11-year-old guitarist wows Britain's Got Talent judges with Queen cover
Olly Pearson won the Golden Buzzer
An 11-year-old guitarist won the Golden Buzzer on ITV show Britain’s Got Talent on Saturday night (8th March) after wowing judges playing along to tracks by Queen, AC/DC and Van Halen.
Olly Pearson from Wrexham walked on stage clutching his PRS guitar, and admitted to the judges that he was feeling "nervous".
Proudly watched on by his grandad Lee, who started teaching Olly the guitar four years ago, Simon Cowell then asked Olly who is favourite guitarist is.
Without a moment of hesitation, Olly replied: "Angus Young from AC/DC", and he went on to say his dream is to "become the best guitarist in the world".
Showing no signs of nerves, Olly then proceeded to play along to AC/DC’s seminal anthem ‘Highway to Hell’ while duckwalking around the stage in homage to his hero Angus Young, before launching into Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ and aptly leaping around the stage.
Olly’s three-song medley concluded with Queen’s 'Don’t Stop Me Now', and he duly nailed Brian May’s riffs while standing directly in front of the judges.
With the audience giving Olly a standing ovation, he also got a Golden Buzzer giving him a direct pass to the Britain’s Got Talent semi-finals.
In truly heartwarming scenes, Olly’s grandad Lee ran on stage to give his tearful grandson a hug, and remarked: "How good is that?!"
Simon Cowell then told Olly: "You already have your own distinct sound, which normally people take decades (to find). You’re that good! That was brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Good for you. Go celebrate!"
Watch Olly Pearson play on Britain's Got Talent:
Take a look through previous winners on Britain's Got Talent:
Paul Potts
Paul Potts won the very first show in 2007 with his hugely impressive singing abilities.
George Sampson
Break dancer George Sampson won the show in 2008 at the age of just 14-years-old.
Diversity
Dance group Diversity won the show in 2009, with Ashley Banjo going on to become a TV presenter.
Spellbound
The 2010 series also saw a dance group win in the form of Spellbound, pictured here performing with singer Katherine Jenkins that year.
Jai McDowall
Singer Jai McDowall won the show in 2011.
Ashleigh and Pudsey
Dog performing act Ashleigh and Pudsey were winners of the 2012 series. However, Pudsey sadly passed away in July 2017.
Attraction
Another dance group won over the public in 2013, as Attraction used shadows and puppets to create beautiful spectacles - pictured here with actor Terry Crews.
Collabro
Singing group Collabro wowed viewers in 2014 with their performances of musical theatre songs.
Jules and Matisse
Britain's Got Talent saw its second dog act winner in 2015 with Jules and Matisse.
Richard Jones
Magician Richard Jones won the hearts of the nation in 2016.
Tokio Myers
Pianist and music producer Tokio Myers won the show in 2017, pictured here with BGT judge Amanda Holden.
Lost Voice Guy
Lost Voice Guy, real name Lee Ridley, won in 2018.
Colin Thackery
Colin Thackery won Britain's Got Talent 2019 with a heartwarming performance of 'Love Changes Everything'.
Jon Courtenay
Comedy singer Jon Courtenay was crowned the winner of the 2020 series! Jon was a favourite from his very first audition, picking up Ant and Dec's Golden Buzzer!
Axel Blake
Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer act, comedian Axel Blake, was crowned the 2022 winner of Britain's Got Talent, beating the likes of ventriloquist Jamie Leahy and singer Tom Ball.
Viggo Venn
Norwegian comedian Viggo Venn won the 2023 series of Britain's Got Talent with his high vis jacket inspired routine. He said he was happy to have captured 'Simon's heart' as well as the nation's.
Sydnie Christmas
Sydnie Christmas won the 2024 series of Britain's Got Talent, the singer who dreams of performing on the West End told Ant and Dec: "I cannot believe the amount of love that I've felt since it aired. I am overwhelmed with love and it is the most amazing thing.
"And I wish for one day that every single person in this room feels the way I do one day with this love. It's amazing, thank you so much!"
Now read:
Britain's Got Talent: All of the winners so far
Britain's Got Talent: Your guide to the longest series in the show's history
Queen: The band who gave us 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and many more hits