Did you see comedy musician Jon Courtenay, who grew up in Suffolk, wowing the judges in Britain’s Got Talent?
The talented comedian and pianist won through to the semi-finals after receiving Ant and Dec’s “Golden Buzzer”, and has been receiving a lot of national media attention.
Jon, 46, a former pupil at the Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, received a standing ovation from all four judges on Saturday night’s show.
He performed his own song about Britain’s Got Talent and his ambition to appear on the show, which inspired both laughter and tears from the audience.
The audition was recorded at the London Palladium. Jon said it was the largest venue he had ever played, and told the judges: “The Palladium is like the holy grail to me - I used to watch the shows with my dad,” He said the performance was a tribute to his late father.
The talented performer has played the piano since he was five years old, and is a former member of the Wolsey Youth Theatre. He now lives in the Manchester area with his family.
He started his career as a magician and for many years has been an entertainer doing his own comedy and music shows, most recently on large cruise lines
Ant and Dec, who are allowed just one “Golden Buzzer” between them, enabling them to send a contestant straight through to the semi-finals, rushed on to the stage after Jon’s performance to put him through.
Jon’s wife, Emmah, and sons Nathan and Alfie went along to see the audition, with Nathan dashing up on stage to join his dad after his performance.
Family friend Margaret Haddock from Suffolk, who has known Jon all his life, said she had been told he was appearing, but Jon and his family kept the result a secret until it was shown. “It was great to see him get the Golden Buzzer,” she said.
The Royal Hospital Show posted about Jon’s success on their Facebook page, saying: “Our Royal Hospital School Association let us know about former pupil, Jon Courtenay, who received a Golden Buzzer moment on Britain’s Got Talent for his entertaining performance, that gave all the judges a laugh. #Partof RHS”.
Since his appearance, Jon has been in demand from the media, and appeared on This Morning, where he wrote a special song for presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.
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