Simon Cowell's Britain's Got Talent Return Confirmed

It has been confirmed that Simon Cowell will be returning to the Britain's Got Talent judging panel.

As we previously reported, the music mogul was rumoured to be making his return to the talent show in a bid to avoid a ratings slump like his other series, The X Factor.

Speaking at a Broadcasting Press Guild lunch today, 7th December, ITV chief executive Adam Crozier announced SiCo would be back, defending the decision to sign a three-year deal in 2010 which did not ensure Simon's participation in BGT and XF.

Crozier claimed: "It was a very important deal for us in lots of different ways. BGT and X Factor are two of the best known and best loved shows but we had only ever had them on annual deals. It was important to put them on a longer-term footing."

The likes of David Walliams, Dannii Minogue, Barbara Windsor and ex-Eastenders actress Samantha Womack have all been linked to judging roles on BGT, with SiCo apparently hoping the new series will be "the biggest, most successful yet."