The semi-final
Series fourteen ran its live rounds late. The semi-finals and final were staged between 30 August and 10 October 2020, after production had stopped in March under pandemic restrictions. McCann appeared in the fifth semi-final, broadcast on 3 October to 5.80 million viewers, and took 27 percent of the public vote — first on the night, which meant qualification without needing the judges.
Winning a semi-final outright is the cleaner of the two routes into a Britain's Got Talent final. The other route runs through a judges' vote among the acts immediately behind. McCann did not need it.
A final made of magic
The final, on 10 October 2020, was watched by 7.12 million people and contained ten acts, five of which were magic. The magic duo James and Dylan Piper, aged 38 and 12, finished fifth with 5.7 percent. The close-up magician Damien O'Brien, 34, was sixth on 4.6. McCann was seventh on 3.7, the close-up magician Jasper Cherry, 14, eighth on 3.3, and Magical Bones, 37, ninth on 2.9.
Those five acts took 20.2 percent of the vote between them. The winner, the comic singer and pianist Jon Courtenay, took 35.7 percent on his own. The records do not explain the pattern, and this page does not claim to; what they show is that half a national final was built from one discipline, and that the discipline finished fifth to ninth.
The series that nearly did not happen
Series fourteen was broadcast in two halves. Pre-recorded audition shows aired on ITV from 11 April to 30 May 2020. Then production stopped, and the live rounds did not resume until 30 August.
What returned was a modified programme: a virtual audience, physical distancing between hosts, judges, contestants and crew, and pre-recorded semi-finals, which altered the voting format. Simon Cowell, injured, was replaced on the panel for the semi-finals and final by Ashley Banjo, and Amanda Holden became head judge. A child magician's 27 percent was won in an empty room.
What is documented — and what is not
Firm: the age of eleven, the act as close-up magic, 27 percent and first place in semi-final five on 3 October 2020, and seventh place in the final on 10 October with 3.7 percent before 7.12 million viewers.
Not documented in the sources gathered here: home town, school, family, who taught the magic, what the tricks were, and anything after October 2020. There is no Wikipedia article under this name; the entries sit inside the series fourteen tables. The research note behind this record also flags that the nationality is assumed from the show rather than stated in the source, and the source gives no gender, so this page uses none.
What a semi-final win is worth
The two numbers on this page sit oddly together: 27 percent on 3 October, 3.7 percent on 10 October. They are not comparable measures. A semi-final divides one night's vote among eight or nine acts, while a final divides it among ten acts that have each already won a night of their own.
Against that, the useful comparison is with the other magicians. All five of them landed between 5.7 and 2.9 percent in the final, inside a range of under three points, and none of them reached the top four. McCann's seventh place sits in the middle of that cluster. The clean result is the earlier one: on the last semi-final night of the 2020 series, an eleven-year-old was the most voted-for act in the country.
Watch: Aidan McCann on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aidan McCann | United Kingdom | Eleven years old, 27 percent of a semi-final vote, and a final where five | Age 11 |
| Jasper Cherry | United Kingdom | Nearly half of everything voted on the night went to one 14-year-old with | Age 14 |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Won semi-final 5 on 3 October 2020 with 27 percent, the top share of that night, aged 11
- Finished seventh of ten in the final on 10 October 2020 with 3.7 percent
- Five of the ten finalists that year were magic acts, taking 20.2 percent between them
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No home town, school, family or training detail in the sources gathered here
- No description of the routines performed
- Nothing documented after October 2020, and no Wikipedia article under this name
- Nationality is taken from the show rather than stated in the source table
Questions people ask about Aidan McCann
How old was Aidan McCann on Britain's Got Talent?
Eleven, in the 2020 series. No source in this record gives a date of birth.
What kind of magic was the act?
Close-up magic, as listed in the series 14 results tables.
How did Aidan McCann reach the final?
By winning the fifth semi-final outright on 3 October 2020 with 27 percent of the public vote.
Where did Aidan McCann finish?
Seventh of ten in the final on 10 October 2020, with 3.7 percent.
Who won Britain's Got Talent in 2020?
Jon Courtenay, a comic singer and pianist, with 35.7 percent.
How many magicians were in that final?
Five of the ten acts: James and Dylan Piper, Damien O'Brien, Aidan McCann, Jasper Cherry and Magical Bones.
Is Aidan McCann on Wikipedia?
Not with an article under this name. The entries appear in the results tables for Britain's Got Talent series 14.
Where is Aidan McCann now?
No source in this record states this. Nothing after October 2020 appears here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Aidan’s story?
What share did Aidan McCann take in the fifth semi-final of 2020?
How many of the ten finalists that year were magic acts?
Where did McCann finish in the final?
Sources
- Britain's Got Talent series 14 — 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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