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Simon Cowell divides Britain's Got Talent fans as he lays into feminist magician Josephine Lee

Simon Cowell divides Britain's Got Talent fans as he lays into feminist magician Josephine Lee

Josephine Lee delivered a routine celebrating female magicians

Eleanor Bley Griffiths

Published: Wednesday, 31 May 2017 at 7:57 pm

It's a tough ol' world out there for female magicians who want to be the star of the show instead of always playing the "assistant". At least, that was the message of Josephine Lee's act as she performed live in the Britain's Got Talent semi-final.

But while Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and David Walliams were all on board with the idea, Simon Cowell was simply - well - bored.

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Josephine, who has denied having a secret twin to help with her illusions, said in her pre-recorded narrative that she wanted to "re-write the story of females in magic". She began her show with a narrative about powerful female magicians being accused of witchcraft, showed off her escapology skills by escaping from chains, before performing a classic box trick.

"The word assistant suggest inferiority: a secondary role to the fearless magician who stands proudly enchanting his audience," she said on the voiceover.

But Simon was unimpressed, saying he had been irritated by the narrative and the performance and telling her, "I don't think you've got the showmanship." And while Josephine had used a disembodied pair of female legs to prove her point, the BGT judge found them one of the best bits of the show. "I like the legs," he told her.

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