Comedian Ted Hill secured a place in the Britain's Got Talent live semi-finals this evening after hosts Ant and Dec hit the golden buzzer during Saturday night's ITV broadcast.
The 31-year-old performer from London delivered a stand-up routine that merged his professional work presenting science-themed shows at schools with his passion for comedy - but fans were left divided.
Mr Hill, who is autistic, won over both the judging panel and studio audience with his analytical approach to humour.
His act featured visual aids including graphs and a chalkboard presentation, drawing enthusiastic responses from judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and KSI throughout his set.
Some BGT fans were confused by the reaction to the act
|ITV
The golden buzzer means Mr Hill bypasses further audition rounds and proceeds directly to the live shows.
During his audition, he addressed the audience directly, joking "We'll address the elephant in the room" before an elephant sound effect played, prompting Alesha Dixon to burst into laughter.
He told the judges: "I am a very autistic man, thank you for noticing. These are some of the things I love - graphs, like a lot of autistic people."
One of his standout gags involved ranking people named Simon Cowell, with the judge placed third on a chalkboard graphic. Mr Hill promised to elevate Mr Cowell to first place if he advanced in the competition.
| ITV
Ms Holden was reduced to tears of laughter when a Victorian-era photograph appeared with Mr Cowell's face superimposed onto it.
The comedian also performed a segment reimagining the phonetic alphabet.
Mr Cowell remarked: "He's actually funny," whilst Ms Holden declared: "That has blown my mind, it was completely unexpected, and so intelligent."
Reaction on social media proved sharply divided following the golden buzzer moment.
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Supporters praised Hill's performance, with one viewer writing: "Absolutely hilarious and deserving of the golden buzzer!"
Another fan commented: "Deserved that buzzer... I thought he was great... unique."
However, numerous viewers questioned whether the accolade was warranted.
One critic posted: "Erm am I only one who didn't laugh once at that comedy golden buzzer."
Another wrote: "The Golden Buzzer literally means nothing anymore. It's just given out to anyone like sweets nowadays."
Someone else fumed: "I'm guessing nobody else can get a golden buzzer now its been wasted on the guy who wasnt funny. #BGT."
A more measured response read: "Look he was funny, he was slightly different but I wasn't laughing out loud, I think the funniest part was the Simon graph but definitely not golden buzzer worthy, he's good for a couple of minutes but not a full comedy set."
Mr Hill's golden buzzer marked the fifth of the current series, with all judges and hosts now having used theirs.
Simon Cowell was first to press the gold button in the opening episode, awarding it to Australian para athlete Paul Nunnari for his wheelchair stunts.
KSI followed by selecting 16-year-old magician Rafferty Coope, whose act featured a coin passing through glass and a piano performance of Don't Stop Believing.
Alesha Dixon chose entertainment act Antigravity, which the judges described as one of the finest performances in the programme's 19-year history.
Ms Holden gave her buzzer to a 34-member choir composed entirely of British farmers, created as a promotional venture connected to Jeremy Clarkson's Hawkstone drinks brand.
The eventual BGT winner receives £250,000 and a performance slot at the Royal Variety.