Why Britain cannot get enough of TV talent shows BGT is heir to a long and illustrious line of crowd-pleasers, stretching back to Morecambe & Wise and The Generation Game. Like them, it spans generations and excludes no one, providing a communal viewing experience that's all too rare in our dislocated modern world of downloads and TV on demand. It also celebrates two great British traits: eccentricity and daftness, embodied by judge David Walliams and cheeky hosts Ant and Dec. Unlike The X Factor, which attracts identikit teens all desperate to form the next One Direction, the range of contestants on BGT is key to its appeal. All human (and some animal) life is here: pint-size prodigies and pensioners, semi-pros and plucky amateurs, the sublime and ridiculous. This series alone has featured dancing nuns, skating dinner ladies, drag queens, disco dads, dog impersonators, line-dancing divorcees and painting donkeys. BGT "s Svengali figure, Simon Cowell, is widely perceived as cynical, grasping and generally ghastly. Yet, in fairness to him, it retains a heart-warming innocence. It's a throwback to the days of music hall and the have-a-go spirit that has made variety shows so timelessly appealing. The format - in which acts audition in regional theatres to earn a shot at the big time in London - echoes those classics of the genre, New Faces and Opportunity Knocks. Even the prize is pleasingly old-fashioned: instead of a £1 million record contract, the winner is given the chance to perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. Despite its inherent niceness, however, BGT is no stranger to controversy. This series has been widely criticised for including too many school-age acts. Sir Bruce Forsyth, a former child star himself, claimed that it's "an ordeal" for children and expressed concern over the "emotional damage" they might suffer. I'm sorry to say it, but Brucie is badly out of touch. Today's children love to show off. Their parents invest time and money sending their little darlings to performance-based after-school clubs and Stagecoach classes, which, regardless of their talents, build confidence and provide a creative outlet. These children don't just develop a passion for performing; they grow up taking talent shows for granted. YouTube and social networking sites mean they are already uploading videos of their performances, happily sharing their talents with a wider audience. The voting viewer doesn't appear to agree with Forsyth either. Six of tonight's 10 finalists are still at school, five of the field aged 14 or under. They seem a robust bunch and there has been no repeat of the incident four years ago in which 10-year-old Hollie Steel broke down in tears after fluffing her words. Mindful of potential criticism and Ofcom's ongoing investigation into television's treatment of minors, BGT "s producers and judges now keep a closer eye on young contestants, gently eliminating any who don't seem ready. The show's detractors have also pointed out that some youngsters have performed songs inappropriate for their age. Eleven-year-old Asanda, for example, auditioned with Rihanna's Diamonds, which includes references - albeit oblique - to alcohol and drugs. Fellow finalist Arisxandra Libantino, also 11, first impressed the judges by belting out Jennifer Hudson's One Night Only - a ballad about a one-night stand. The songs" lyrics are so euphemistic, however, that I don't seriously believe either had any idea what she was singing about. And they certainly wouldn't be the first young fans to sing along to a pop hit, blissfully ignorant of its sexual subtext - that's been happening since the days of My Ding-A-Ling and Afternoon Delight. Besides, approving an audition piece's content is surely the responsibility of parents, not the show's producers. Don't put your daughter on the stage, Mrs Worthington. But if you do, please check the lyrics first. If there's one man who'll never have a bad word to say about Britain's Got Talent, it is Cowell. With The X Factor sliding in the ratings and his first foray into cookery contests, Food Glorious Food!, flopping like a first-time soufflé, this is now his only ratings banker. And when it comes to prime time entertainment, the viewers are always right. After another record-breaking series of Britain's Got Talent, all the naysayers who sneer that TV talent shows are dying have been totally disproved by its continued success - even Sir Bruce Forsyth, who, as the host of Strictly Come Dancing, should really know better.