The semi-final
Britain's Got Talent series eleven staged five semi-finals between 29 May and 2 June 2017. Woodman performed fourth in the third of them, on 31 May, and took 21.8 percent of the public vote, finishing second on the night and qualifying for the final. That episode was watched by 8.24 million people.
The act he finished ahead of is the detail that dates the night: Sarah Ikumu, a 16-year-old singer who had been sent to the live shows by golden buzzer, came third on 16.8 percent and was eliminated. She was later restored to the final as the judges' wildcard, but on 31 May the eight-year-old had outpolled her by five points.
The golden buzzer that was not
Woodman is often described as a golden buzzer act. The series eleven records do not support that. Five golden buzzers were pressed in 2017, and they went to Sarah Ikumu, Kyle Tomlinson, Daliso Chaponda, MerseyGirls and Matt Edwards. Woodman is not among them.
He reached the final the longer way, on the public vote in a semi-final, which on the arithmetic of that series was the harder route. The research note attached to this record repeats the golden buzzer claim; the results table contradicts it, and this page follows the table.
The final
The final was broadcast on 3 June 2017 to 10.07 million viewers. Eleven acts performed and the pianist Tokio Myers won with 24.2 percent. The eight-year-old illusionist Issy Simpson was runner-up on 17.5 percent, the stand-up comedian Daliso Chaponda third on 14.7, and the comic magician Matt Edwards fourth on 7.9.
Woodman, performing fourth in the running order, finished tenth of eleven with 3.2 percent, ahead only of the mentalist duo DNA on 3.0. The result is less interesting than the company: he and Issy Simpson were both eight years old, the youngest acts in the final, and they finished second and tenth.
An eight-year-old in a variety final
The 2017 final was unusually wide in age. The singing duo The Pensionalities, aged 84 and 75, finished fifth on 6.9 percent. The Missing People Choir, aged 32 to 71, came eighth. Woodman and Simpson were eight. A single night's voting set a stand-up comedian in year four of primary school against pensioners, a choir, a dance group and a concert pianist.
The discipline matters as much as the age. Stand-up on a variety show has no spectacle to hide behind: no lighting cue, no drop, no reveal. It is a child alone with written material and a live audience of ten million. Chaponda, a 37-year-old professional, finished third with the same tools; Woodman, at eight, was in the same final.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: his age of eight, his act as a stand-up comedian, 21.8 percent and second place in semi-final three on 31 May 2017, tenth place in the final on 3 June with 3.2 percent, and the audience of 10.07 million.
Not documented in the sources gathered here: his home town, his school, his family, who wrote or shaped the material, what the jokes were, and anything about him after June 2017. 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 table, and its golden buzzer claim does not match the source.
Watch: Ned Woodman on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ned Woodman | United Kingdom | Stand-up comedy in the Britain's Got Talent 2017 final | Age 8 |
| Issy Simpson | United Kingdom | Runner-up on Britain's Got Talent 2017, aged 8 | Age 8 |
| Ryland Petty | United Kingdom | He reached a live semi-final in Britain at nine and another in America at | Age 9 |
| Kadan Bart Rockett | United States | Magic act, America's Got Talent season 11 semi-finals (2016) | Age 10 |
| Lori Mae Hernandez | United States | Stand-up comedy, America's Got Talent season 11 semi-finals (2016) | Age 13 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Listed as an eight-year-old stand-up comedian in the Britain's Got Talent series 11 records
- Took 21.8 percent in semi-final 3 on 31 May 2017, finishing second and qualifying
- Finished tenth of eleven in the final on 3 June 2017 with 3.2 percent
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- The claim that he received a golden buzzer is contradicted by the series records
- No home town, school or family detail, and no record of the material he performed
- Nothing documented after June 2017, and no Wikipedia article of his own
- Nationality is taken from the show rather than stated in the source table
Questions people ask about Ned Woodman
How old was Ned Woodman on Britain's Got Talent?
Eight, in the 2017 series. No source in this record gives a date of birth.
Did Ned Woodman get a golden buzzer?
No. The five golden buzzers of series 11 went to Sarah Ikumu, Kyle Tomlinson, Daliso Chaponda, MerseyGirls and Matt Edwards. He qualified through the public vote in his semi-final.
How did Ned Woodman reach the final?
By finishing second in the third semi-final on 31 May 2017 with 21.8 percent of the public vote.
Where did he finish in the final?
Tenth of eleven, with 3.2 percent, on 3 June 2017.
Who won Britain's Got Talent in 2017?
Tokio Myers, with 24.2 percent. The runner-up, Issy Simpson, was also eight years old.
What jokes did he tell?
No source gathered for this record preserves the material. The tables record placings and percentages only.
Is Ned Woodman on Wikipedia?
Not with an article of his own. He appears in the results tables for Britain's Got Talent series 11.
Where is Ned Woodman now?
No source in this record states this. Nothing after June 2017 appears here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Ned’s story?
How old was Ned Woodman in the 2017 Britain's Got Talent final?
How did he reach the final?
Who else in that final was eight years old?
Sources
- Britain's Got Talent series 11 — golden buzzers, 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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