UPDATE: May 18, 2026 — Rafferty Coope will advance to the Grand Final show. See Conjurly’s added coverage here.
BLACKPOOL, Lancashire, UK, March 5, 2026 — Rafferty Coope is heading to the Britain’s Got Talent live semi-finals after earning a Golden Buzzer from judge KSI during the show’s second episode of Series 19, filmed at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens last weekend.
The 16-year-old from Winchester combined magic and live music in an audition that left the judging panel visibly stunned. Coope opened with a harmonica before appearing to transform it into a bar of chocolate, passed an AirPod through a glass, and caused Amanda Holden’s phone to levitate. He then had KSI select seven cards, arrange them from smallest to largest, and played the melody their values produced — “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey — on piano, before KSI turned the cards to reveal the word “Believe” written on their backs.
KSI called the performance incredible. Holden told Coope she had never seen anything like it. While Alesha Dixon was mid-sentence with her feedback, KSI climbed onto the judges’ desk and pressed the Golden Buzzer with his foot, sending a cascade of gold confetti over Coope.
Simon Cowell did not press his buzzer but praised the performance, telling Coope he was not copying other magicians and had his own thing going.
Coope is a former chorister at The Pilgrims’ School in Winchester and currently studies Music and Acting at Peter Symonds College, also in Winchester. He holds the Magic Circle’s Young Magicians’ Club Stage Magician of the Year title for 2024 and has performed with the National Youth Music Theatre in both 2024 and 2025.
The Golden Buzzer advances Coope directly to the live semi-finals, bypassing the standard competition and voting process. From there, he will need to win over the public to secure a place in the grand final, where the £250,000 prize and a spot at the Royal Variety Performance are at stake.
EDITORS NOTE: This story was updated on March 12, 2026 to include a link to the BGT performance now available on YouTube.
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