BGT golden buzzer 'surreal', says farmers' choir

A choir made up of farmers from across the UK have said they "exceeded" their own expectations after making it through to the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent.

The Hawkstone Farmers' Choir was initially founded by Jeremy Clarkson as part of an advertising campaign for his Cotswolds-based brewing firm.

Since then, the group has remained together and used its platform to help raise awareness around mental health in farming.

Judge Amanda Holden pressed her golden buzzer following the ensemble's performance on Saturday evening's show - giving them a free pass to the semis of the ITV talent show.

Responding to the performance, Clarkson - who lives in Oxfordshire - told his followers in a video that it had "made my heart sing" and he "actually welled up" watching it.

"Thank you Amanda Holden for pressing that golden buzzer thing, I don't know what that means but it obviously is important," he added.

Fourth-generation farmer and choir member James Florey said the audition had been "surreal".

"It was a million miles away from anything any of us are ever used to and was just a whirlwind experience," the farmer from Northmoor in Oxfordshire said.

The choir began last year after dozens of farmers were selected following a casting call from Hawkstone for people who wanted to take part in the brewery's latest tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign.

The ensuing ads were banned from being aired on television but instead found huge popularity online.

"We all had plenty to talk about in 2025 with the drought and us farmers can be a miserable bunch and get us together," Andy Owens, from Marden, in Herefordshire, explained.

"We can either be more miserable or we can get on like a house on fire and have a great laugh. Thankfully it was the the latter," he said.

The group has since gone on to use their performances to raise awareness around mental health in the agriculture industry.

"Locally we don't open up to our friends and colleagues because we don't really want to admit too much weakness, but meeting farmers from across the country, it's a very weird situation," Owens said.

"You feel [like] you're opening yourself up a bit more to strangers, who then soon become friends."

Dorset-based farmer Ellie Maguire, from Sherborne, explained there was a "real mental health crisis" currently going on in farming.

"There's huge pressures on farmers to make any money from what they do and they all love what they do, so it starts getting really, really difficult to sustain doing it," she said.

"The choir has brought us all together - we're all really close now and we've all got someone to lean on someone to talk to."

Fast forward to Saturday evening, and the choir - complete with their mostly ubiquitous gilet-based uniform - were watched by millions of viewers on one of TV's biggest talent shows.

Will Rogers, also from Herefordshire, said it had been "amazing being there and meeting the other contestants".

"When it came to performing, it was unbelievable - emotions were running high," he said.

The ensemble's take on the Elbow song One Day Like This was met by a standing ovation from the live audience, and earnt the group Holden's golden buzzer.

"I don't think they expected us to be as good as we were," Rogers said.

"It seems to have touched so many people and resonated with a lot of people," Florey added.

"It's really hit home - which has been such a good thing."

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