ITV confirms Britain's Got Talent launch date and time - and length of first episode

Judge Alesha Dixon had revealed when the talent show would be returning – and now the date of Saturday 14th April has been confirmed by the channel.

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But we now also know that the first episode will kick off at 8pm and will have a run time of one hour and 25 minutes, finishing at 9:25pm.

The first trailer for series 12 of BGT has already aired and features Simon Cowell as a medieval king, Amanda Holden as an Elizabeth I doppelganger, David Walliams as a mad George III and Alesha Dixon as a frowning Queen Victoria.

But missing from the teaser are Ant and Dec, who have fronted the series since it began in 2007.

The theatre auditions for BGT were filmed around the country back in January and February with both Ant and Dec in attendance, meaning that both of them will almost certainly be featuring in all of the pre-recorded segments.

Now that Ant McPartlin is “taking time off to seek treatment” after he was arrested – and subsequently charged – for drink driving, it is not yet clear what will happen when Britain's Got Talent goes live, which typically happens in the final week of May.

Britain's Got Talent returns on Saturday 14th April at 8pm on ITV