A backlash ensued during Britain's Got Talent's live semi-final as judge Amanda Holden received a wave of boos for her forthright critique. Amanda braced the audience with a warning, saying: "I'm not going to be very popular".

Dancing pair Harry and Lewis from Wirral and Manchester, who share a long-standing dance partnership since their younger years, graced the stage first.

Fellow judges Bruno Tonioli and Alesha Dixon applauded the duo with laudatory comments; however, Holden struck a different chord.

Unfiltered, she began, "Thank God for the production because I was quite disappointed with that. I can see that you have worked hard and that the choreography you had worked hard on," Amanda continued, while jeers from the public pierced the air.

"But I don't think it was enough, I just don't feel like that was a step up from your first audition, so I am really sorry."

Her candid feedback was met with an uproar of dissent from the crowd.

On the other hand, Simon Cowell appreciated Harry and Lewis's efforts, surmising they improved since their auditions, though he questioned their ambition to actually win the contest, as reported by Wales Online.

"Personally, I did feel like this was better than your first audition," he comforted the act. "You make what looks hard, easy.

"I think you are skewered towards a younger audience, I mean it, but do you really want to win this?"

Simon was met with a firm nod from the duo, as they confirmed, "100 percent."

He observed: "You don't say much, and I think sometimes you need to tell the audience how much it means to you."

Harry then replied: "We have been dancing all of our lives as a career, and like everyone else with their jobs, we went through a whole pandemic with it, managed to keep going, dancing, teaching, competing, kept the passion for it."

Following up on that point, Harry made it clear: "In answer to your question, Simon, of course we want to win it."

Britain's Got Talent is available to watch on ITVX.