Marc Spelmann on how he fooled the BGT judges & Ant and Dec

Marc Spelmann shocked the nation on this year's Britain's Got Talent when he went undercover as magician 'X'and made it through to the finals. After revealing his identity in the biggest plot twist the show has ever seen, he has gone on to rack up over 100 million video views on his performances.

Speaking exclusively to heatworld on how he managed to fool the BGT judges, Ant and Dec, and the entire nation by remaining undercover, Marc said: "My initial application was made in my real name. Everyone working within and on the show last year knew of me as my stage name Marc Spelmann, so my application form, medical checks and criminal record checks were never going to reveal my true identity. My passport photo is eight years old, I look younger and slimmer back then so again the chances of being rumbled with that were minimal, but there was still a little tension when everything was submitted because if anyone realised it would have been over before it even started."

Marc added, "I knew I couldn’t stay undercover and do it alone, so I created a pretend ‘manager’ in my friend Collin, a fellow magician. He spoke for me throughout my time on BGT. With the audition in Manchester we drove up the night before and hired an apartment because if I stayed at one of the main hotels we’d be surrounded with contestants, crew and production people from the show. We travelled everywhere in sunglasses and baseball hats and once close to each destination we’d pull over into a side street and I’d get masked up as ‘X’. Collin would also wear a disguise as other magicians who were auditioning would link us together so Collin had to be incognito too."

"On deliberation day when the judges decide if you have made the cut into the semi-finals, I made it through and at that point I had to reveal my identity to one production member. It was tense but we negotiated exactly how this would be done, we made them sign a confidentiality agreement which they did. This person known as 'N 'was my contact going forward and would relay everything back and forth between myself and the BGT team. The producers, stage managers and judges knew nothing.

Have a peek at Marc Spelmann's Insta pics:

Speaking about why he decided to go undercover on this year's BGT, Marc said: "I didn’t want the fact that I was Marc Spelmann from the previous year to have any positive or negative impact or create what would seem an unfair advantage. I didn’t want a back story, history or votes based on what I did last year. These shows are often criticised for having sob stories, which I find strange because it is a show about talent but also about people and everyone has a story, some happy and some sad.

"Colin Thackeray has an incredibly moving story and I’m so glad he got to share it with a wider audience. Rather than criticise we would should empathise, learn and embrace peoples lives, stories and victories. But I’d already shared my story last year, so to create a persona who had no story was my way of exploring that notion. Could a faceless, non speaking act make it through?"

His key to fooling the BGT judges, Ant and Dec and the entire nation? "Preparation is key," said Marc. "Think of every eventuality and then some, learn to blag it, take risks and do not worry about getting rumbled. I had the best experience plotting this all out and then to finally achieve it, to the point of being runner up is overwhelming. Life is about taking chances, creating memories and reaching for the stars."

He added, "if you want to get a break, some exposure, some airtime or to just have an experience you’ll never forget, apply for the show. Just be the best you can be and enjoy it for as long as it lasts."