Britain's Got Talent will allegedly include auditions filmed abroad for the first time as part of the new series.

Last week it emerged that filming of this year's auditions - originally due to take place in London in mid-January - has been pushed back due to the severe ongoing restrictions caused by coronavirus, which mean that live studio audiences are not possible at the moment.

The current plan is for the auditions to be filmed at the end of the month and into early February, either with a live audience or a virtual audience, and according to The Sun, producers are also planning to let contestants audition remotely if they live outside of the UK.

"It would get around the fact that acts can't fly in to take part in the show as they normally do and mean bosses can still put on a show," a source told the newspaper.

"The format has been commissioned in 58 countries so they have crews. It will have high production value and cinematic feel."

BGT has a long tradition of welcoming contestants from other countries, with Hungarian theatre group Attraction winning the 2013 series.

Despite the delays caused by COVID-19, ITV still expects to have the show back on air as usual in April.