Not much has changed on Britain’s Got Talent over the years, and a new series is currently filming.
The usual mix of hopeful contestants, frank judges and poignant undertones combined with the heady promise of potential fame and fortune have earned this fail-safe format millions of viewers and a near-permanent air of predictability.
I wish the same could be said of its creator.
An appearance during the opening episode of the latest series of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway on Saturday 24 February prompted some questioning comments from viewers.
Fans of the show were left addressing the elephant that Simon Cowell had inadvertently let into the room, namely his radically different and seemingly ever-changing features.
Simon Cowell appeared on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway this weekend to chat about a prank he was subjected to, but viewers found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying and were more concerned with his appearance.
Simon Cowell in an early publicity photo from 2002 (L) and appearing in Ant & Saturday Night Takeaway December in February 2024 (R)
The music mogul, now 64, was pranked by hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly when a fake police officer pulled him over while on his bike in Malibu, before he was locked in a metal box during a mishap while filmed the auditions for America’s Got Talent. .
Simon appeared in the studio to chat about the prank, but viewers found it difficult to concentrate on what he was saying and were more concerned with his appearance.
TV star Simon previously denied undergoing a facelift but admitted he regretted his extensive use of Botox.
On X, several viewers commented on his appearance, with one writing: ‘Is this definitely Simon Cowell?’ Does it look like a melting Ken doll?
Fellow guest Stephen Merchant also couldn’t resist commenting on Simon’s appearance during the show.
Commenting on the clip, Stephen, 49, joked: “I didn’t like it… I loved it.” That was my impression of Simon. “It wasn’t very convincing because my face moved.”
Has it really changed? Or is it just our imagination?
Fear not, MailOnline has the answer. Join us as we take a cautious, chronological look at the many, many faces of Simon Cowell.
1985: Cowell’s elegant features caught the eye during a night out with his girlfriend Sinitta at London’s Legends nightclub.
1987: The then-little-known record producer looked young and fresh in this television appearance from the late ’80s.
1990: Cowell looks handsome while posing with his then-girlfriend Sinitta, a constant in his life, at an event in London
1999: Cowell, 40, with Ray Hedges and Kate Thornton while judging the This Morning Boy Band competition.
1994-2007: Cowell modeled a pair of circular glasses at the BRIT Awards in 1994 (L), while his teeth appeared slightly whiter in publicity photos for Britain’s Got Talent from 2007 (R).
2001: Cowell looks dapper on Pop Idol, a prototype for The X Factor and the show that helped establish him as a household name.
2001-2003: The mogul gained a reputation for offering caustic comments to unfortunate Pop Idol guests after its release (left, at the Pop Idol panel in 2001 and right, attending the Love Actually movie premiere in 2003) .
Don’t mind me: the pose is similar but the face looks slightly different when Cowell poses for an X Factor publicity photo in 2005 (left) and at an American Idol party in 2006 (right).
2012: Cowell turns heads again while attending the Britain’s Got Talent auditions in London’s Hammersmith.
2014-2019: Cowell’s shiny teeth appear to have been straightened and whitened over the years (LR on The X Factor in 2014 and enjoying a night out in 2019)
2015: Cowell, a career smoker, prepares to light up as he leaves a private function in London.
2015: The British star appeared with unusual facial hair just two months later while launching The X Factor in London.
2021-22: Cowell appears to have lost weight over the past 12 months, while the lines that previously defined his features have softened (LR on America’s Got Talent Extreme and more recently in a Britain’s Got Talent social media post)
2022: The music mogul turned heads during his appearance at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards in November, where he was accompanied by his glamorous partner Lauren Silverman.
2022: An otherwise straightforward appearance at this year’s pre-recorded Royal Variety presentation on December 2 raised more unwanted questions than answers.
2022: More questioning eyebrows were raised just days later when Cowell’s face was curiously obscured by a shadow as he praised his eight-year-old son Eric during a remote appearance on ITV chat show Loose Women.