ITV BGT fans left frustrated as they 'work out' magician's finale act after awkward swear word blunder: 'Was it just me?'
Britain's Got Talent series launch
|ITV
The teenage magician's grand final routine sparked debate online
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Britain's Got Talent viewers were left frustrated during Saturday night's live final after some claimed they had worked out teenage magician Rafferty Coope's trick, while others were distracted by a separate on-stage blunder involving an accidental swear word.
The 17-year-old performer returned to the ITV competition's grand final as one of two magicians competing for the £250,000 prize and a place at the Royal Variety Performance.
Mr Coope's routine centred around spreading positivity and encouraging viewers to "smile".
However, not all fans were convinced by the performance.

Rafferty Coope's performance drew scrutiny from BGT viewers
|ITV / YOUTUBE
During the act, judges Alesha Dixon and KSI selected raffle tickets from a bag before Coope wrote the numbers 371415 on top of a white grand piano.
He then rotated the piano and revealed what he said was the word "smile".
Viewers at home quickly took to social media, with many arguing the reveal had gone wrong.
One viewer posted: "Anyone got a screengrab of that piano lid? It said s***e."

Some viewers were convinced they worked out the young magician's trick
|ITV / YOUTUBE
Another wrote: "Why does the piano say s***e on top of it..."
A third added: "SMILE? I thought it said s***e."
Others believed the upside-down lettering appeared to spell "sihile" instead, with one fan joking: "Can someone tell Rafferty how to spell SMILE cause it ain't sihile."
But the apparent spelling mishap wasn't the only aspect of the performance attracting attention online.
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Mr Coope was judge KSI's Golden Buzzer act, which secured his place in the final
|ITV / YOUTUBE
Some viewers claimed they had spotted how one of the magician's tricks worked during the live show.
"I also saw Rafferty put Amanda's ring in his back pocket and then obviously take it out again??? Was it just me???" one viewer wrote on X.
The comment quickly sparked discussion among fans watching at home, with several questioning whether the illusion had been as convincing as intended.
Others were more generally critical of the teenager's performance.
"The magician acts get ten times the amount of time the other acts, just to rig it more for them to win," one viewer complained.
Another wrote: "The choir can't sing, the magician can't do tricks. How are these finalists?"
A third viewer added: "I think Rafferty Coope would make a great politician! He's already perfected the skill of talking absolute shite for minutes on end while acting like it's profound."
Despite the criticism, many viewers rushed to defend the young magician and praised his unique approach.

The magician started the competition as the early bookmakers' favourite, but the betting markets have shifted significantly leading up to the live final
|ITV / YOUTUBE
One supporter wrote: "Rafferty Coope that was incredible how this young lad does magic in such a different way! Incredible act who will go far in his chosen career and definitely made me smile!"
Mr Coope originally secured his place in the competition after receiving KSI's Golden Buzzer during the audition stages and went on to reach the final alongside fellow magician Fabian Fox.
The pair competed against eight other acts, including poet Sonny Green, singer Matty Juniosa, comedian Ted Hill and The Hawkstone Farmers Choir.










