Simon Cowell’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ hit with double whammy

London: Simon Cowell’s absence is reportedly costing TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ dearly, after its rating figures dropped for the second week in a row.

And the Britney Spears act at the centre of a “fix” storm has sparked more controversy by revealing she previously worked for his TV company, reports the Daily Star. Cowell gave up his seat on the judging panel this year to concentrate on working on X Factor USA, but he remains executive producer. Last week’s opening show drew an average of 10.9million viewers – 1.3m down on last year’s launch show. Saturday night’s show was also down, drawing just 9m. Critics have blamed new judges David Hasselhoff, 58, and Michael McIntyre, 34, and the quality of acts for the fall. ANI