Simon Cowell wants to introduce the golden buzzer to the 'Britain's Got Talent' live shows.
Simon Cowell
The format of the programme currently sees each of the show's judges - Simon, Amanda Holden, David Walliams and Alesha Dixon - and presenters Ant and Dec able to use their special button during the audition stages to fast-track their favourite acts into the semi-finals of the competition, but the show chief is now considering allowing them to do the same during the live shows in order to guarantee their favourites a place in the final.
A source said: "The golden buzzer is one of the favourite elements in the audition shows.
"The atmosphere when it is pressed is incredible. This will give the judges and Ant and Dec the chance to guarantee their favourite acts get a spot in the final."
On each of the live shows, two acts are voted into the final.
Under the current voting system, the act that picks up the most public votes every night goes into the final and the judges then choose between the second and third most popular acts for the other spot.
However, if the golden buzzer rule is brought in, it would mean the judges and public have an equal say in who makes the finals.
The source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "Producers believe it would make the five live semis even more exciting."
Simon recently admitted he'd like to get his three-year-old son Eric - who he has with partner Lauren Silverman - on the judging panel of the show.
He said: "He definitely gets what is a good song. He remembers the words and he knows who the artists are. His taste in music for his age is quite incredible. When I watch the audition clips back afterwards, I watch him. If he's interested in the clip, they're usually very good. When he looks away, they're not. He gets it and he loves coming to the show.
"The first time he came down, he was nervous because he saw an 'X' as being a kiss. That's what his mum had taught him. So he used to call our judges' buzzers The Scary Kisses.
"Then he worked out they weren't kisses and, when he was about two, I asked him what I did for a job. He said 'You press buzzers.' I said 'Yes but there's a little bit more to it than that.' And now he's starting to get it."
Tagged in Alesha Dixon Amanda Holden Simon Cowell