BRITAIN’S Got Talent fans are confused after Simon Cowell disappeared during the abrupt ending of tonight’s show.
The head judge vanished to disappear during the closing moments of a magic trick on the ITV talent competition tonight.
The ITV talent show returned on Saturday, with judges Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tonioli, and presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
The last act, Magicians Assemble, made up of former Britain's Got Talent stars Ben Hart, Colin Cloud and Elizabeth The Haunting, who appeared on past editions of the series, claimed they have arrived from the future.
Finishing each other's sentences, the trio told the judges and audience in Manchester that they "found a journal" where they can enter "someone's memory" during the episode.
They then performed tricks such as turning liquid into sand, before the substance began streaming on to the stage.
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A huge reveal then made teenage magician and 2020 Britain's Got Talent finalist Aidan McCann appear to join the other illusionists through the falling sand.
The eerie trick continued with the judges choosing cards, selecting a page from the book and rolling dice to find a series of numbers.
Aidan shaved Ben's hair off before the audience, and the number which was revealed was the same as the one the judges had picked before.
Inviting Cowell on stage was Colin, who reassured him he was "completely safe" as he put a blindfold on him.
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Ben then threw a sandglass, smashing it on the ground.
Lights flashed and Simon was gone with bits of confetti paper streams left in his place.
Holden and Tonioli asked "where is Simon?" before Cowell's voice was heard posing a similar question, and Sunday's episode was teased.
But the trick, as impressive as it was, left fans confused.
One wrote: “What happened to the end? Is that it? #BritainsGotTalent”
Britain's Got Talent's biggest 'fix' rows
Britain's Got Talent has been plagued with 'fix' rows over the years. How many of these do you remember?
Jasmine Elcock - 2016: Teenage singer Jasmine Elcock stunned the nation with her version of Cher's Believe. But it then transpired she had already performed professionally in London's West End. Jasmine, 14, admitted: "I’ve performed in Annie in the West End at about the age of nine or 10, but I really get nervous."
IrShad Shaikh - 2017: BGT fans were left questioning the rule book when IrShad Shaikh auditioned. He got four red buzzers from the judges, which would usually mean an instant dismissal. Yet in a strange turn of events, they let him continue with his act...and put him through to the next round.
Colin Thackery - 2019: Elderly war veteran Colin won BGT in 2019, but there was an outcry over the final. He warbled his place to win with a version of We'll Meet Again but fans were furious that escapologist Jonathan Goodwin didn't even rank in the top three. Viewers felt Jonathan - who almost suffocated while being buried alive in a gravel pit - should have won.
Axel Blake - 2022: Comedian Axel Blake was given a Golden Buzzer in 2022 after making the judges laugh. But fans were fuming when they discovered Axel already had a show on worldwide streaming platform Amazon Prime. Despite this, Axel still went on to win the series.
Loren Allred - 2022: The 2022 series of BGT was hit with another controversy when singer Loren Allred also received a Golden Buzzer. She performed Never Enough from the smash hit musical movie The Greatest Showman and got a standing ovation. It later transpired Loren was actually the original voice behind the track.
Taryn Charles - 2024: Singer Taryn Charles is one of this year's hopefuls lucky enough to receive the Golden Buzzer. Bruno Tonilio put her straight through to the semi-finals following her performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin, but it has now come to light that she is no stranger to TV. Viewers recognised Taryn from an episode of ITV1's Starstruck, where she impersonated Whitney Houston for judges Olly Murs, Sheridan Smith, Adam Lambert and Beverley Knight.
A second said: “WHY DID IT END LIKE THAT? WHERE WERE THE JUDGES COMMENTS? #BGT #BritainsGotTalent”
Another added: “Did magicians assemble get through? #BritainsGotTalent”