Diversity Perform Black Lives Matter Routine On Britain's Got Talent

Street dance troupe Diversity performed a powerful Black Lives Matter routine on Britain's Got Talent last night (Saturday 5 September).

The group - who won the competition in 2009 - returned with 'a very special one-off performance with their take on the extraordinary events of 2020', as Ant and Dec put it.

During the routine, a man dressed as a police officer knelt on the neck of main man and choreographer Ashley Banjo, in a reenactment of the shocking death of George Floyd that shook the world in May.

A voice-over that accompanied the performance then said: "As the world watched on, another black life gone, leaving what we thought we knew in tatters.

"What we thought we knew, some clearly didn't. Black Lives Matter."

The troupe then took a knee as the words 'I can't breathe' from Dax's 'Black Lives Matter' played in the background.

While there was nothing more than a virtual audience there to cheer the performance, the judging panel gave the troupe a standing ovation.

Ashley Banjo then headed back to the panel, where he has joined Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and David Walliams on this year's show, filling in for Simon Cowell following his bike accident last month.

Speaking about the opportunity, Banjo said: "First and foremost, me joining the show this year is bittersweet because I feel like this year has been full of horrible news.

"There are a few people over the course of Diversity's career who have been integral and had a huge impact, and Simon's one of those.

"Walking on that stage as a 20-year-old street dancer from the streets of East London and now I am walking out there and stepping in for the big man. It feels really nice, almost poetic."

Topics: TV and Film, Britain's Got Talent, UK Entertainment

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey