Britain’s Got Talent winner Paul Potts believes singer Matty Juniosa is the act to beat in this year’s final.
The 55-year-old opera singer, who famously won the very first series of the ITV competition back in 2007 with his performance of “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s Turandot, has shared his thoughts on the 2026 finalists ahead of tonight’s live showdown.
Potts, who was working as a mobile phone salesman when he first auditioned for the show, told Ready10 that Matty is currently his top pick to take home the crown.
The Filipino singer secured a place in the final after earning the Golden Buzzer during the semi-finals and has quickly become one of the standout performers of the season.
Matty will compete against a wide range of acts in tonight’s final, including dog duo Anastasiia and Salsa, dance group LMA, magician Fabian Fox, fire performer Liwei Yang, comedian Ted Hill, spoken word poet Sonny Green, magician Rafferty Coope, drone act Celestial, and Jeremy Clarkson-backed group The Hawkstone Farmers Choir.
Speaking about the competition, Potts said: “Matty Juniosa is the favourite for me. He’s the one everybody else must beat.”
He added that the magicians still have a strong shot at winning, although he believes they could end up splitting the public vote because there are several similar acts in the final.
“The magicians have a chance if they don’t divide the vote between themselves,” he explained, while also noting that The Hawkstone Farmers Choir could perform well depending on viewer support.
Potts also praised Sonny Green’s emotional poetry performance about his son, though he admitted some viewers may see it differently.
“The poet who performed about his son was very moving as well,” he said. “Although some viewers may find it slightly manipulative or preachy.”
Despite that, Potts believes there are several acts capable of doing well in the final, but still sees Matty as the strongest overall contender.
“I think there are several acts capable of doing well, but Matty feels like the strongest contender,” he shared.
The former champion also spoke about how the show has changed over the years, saying singers no longer seem to have the same advantage they once did on Britain’s Got Talent.
“In the past, being a singer was probably seen as an advantage, but I think that’s changed,” Potts explained.
“Recently the show has become more focused on magicians.”
He also pointed out that illusion acts often receive much longer performance slots compared to singers.
“They also get much longer performances — often close to 10 minutes — while singers might only get two and a half or three minutes if they’re lucky,” he said.
Potts went on to suggest that some of this year’s vocalists were not given the strongest production support during the live shows.
“I also don’t think the singers this year have been given the strongest production support. That’s one reason only two singing acts made the final,” he added.
“The production values around some performances haven’t been as good as they could have been. Matty stands out because his vocals are strong enough to cut through regardless.”
Looking ahead to the final results, Potts predicted the competition will likely come down to just a handful of acts.
“I think it’ll ultimately come down to two or three acts — probably one of the magicians, Matty, and possibly Hawkstone Farmers Choir,” he said.
The Britain’s Got Talent final airs tonight at 7 p.m. on ITV and ITVX.
Source: Mirror
