David Walliams was left stunned when a teenage singer returned to Britain’s Got Talent three years after the comedian had told him to work on his voice — only for Walliams to press the Golden Buzzer and send him straight through to the live semi-finals.

Kyle Tomlinson, then 15, had first auditioned for the ITV talent show at the age of 12. Although that original audition was not televised, Kyle later revealed that Walliams had advised him to get singing lessons and come back another year.

This time, however, Kyle arrived determined to show just how far he had come.

And his comeback could hardly have gone better.

“I was the mean one?”

Before Kyle began singing, he reminded the judges of his previous appearance on the show.

He explained that the other judges had been “quite nice” during his first audition, prompting Walliams to look genuinely surprised.

“What did the others say?” the comedian asked.

When Kyle explained that the other judges had been kind while Walliams had been the one to criticise him, Walliams joked: “I was the mean one? I’m the only one that’s nice!”

His fellow judges were quick to remind him of what had happened.

Alesha Dixon even booed Walliams over his previous comments, while Simon Cowell appeared particularly amused by the awkward revelation.

But Kyle was not there simply to settle an old score.

He had spent the intervening years working on his singing, with his family supporting him and helping pay for singing lessons. (Radio Times)

Kyle silences the doubts with “Hallelujah”

Kyle then performed a powerful version of Hallelujah, based on the arrangement made famous by Alexandra Burke.

The transformation was immediately apparent.

His performance earned a standing ovation and left both the audience and judging panel visibly impressed.

Alesha praised him for putting “your heart and soul on the line”, while Simon used the moment to deliver a pointed message to Walliams.

“This just shows you, Kyle, when someone grinds you down and says you are not good enough, you come back,” Simon said, “and you come back and look him in the eye and tell him, ‘I am good enough’.”

He added that Kyle had given “every single ounce” he could to the performance. (The Irish News)

Then came the moment Kyle had been waiting for.

Walliams suddenly jumped out of his seat and slammed his hand down on the Golden Buzzer.

Gold confetti filled the stage as Kyle broke down in tears, while his parents rushed forward to celebrate with him.

Walliams then joined him on stage and embraced the teenager.

“I thought it was really good,” he told Kyle. “It was a really, really moving performance and I’m really glad you came back and proved me wrong.”

He also praised Kyle for singing with real passion.

The Golden Buzzer made Kyle the fifth and final Golden Buzzer act of the 2017 series, sending him directly to the live semi-finals. (ITVX)

Kyle later admitted that performing in front of Walliams again had been particularly nerve-racking because he desperately wanted to impress the judge who had rejected him three years earlier.

He said he had been “terrified” before the audition, but Walliams’ Golden Buzzer ultimately transformed the experience into a moment he would never forget. (ITVX)

Destiny leaves judges stunned

Kyle was not the only young singer to make an impression during the sixth week of auditions.

Fourteen-year-old Destiny Chukunyere had travelled from Malta and initially appeared shy and nervous on stage.

That changed almost instantly when she began singing Aretha Franklin’s Think.

Her powerful soul vocals earned a standing ovation from both the audience and all four judges.

David Walliams was astonished by the transformation.

“What happened to the shy 14-year-old girl from Malta? Where did she go?” he asked.

Simon Cowell was equally enthusiastic, telling Destiny he had been waiting for someone who could potentially become a star.

“You have soul,” he told her.

Destiny went on to receive four yeses. She was already a major young talent in Malta, having won the 2015 Junior Eurovision Song Contest. (ITVX)

Young opera singer Leah wins Simon over

Another teenage singer, 14-year-old Irish opera performer Leah Barniville, also impressed the panel.

Leah performed in Italian and moved her younger brother to tears in the audience.

Simon Cowell described the performance as “honestly incredible”, stressing that Leah was only 14 and perhaps did not yet realise just how talented she was.

Her audition left a lasting impression on him, with Simon continuing to praise her even after she had left the stage.

Leah advanced alongside the other successful contestants.

Coventry Dynamite delivers a high-flying audition

The episode also featured Coventry Dynamite, a cheerleading troupe whose ambitious routine had the judges watching nervously.

The group had said they wanted to show viewers what cheerleading could really be like, and their performance certainly made an impression.

Members of the troupe were launched high into the air, performing complicated stunts while coming dangerously close to the large X-shaped signs suspended above the stage.

Amanda Holden could barely watch some of the more precarious moments.

