The Britain's Got Talent panel was left 'owling with laughter after a less than impressive animal act kicked off the new series.

Andrew Charlton, 53, from Lincolnshire and his owl Rocky had hoped to repeat the success of series winners Ashleigh and Pudsey, but left the judges less than impressed with their agility act with Amanda Holden telling him: "You're like a very old, unmagical Harry Potter."

More impressive were five-piece boyband Collabro whose version of Stars from Les Miserables won them a standing ovation and left Amanda wiping away tears to tell them they were " bloody brilliant".

Other acts included German musician Peter Panduranga, whose love song he wrote for his wife was called "fantastically bad" by Simon Cowell, and Sean Wozencroft from Gloucester who tried to set a record for the time taken to eat a raw onion.

The show's international appeal was confirmed with acts from as far afield as Ukraine, Greece and the United States all auditioning.

Mzz Kimberley, a 39-year-old cabaret artist originally from Detroit, Michigan , performed in a Wonder Woman costume on roller skates and made a good impression on David Walliams who told her: "If I was on Britain's Got Talent that is the act I would do."

The new series starts on ITV tonight (April 12).