judge buzzer (2010)
Finalists of 2010: Annual 2011 (2010)

text: BGT App[edit]

text: Since 2010, a Britain's Got Talent app has been available on Apple's App Store and Google Play. The features of the app vary from year to year but always include an interactive feature (e.g. a buzzer, polls or quizzes), relevant social media feeds and clips from the show. In 2015, free in-app voting was introduced. This means viewers are able to vote free of charge for five acts of their choice per voting window during the semi-finals and final rounds.[citation needed]