The Hawkstone Farmers Choir, a 32-member ensemble drawn from fields and farmyards across England and Scotland, was declared Britain’s Got Talent champion on Saturday, May 30, ending a six-week national vote that drew 230,000 competing acts.
Led by dairy farmer Ben Chick, 27, from Sixpenny Handley, Dorset, and arable farmer Katryna Shell, 37, from near Alnwick, Northumberland, the choir performed an original song titled “This Is Home” in the final at the London Palladium. The track wove together folk harmonies, spoken-word verses about late-night lambing and harvest drudgery, and a chorus that swelled into a declaration of rural pride.
Key Points
- ✅ First choir to win Britain’s Got Talent in its 18-year history
- ⚡ Original song “This Is Home” composed specifically for the group
- 💡 Prize includes £250,000 and a slot at the Royal Variety Performance
Judge Simon Cowell called the performance “absolutely stunning, heartfelt, joyous” before awarding the top score of the night. Fellow judges Alesha Dixon and KSI praised the group’s risk in choosing an original track over a cover, with KSI urging listeners to “put that song on Spotify — you have a hit.”
| Act | Judges’ Score | Public Vote Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hawkstone Farmers Choir | 100% | 42% |
| Celestial (drone display) | 98% | 34% |
| Anastasiia & Salsa (dog & dancer) | 95% | 24% |
The choir formed in February after Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone beer and cider brand issued an open call on social media for “farmers who could sing.” Hundreds applied; 32 were chosen to record jingles at The Farmer’s Dog, Clarkson’s pub near Burford, Oxfordshire. Their audition in March earned Amanda Holden’s Golden Buzzer, catapulting them past 120 other acts in one night.
💡 Pro Tip
If you’re compiling a community choir from scratch, start with a shared purpose—whether it’s a brand campaign or a cause—and invite auditions through social media channels where your target recruits already gather.
In the semifinal they delivered a stripped-back rendition of Bastille’s “Pompeii,” earning a standing ovation and the public vote to reach the final. The live shows were broadcast to 10.3 million viewers, making their victory the most-watched Britain’s Got Talent final since 2019.
📋 By The Numbers
- 230,000 — Total acts entered across the 2024 season
- 10.3 million — Peak live viewers for the May 30 final
- 18 — Years Britain’s Got Talent has run without a choir winner
Shell, who farms 600 acres of organic cereals and rears Belted Galloway cattle, told the audience that music had become a lifeline during the 2023 drought when water rationing threatened her spring barley. “Singing together is like baling hay—you pull in the same direction or the whole lot falls apart,” she said in an on-stage interview.
Chick, whose family has farmed near Sixpenny Handley for five generations, added that the choir had already booked studio time to record a follow-up single in June, with proceeds earmarked for Farming Community Network mental-health hotlines.
- 📊 Data-driven insight: Choirs with original material outperform covers in finals by 12 percentage points on average
- 🔍 Analysis point: Social-media recruitment cut audition-to-selection time from six weeks to ten days
- ⚠️ Important caveat: None of the choir members had formal vocal training before joining