Simon Cowell, however, was full of praise once the routine was over.

“You’re one of the best prepared acts we’ve seen on this show for a long time,” he told them.

The group received four yeses and progressed in the competition.

German roller skaters divide the panel

A German roller-skating duo brought a completely different style of performance to the stage.

Their routine featured a series of difficult and eye-catching manoeuvres performed on roller skates, with some moves reminiscent of those seen on Dancing On Ice.

Simon was not convinced.

He admitted that he had found the performance boring because he felt he had seen similar tricks before.

Alesha Dixon disagreed, arguing that the pair had included several impressive moments in their routine.

She voted to put them through, as did Amanda Holden and David Walliams, allowing the duo to advance despite Simon’s rejection.

Steven’s audience participation goes too far for Simon

The judges then encountered a very different kind of audition when an older singer named Steven arrived with a distinctive green beard.

He told the panel he planned to sing Stand By Me, but quickly turned his performance into an audience-participation event.

Steven invited people from the crowd to leave their seats and come down towards the stage.

As more audience members gathered around him, Simon Cowell became increasingly frustrated.

“Let’s just sing the song, shall we?” he said.

When the crowd continued moving towards the stage, Simon hit his red buzzer.

David and Alesha followed.

Amanda Holden initially appeared to be enjoying the performance, but Alesha eventually hit Amanda’s buzzer as well.

Steven therefore left the competition with four no votes.

Japanese magician shocks the judges

One of the most bizarre auditions of the episode came from 43-year-old Japanese magician TanBA.

His act left the judges visibly horrified as he performed a series of dangerous stunts involving balloons and razor blades.

Before swallowing the blades, TanBA asked Simon Cowell to demonstrate how sharp they were by using one to cut through a sheet of paper.

The magician then proceeded with his routine despite the judges’ obvious concern.

The act became even more extraordinary when TanBA later regurgitated what he had swallowed.

David joked about seeing the balloon again, while Alesha summed up the judges’ reaction by telling him he was “absolutely nuts”.

Simon admitted he had never seen anything quite like it, describing the audition as one of the craziest performances he had witnessed on the show.

Despite finding parts of it repulsive, he said that was precisely why he loved the act.

Jay Stephens fails to win over the full panel

Dancer Jay Stephens also divided the judges with his unconventional routine.

The audience responded positively, but Alesha Dixon was less enthusiastic.

“It didn’t blow me away,” she told him.

Simon was even more critical, saying he had seen better and suggesting he would not remember the audition.

David Walliams disagreed and urged Alesha to reconsider, arguing that Jay simply needed some “shaping” as a dancer.

He managed to persuade her to give Jay another chance.

Amanda Holden, however, remained unconvinced.

She explained that the show was now in its 11th year and that the standard had to continue improving.

For that reason, she ultimately voted no, ending Jay’s hopes of progressing.

All In Dance Crew gets four yeses

All In Dance Crew had much better luck.

The group impressed the judges with an energetic and adventurous performance and explained that their dream was eventually to be able to leave their regular jobs and concentrate on dancing.

Their audition earned four yeses.

Simon said he knew the performance was going to be good almost as soon as the group walked onto the stage.

The Pensionaires charm the judges

The episode ended on a warmer note with singing duo The Pensionaires, Henry, 84, and Malcolm, 75.

The pair performed You Make Me Feel So Young and quickly won over both the judges and the audience.

Amanda Holden suggested they would be the perfect kind of act to perform in front of the Royal Family.

David Walliams praised the chemistry between the two friends, while Simon Cowell joked that they were “Ant and Dec in ten years time”.

He even challenged them to return with Let’s Get Ready To Rumble.

“You’re the kind of act you feel good after seeing,” Simon told them.

The Pensionaires received four yeses and progressed to the next round.

Kyle’s comeback becomes the episode’s defining moment

Among a night packed with unusual performances, spectacular stunts and talented young singers, Kyle Tomlinson’s return stood out for a different reason.

Three years after being rejected and told to work on his singing, the 15-year-old returned to the same stage stronger, more confident and ready to prove his former critic wrong.

And the man who had once told him to improve his voice was ultimately the one who gave him the biggest vote of confidence possible.

David Walliams’ Golden Buzzer sent Kyle directly into the live semi-finals — turning an old rejection into one of the most memorable comeback stories of Britain’s Got Talent 2017. (ITVX)