The Hawkstone Farmers Choir, formed and funded by Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, has been crowned the winner of Britain’s Got Talent 2026 during Saturday’s live grand final. They competed against Anastasiia & Salsa, Celestial, Fabian Fox, Liwei Yang, Matty Juniosa, Rafferty Coope, Sadeck Berrabah & LMA, Sonny Green, and Ted Hill for the audience’s votes.
Head judge Simon Cowell described the finale as the ‘closest ever’, praising each act and admitting, ‘I haven’t got a bloody clue of who is going to win.’ Alongside Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI, Cowell saw the choir emerge victorious, earning £250,000 and a performance slot at the Royal Variety Performance. Jeremy Clarkson, who created the 32-member group in 2024, was in the audience, cheering their win enthusiastically.
Despite the triumph, some ITV viewers expressed dissatisfaction, claiming the victory gave Clarkson ‘free publicity’ on the channel, branding the result a ‘fix’. Taking to social media, fans complained: ‘How’s all that free Clarkson promotion going @ITV?’ and ‘I AM ABSOLUTELY SICKENED THE HAWKSTONE FARMERS CHOIR WON BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT THE VOTE IS RIGGED.’
Originally set up to feature singing agricultural workers in a Hawkstone beer advert, the choir is now run by farmers Simon Gwilliam and Lizzy Dean. Their mission includes raising awareness and funds for mental health charities within the agricultural community. Following their win, they released a record, ‘The Banned One’, with proceeds going to Shout charity for farmers’ mental wellbeing.
Simon Cowell praised the choir after their semi-final performance, acknowledging their non-professional status but applauding their impact. The choir’s semi-final rendition of Bastille’s ‘Pompeii’ had already impressed viewers and secured their place in the final through public votes.
Jeremy Clarkson shared his pride on social media: ‘They were just fantastic. These guys are all farmers and they work incredibly hard for really incredibly small rewards and to see them all on that stage with all that love in the room made my heart sing.’ He added, ‘I actually welled up, and thank you Amanda Holden for pressing that Golden Buzzer. It shows that people really like farmers, and they were very, very good.’
Source: https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-15861237/Britains-Got-Talent-winner-2026-Hawkstone-Farmers-Choir-crowned-champion-watched-creator-Jeremy-Clarkson-closest-live-final.html
