Poet Sonny Green was handed the golden buzzer on May 16 after an emotional performance in the fourth live semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent, with judges and viewers responding to a poem about his relationship with his sons. KSI was left in tears as Green finished, turning a routine results night into one of the most talked-about moments of the 2026 series.

Green’s place in the final now sits alongside Rafferty Coope, who won the semi-final on the public vote and booked his spot in the show’s live final later in May. Coope said: “I’ve dreamed about this moment all my life, I can’t believe I’m here.” Ren DMC finished as the runner-up after rapping about the judges, while Glantaf Boys Choir came third.

The result came after three earlier semi-finals, with six acts already confirmed for the live final before this latest round was decided. Britain’s Got Talent first aired in 2007 and has built a prize history that includes a £250,000 top prize in the early years and a £100,000 prize linked to the 2012 win by Ashleigh and Pudsey, while magician Harry Moulding won last year. The 2026 final is scheduled for May 30, leaving two more acts still to join the lineup.

That is why Green’s golden buzzer mattered beyond the applause in the room: it was not just a judge’s instant reaction, but a direct path into a final that was already taking shape. For readers tracking the field, odds and finalists have become a moving target as the show narrows toward May 30, with the latest round adding both sentiment and pressure to a contest that has already produced six confirmed finalists and now one more name from a night built around family, votes and one poem that landed hard.