Britain’s Got Talent fans have taken to Twitter to accuse a contestant of ripping off his act from comedian Peter Kay.
Ben Langley, a 43-year-old from south Norfolk, is a variety show performer; he used his slot on the show to perform a set involving misheard song lyrics.
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Ben’s performance involved frenetic dancing to constantly changing music, while holding up sings showing what he thought the lyrics really were.
While dancing to Irene Cara’s Flashdance… What A Feeling, alongside the line “Take your passion, and make it happen,” he showed a sing reading “Take your pants off.”
Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman became “I’m Terry Wogan,” while All By Myself by Eric Carmen became “Obama’s Elf”.
The judges were in hysterics watching him perform, and unanimously sent him through to the next round.
But fans saw something familiar in his schtick – claiming he was copying Peter Kay’s act in his show, Tour that Didn’t Tour Tour.
Some even claimed that his mannerisms during the routine were an imitation of another comedian – Lee Evans.
“Bloke on #BritainsGotTalent has just shamelessly lifted a routine about song lyrics from Peter Kay. But nobody seems to have noticed,” one viewer tweeted.
“memo to the judges @BGT and Ben. Erm Peter Kay cracked that joke over 10 years ago. #MisheardSongLyrics #BGT,” said another.
“it was very Lee Evans.. with an act already done by peter Kay.. yet they were harping on how original it was 😳,” said another fan.
But some weren’t so quick to judge, with a few claiming that most comedy acts involve theft.
“That fella who did the Misheard Lyrics on #BGT last night is copping grief for stealing Peter Kay’s bit, but it’s older than the hills. Who remembers the Maxell cassette ads in the 1980s? Same thing, pre-dates Kay. Most comedians steal material,” said one viewer.
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ED has contacted ITV for comment on the fans’ tweets.
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