KSI excited to join BGT

KSI is "so excited" to be a judge on 'Britain's Got Talent'.

The social media star is set to sit on the panel for some of the shows auditions due to regular judge Bruno Tonioli's commitments to 'Dancing with the Stars' in America and he can't wait to see what this year's hopefuls have to offer.

He said in a statement: “I’m so excited to be a guest judge for 'BGT'. When I got the call up, I couldn’t believe it. I remember watching old 'BGT' episodes and going from being amazed to laughing my a*** off. I’m buzzing to see all the fresh new talent, and I’ll be sure to leave a mark.”

The 31-year-old musician-and-boxer will take a seat alongside Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell for three of the five auditions in Blackpool this month, and producers hope he will tempt some of his millions of fans to tune in when the show is broadcast.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "Their new judge doesn't just know a thing or two about entertaining, he has a colossal following who are largely young and tech savvy, which is just the sort of viewer that the show now thrives on.

"'BGT' isn't just a TV show it's a global internet phenomenon as well, with clips of the various acts being watched a staggering 24 billion times around the world. Which is why KSI is the perfect match, as his music alone has been streamed 2.7billion times."

It was revealed four months ago that programme boss Simon was keen to get KSI involved.

A source said at the time: “Simon Cowell knows KSI is a huge hit with the younger generation.

“He would be a great addition to pull in teenage fans, which is something the producers are keen to do.

“KSI is chatting to bosses in the hope of agreeing a deal that would also work with his hectic schedule.”

'BGT' typically runs from April to June but filming dates have shifted so that it can be screened earlier in the place of hosts Ant and Dec's other show, 'Saturday Night Takeaway', which came to an end earlier this year.

It was initially suggested Bruno would have to leave the show entirely because of the new filming dates, with Alan Carr tipped to replace him on the panel, but he was later confirmed to be staying.