Britain’s Got Talent 2026 viral favourite “musical monkeys” Munkeemania quickly won the crowd over with their side-splitting take on this Phil Collins classic. The talented drummer thundered his way into the audience’s hearts with the iconic drum fill and bombastic beat from “In the Air Tonight,” like everybody’s favourite Cadbury ad. The rest of the act split the judges down the middle, initially getting buzzed off by Simon Cowell and Alesha Dixon.
The Music Man readers will note that KSI, Amanda Holden, and Ant and Dec were loving it though, and the crowd were certainly down with the groove. The big surprise of the night came right at the end of the March 12, 2026 audition. After positive comments from KSI and Amanda, the audience began chanting “press the gold” as it came time for Simon’s closing comments. Simon then took his red buzzer back, saying “I know that my son Eric’s gonna love you. I’m gonna take that x away, and I’m gonna say yes.”
When Britain’s Got Talent uploaded Munkeemania’s audition, it hit 367,000 views in just over a week. Viewers added comments such as “That was really funny and entertaining!” and “Wow! Has Simon EVER taken his buzzer back before? Surely that’s the first time?” Just like the judges, though, viewers were split about the merits of the unique performance.
The act reminds The Music Man of Phil Collins’ live cut of “In the Air Tonight,” which he delivered in 2004 in a performance that was captured for his Finally… The First Farewell Tour DVD. A number of fans said in the comments this was among the greatest live performances of all time, and we have to agree there. The moment where Phil approaches the drums at 5:20 and then brings the hammer down on that drum fill is the definition of iconic.
Phil Collins issued “In the Air Tonight” on January 9, 1981, as the lead single from his first solo studio album, Face Value. The English star is the sole credited songwriter, and he produced the song along with Hugh Padgham.
“In the Air Tonight” proved that Phil was a commercial force as a solo act. The single hit number two in the UK and topped the charts in Germany, Austria, Sweden, and Switzerland. The music video was a major hit on MTV after the channel launched in August 1981.
Phil wrote “In the Air Tonight” in the wake of his 1980 divorce from Andrea Bertorelli. He later said that the process of dealing with the fallout of his divorce influenced his songwriting, which can be readily seen in the song’s lyrical themes of tension, deception, and betrayal.