BGT’s Jon Courtenay: From Palladium dreams to golden buzzer glory

Jonathan "Jon" Courtenay is a true triple-threat - a comedian, pianist, and award-winning entertainer who captured the hearts of the nation with his heartfelt original songs on Britain’s Got Talent 2020, becoming the first-ever Golden Buzzer act to win the series. 

Hailing from Mossley, Manchester, Jon has been honing his craft since childhood, seamlessly blending stand-up comedy, musical performance, and a touch of magic into a show that resonates across all ages. 

In this exclusive interview with The Champions Speakers Agency, we speak with one of the UK’s most sought-after entertainers about life after winning BGT, crafting original songs that tug at the heartstrings, and that unforgettable golden buzzer moment at the Palladium.

Q: Since winning Britain’s Got Talent, how has your career - and life - evolved, both on and off the stage?

Jon Courtenay: “Right, um, how’s my life changed since…well, it’s as weird as everybody else’s, I guess, with all the lockdown and everything like that happening. Having not won BGT before, I don’t know what would normally be happening if it wasn’t in lockdown, if you know what I mean. 

“I’ve got a few friends that have been through the process and actually a friend of mine won America’s Got Talent a couple of years ago - Paul Zerdin - so I’d spoken to people about the experience, which was one of the things that made me want to do it because everybody said it was such a positive experience.

“I think since it happened, work’s been crazy - but it’s been great because I’ve got my little studio here that I’ve been working from, writing songs and doing performances. I’ve got the virtual set-up which, like all my friends, was new to us six months ago when we started doing online stuff. 

“There’s no substitute for a live audience, even the BGT shows when it was just that virtual wall. It looked very impressive, but there’s no substitute for having a live theatre audience there. It’s always tough when you don’t get that immediate response from an audience.

“But no, I’m definitely keeping busy and on top of all that stuff I’ve still got dogs to walk and kids to take to school and all that jazz, so yeah - it’s all good.”

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Q: Take us back to that unforgettable moment - what was going through your mind when Ant and Dec pressed the golden buzzer?

Jon Courtenay: “Oh, it was amazing. I had no idea. That whole day was escalating degrees of being overwhelmed. Just being at the Palladium was incredible - I’d watched shows there with my dad growing up, and all my heroes had performed there: Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Morecambe and Wise.

“I was slightly nervous because it was an original song. I didn’t know how it would be received. But every joke I sang got a huge response from the audience and judges.

“I kept catching their eyes thinking, “This is going so much better than expected.” Then at the end, everybody stood up - including the judges - and my eldest son ran up on stage, which was so unlike him. That was emotional.

“Then my son started shouting, “You’ve done it!” because he could see Ant and Dec coming out, but I hadn’t. My first thought was, “Something’s gone wrong,” because off-camera, if something happens - like a light falls over - they come out to fill time.

“If a judge hits the golden buzzer, they just lean over and press it. But with Ant and Dec, they’ve got to walk across the stage, so you’ve got a good 30-40 seconds of thinking, “Oh my God.” My son’s going nuts next to me, and then it dawned on me.

“Backstage, earlier that day, someone had asked how I’d feel if I got the golden buzzer. I said it wouldn’t happen - I was the last act on the last day in London, and there were still auditions in Manchester. Logistically, they’d save buzzers for there.

“So there was no pressure, no way it would happen. I really wasn’t prepared for it - but it was incredible.”

This exclusive interview with Jon Courtenay was conducted by Megan Lupton of The Motivational Speakers Agency.

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