The tie that sent him through
Series fifteen staged five semi-finals between 30 May and 3 June 2022. Leahey appeared in the first, on 30 May, and took 26.1 percent of the public vote, finishing second on the night.
Second place puts an act into the judges' vote rather than straight into the final. The series records show that vote as tied, and resolved on the public vote in his favour. A tie-break, in other words, decided whether a 13-year-old ventriloquist would appear in a national final six days later.
The final
The final was broadcast on 5 June 2022 to 7.07 million viewers, the most-watched programme on ITV that week. Eleven acts performed and the stand-up comedian Axel Blake, 33, won with 19.7 percent.
Leahey came second with 14.7 percent. The three places behind him were separated by fractions: the singer Tom Ball took 14.2, the opera singer Maxwell Thorpe 14.0. Second, third and fourth were covered by seven tenths of a percentage point. Behind them the 14-year-old stand-up Eva Abley took 8.4 percent, Flintz and T4ylor 8.3, the seven-year-old poet Aneeshwar Kunchala 6.0, the impressionist Ben Nickless 5.7, the singer Loren Allred 3.3, the dog act Amber and the Dancing Collies 3.2 and the dance group 5 Star Boys 2.5.
A young final after a lost year
There was no Britain's Got Talent in 2021. Strict pandemic restrictions on television production in the United Kingdom postponed the series until conditions improved, and it returned in April 2022 after a two-year gap, judged by David Walliams, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell, with Ant and Dec presenting on ITV.
The field that came back was young. Five of the eleven finalists were under eighteen: Kunchala at seven, the 5 Star Boys at ten to twelve, Leahey at thirteen, Abley at fourteen, and the seventeen-year-old half of Flintz and T4ylor. Two of the top five places went to teenagers, and the runner-up spot went to the second youngest soloist in the final.
What second place is and is not
A runner-up on Britain's Got Talent has the same visibility as the winner for about a week and none of the contractual outcome. The 2022 margin at the top was wide by the standards of the show — five points between first and second — while the margin below was almost nothing.
Read carefully, the result says two things about the vote. Blake was the clear choice of the country. And the audience that did not vote for him divided itself almost exactly three ways, between a ventriloquist of thirteen, a pop singer and an opera singer. Ventriloquism had not been the obvious act in that group, which is the part of the 2022 result worth keeping.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: his age of 13, his act as a ventriloquist, 26.1 percent and second place in the first semi-final on 30 May 2022, qualification through a tied judges' vote settled on the public vote, and runner-up in the final on 5 June with 14.7 percent before 7.07 million viewers.
Not documented in the sources gathered here: his home town, his school, his family, the name of the puppet, the routines, how he learned the act, and anything about him after June 2022. There is no Wikipedia article in his own name. The research note behind this record also flags that his nationality is assumed from the show rather than stated in the source.
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paula Imafidon | United Kingdom | Passing A-level mathematics at seven, in August 2008, with her twin… | Age 0 |
| Samantha Imafidon | United Kingdom | Passing GCSE mathematics and statistics at primary-school age | Age 0 |
| Peter Imafidon | United Kingdom | Reported in 2008 as, with twin sister Paula, the youngest ever to pass an… | Age 7 |
| Nishi Uggalle | United Kingdom | Winning Channel 4's Child Genius in 2019 | Age 10 |
| Jamie Leahey | United Kingdom | Thirteen years old, second in the country, and through his semi-final only | Age 12 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Took 26.1 percent for second in semi-final 1 on 30 May 2022; the judges' vote tied and was settled on the public vote
- Finished runner-up in the final on 5 June 2022 with 14.7 percent, aged 13
- The final drew 7.07 million viewers and was won by Axel Blake on 19.7 percent
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No home town, school or family detail in the sources gathered here
- The puppet and the routines are not described in any source used
- Nothing documented after June 2022, and no Wikipedia article of his own
- Nationality is taken from the show rather than stated in the source table
Questions people ask about Jamie Leahey
How old was Jamie Leahey on Britain's Got Talent?
Thirteen, in the 2022 series. No source in this record gives a date of birth.
Did Jamie Leahey win Britain's Got Talent?
No. He finished runner-up with 14.7 percent. Axel Blake won with 19.7 percent.
How did he reach the final?
He finished second in the first semi-final on 30 May 2022 with 26.1 percent; the judges' vote tied and was resolved on the public vote in his favour.
What is Jamie Leahey's act?
Ventriloquism. No source gathered for this record names the puppet or describes the routines.
How close was the 2022 final?
Second, third and fourth were within seven tenths of a percentage point: Leahey on 14.7, Tom Ball on 14.2, Maxwell Thorpe on 14.0.
Why was there no series in 2021?
Pandemic restrictions on television production in the United Kingdom postponed it; the show returned in April 2022.
Is Jamie Leahey on Wikipedia?
Not with an article of his own. He appears in the results tables for Britain's Got Talent series 15.
Where is Jamie Leahey now?
No source in this record states this. Nothing after June 2022 appears here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Jamie’s story?
Where did Jamie Leahey finish on Britain's Got Talent 2022?
How was his semi-final decided?
What is his act?
Sources
- Britain's Got Talent series 15 — semi-finals and final results — Wikipedia, 2026-09-22
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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