In 2014, Lettice Rowbotham stunned the Britain’s Got Talent judges with her talent as a violin virtuoso. Only 24 and based in Surry at the time, Lettice’s unique performance made her an unforgettable contestant.
Dubbed the competition’s “poshest ever contestant”, Lettice shared a touching story about her lifelong passion for playing violin before going in to audition. She explained that when she’d asked for one as a child, she’d only received a plastic toy and was devastated. Finally, she got her hands on a real violin, which lead her all the way to her Britain’s Got Talent Audition.
Lettice initially appeared eccentric and unprepared for her audition, stating that she had “just listened to the track in the car” by way of rehearsal and that she was “too hungover to be nervous.” However, when she started to play, she blew everyone’s doubts out of the water. In her audition, Lettice performed three songs, including “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida, “Demons” by Imagine Dragons, and “Counting Stars by One Republic.
Her unique style of playing combined the classical music skills she developed when studying at the Royal College of Music, with the energy and fun of the pop songs she covered. Her performance went down a storm. By the end of the first song, she had the audience clapping and cheering. Before she’d even finished the last song, she had received a standing ovation. The judges were similarly impressed, with Amanda Holden looking gobsmacked at her talent.
She received compliments from all of the judges, with David commenting that she “made that beautiful violin look sexy” and that, besides her great talent, she really “put on a show.” After her impressive performance, Lettice went all the way to the Finals of Britain’s Got Talent, where she came in 8th place. She has remained a memorable contestant, with the video of her original audition receiving 90 million views on YouTube.
Lettice’s own YouTube channel has over 116k subscribers, with her most popular video receiving over 1.7 million views. Since her appearance on Britain’s Got Talent, she has played concerts across the world, including at the Glastonbury Festival, and even playing for Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. While Lettice continues to play regularly, she now also has her hands full with a family.
Mother to two children, Peaches and Ptolomy, Lettice also finally got engaged to long-term partner Charlie in January 2024. Despite this, she continues to play violin across the world a decade after he original appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. If you want to see more from Lettice, you can follow her on Instagram.