Bradley Walsh is confirmed as Simon Cowell's replacement on Britain's Got Talent as auditions kick off in Blackpool after show mogul was forced to pull out

Bradley Walsh has been confirmed as Simon Cowell's replacement on Britain's Got Talent as he recovers from back surgery. 

The comedian, 66, shared a behind-the-scenes clip of the first day of live auditions in Blackpool and appeared to be settling well into the role. 

Giving a tour of the theatre and proudly showing off his name above the stage for voting, Bradley said: 'Here we are. It's the first morning on BGT. It's going well, I'm enjoying it. Amanda, Alesha and KSI are so lovely to work with.'

BGT uploaded the video to their Instagram and wrote: 'Not a bad first day at the office ey, Bradley! #BGT.' 

Fans commented: 'Good luck' and 'Bradley's going to be awesome on the panel.' 

The new series is set to air in Spring 2027 and Fremantle is reportedly planning on moving around half of the six filming days at Blackpool's Winter Gardens to January, so Simon, 67, can still contribute as head judge. 

A source told The Sun last month: 'Simon is of course gutted to be missing the auditions, but it's important that he rests up now so he can make a full recovery.

'It was a routine op that went well and he knows the team will find a fun guest judge to spice up filming and keep the audience on their toes.

'The current thinking is that producers will choose a male comedian to stand in for now, but decisions are being made currently.

'It's quite last-minute, so a lot of talent is already booked up for that period.'

It comes after Simon earlier this month withdrew from America's Got Talent filming in LA, where the surgery took place.

The Daily Mail has contacted Simon's representatives for comment. 

Simon broke his back in 2020 after being thrown off an electric bike when he was testing the vehicle at his home in Malibu, California.

He underwent extensive surgery after the shock accident including having a metal rod put in his back to stabilise it and he has overhauled his lifestyle in the years since.

Simon revealed last year that his surgeon feared he would never walk again following his near-fatal e-bike crash.

Speaking to Elizabeth Day on the How To Fail podcast, Simon revealed he 'could have died' in the accident and his surgeon warned him he might never walk again.

He shared: 'He showed me the X-ray and he said, "Look, I'm not going to lie Simon, I don't know if I can fix this, which means you probably won't walk and secondly, the operation could take 11 hours."

'They said the obvious - it could go wrong - and all I could think about was my family and everything. In that moment you kind of realise the most important thing is your health and don't do stupid things.'

The former X Factor judge said the horror accident was a major 'wake-up call' about his 'crazy' lifestyle and taught him to stop taking risks in life.

'It was a wake-up moment, which is I'm crazy,' he explained.

'It kind of happened for a reason because I thought I was fit but then when I had to do all the physio after, just walking, they make you walk very quickly, I pretty much couldn't move and then I started to walk a lot and thought, "Oh God, I was in a really bad place".'

Reflecting on the accident itself, Simon revealed he was thrown from his e-bike after it did a massive 'wheelie' due to the power of the throttle, and said he immediately knew he had broken his back.

'I shipped it in from England, couldn't wait to drive it. I was in the driveway and my son was there and I pulled the throttle, it did the biggest wheelie and it threw me like 7-8ft in the air,' he said.

'I landed on my back and the second I landed I thought "s**t, I know I've broken my back" because I could feel it.

'The first thing I did was "can I move my hands?" yes, "can I move my feet?" yes, OK, that's not too bad.'

Though his surgeon initially feared he would be paralysed from the accident, Simon says he is now fitter than he was before the crash.