Steve Hewlett
Steve Hewlett is a ventriloquist from Basingstoke, Hampshire.[1] He was a finalist on the seventh series of Britain's Got Talent and led a team on Eggheads.[2]
Early career
Hewlett has previously headlined Cromer Pier.[3]
Britain's Got Talent
He auditioned with a puppet called 'Arthur Lager', depicted as an old man with grey hair. Hewlett's audition was aired in a montage on 18 May 2013. He made it through, and subsequently through to the semi-finals. He appeared again in the semi-final on 1 June with Arthur Lager, and a puppet designed to resemble Simon Cowell, one of the judges. The routine involved Arthur flirting with Amanda Holden. After his performance, people took to Twitter to voice their approval. He landed in the top three, and with eventual winners Attraction already through to the final, it was down to the judges to choose the second place in the final between Hewlett and Jordan O'Keefe. It was a split decision, so it was referred back to the public vote, revealing that with 15.1% of the vote, O'Keefe was through to the final, compared to Hewlett's 12%.[4] This left six singing acts in the final, which generated complaints;[5] Holden defended this, and the number of singers on the show, saying "We left it to the public, they wanted Jordan so that was the right decision. You can't argue with the public's decision."[6]
However, earlier in the week, it was revealed that the judges were going to choose a wildcard act out of the third-placed finishers to compete in the final. Hewlett was seen as the popular choice.[7][8][9] It was revealed on the night that Hewlett was indeed the wildcard. He performed again in the final with Arthur Lager (now wearing a Onesie), the puppet of Simon Cowell (wearing a swimsuit and life jacket),as well as a puppet of Sinitta, along with a musical number in the shape of "We Go Together" from Grease at the end, involving the Simon and Sinitta puppets. Despite rave reviews from the judges, Hewlett finished in fourth, just narrowly missing out on the top three with 14.7% of the vote, compared to Richard & Adam's 15.4%.[4]
Later career
It was revealed the day after the final that Hewlett had been signed to entertainment agency ROAR Global.[10] In 2014, Hewlett led a team on Eggheads. As he took puppet Arthur Lager with him, the team was the first team to contain more than five contestants.[11]
Personal life
He lives with his wife Nina and their four-year-old daughter Lola-May,[12] who was born on 4 October 2011.[13]
References
- ↑ http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/11040665.VIDEO__Year_to_remember_for_Basingstoke_ventriloquist_Steve_Hewlett/
- ↑ http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/Leicester-entertainer-appear-BBC-s-Eggheads-quiz/story-21117595-detail/story.html
- ↑ Cromer Pier ventriloquist Steve Hewlett misses out on winning Britain’s Got Talent - What's on - Eastern Daily Press
- 1 2 "Revealed: How you voted". ITV. 9 June 2013. Archived from the original on 11 June 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- ↑ Macgregor, Conor (3 June 2013). "Britain's Got Talent: The Final Preview". On the Box.
- ↑ Darvill, Josh (2 June 2013). "Britain's Got Singers: Amanda Holden defends amount of vocalists in BGT final". TellyMix.
- ↑ BGT's Steve Hewlett impresses Twitter as he's named wildcard act | Metro News
- ↑ Ian Hyland on Britain's Got Talent: It'll be travesty if Attraction don't win - Ian Hyland - Mirror Online
- ↑ Britain's Got Talent 2013: Simon Cowell teases David Walliams wildcard choice - Steve Hewlett or Joseph Hall? | Unreality TV
- ↑ Britain's Got Talent 2013: Jack Carroll, Attraction, Jordan O'Keefe, Steve Hewlett, Francine Lewis sign with new agency | Unreality TV
- ↑ "Eggheads". 29 May 2014. BBC2. Missing or empty
|series=(help) - ↑ Steve Hewlett | ROAR Broadcasting
- ↑ Batson, David (13 October 2011). "Cromer pier show’s "vent" Steve Hewlett celebrates birth of baby after summer season closes". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 25 October 2013.