Britain’s Got Talent: Darcy Oake confirms position as value pick

Darcy Oake continues to outline his Britain’s Got Talent credentials with the popular magician now 7/1 with Ladbrokes to win the 2014 edition having booked his place in the final.

Canadian Oake advanced from the first semi-final at the expense of impressionist Jon Clegg, with the public vote securing his passage to the showpiece event after the judges were split on which act should get the nod.

David Walliams and Amanda Holden sided with Jon while Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell voted in favour of Darcy with the latter making reference to the magician’s “star quality” as a key factor behind his decision.

And with both Cowell’s and the public’s backing, 26-year-old Oake looks set to be a major player in this year’s final.

His semi-final act featured a stunning set-piece where the showman disappeared and donned a stage crew outfit as he morphed into a cameraman.

Darcy’s stage presence alone has already earned the performer gushing reviews from both audiences and judges alike and makes him one of the standout candidates for outright success having been as big as 14/1 at one stage.

Unsurprisingly, operatic boyband Collabro were first through from the opening semi-final.

The group remain the 6/4 favourites to earn a place in front of the Queen and go on to star at the Royal Variety Performance after bringing Amanda to tears (shock!) with their rendition of Bring Him Home.

Drewett favourite to deliver in second semi-final

In tonight’s second live semi-final, Ed Drewett is the odds-on favourite to progress at 1/3 while the singer-songwriter is 10/11 to win the heat with Ladbrokes.

His experience of penning lyrics for the likes of One Direction and The Wanted has stood him in good stead with his performance of his own track Blink during auditions ensuring he comfortably made the list of 45 acts vying for a place in the grand finale on June 7.

15-year-old James Smith (5/2 to reach the final) is another performer to watch out for following Alesha’s assertion that he’s ‘industry ready’ while comedian Ricky K (7/1) could be a surprise finalist if he can continue to tickle the nation’s funnybone.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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