The early seasons of Britain’s Got Talent captured some absolutely classy talent, unimpeded by the fame-grabbing feats that came with the later series. The acts were raw, authentic, and hilariously random — a vibe epitomized by none other than Stavros Flatley; 2009’s legendary father-son dance duo.
These British-Cypriot performers stirred their BGT crowd into a frenzy when they appeared on the show’s third season back in 2009, the same season that launched Susan Boyle as a national phenomenon and premiered the season-winning street dance troupe, Diversity. Stavros Flatley added a surprising spin to this roster of stars, taking to the stage with tops off, bellies out, performing an outrageous Irish dance routine with a Greek-Cypriot twist.
Father, Demi Demitriou (aged 40 at the time), burst out from behind the stage’s side curtain, running circles around the stage while hare-jumping in time to his Irish fiddle soundtrack. He broke into Irish dancing before taking a knee (and catching his breath), handing the spotlight over to his son, Lagi (then aged 12), who ran another wild circle around the stage before wowing the crowd with his footwork.
Comedy established the heart of their ridiculous performance; their stage name was even a tongue-in-cheek mash-up of Stavros, a Greek kebab shop owner played by Harry Enfield on Channel 4’s Saturday Live, and Michael Flatley, an Irish-American dancer. Stavros Flatley received three out of three yes votes from the show’s original lineup of judges — Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, and Piers Morgan — taking their act all the way to the finals where they landed in fourth place.
Before becoming absolute legends of TV talent show history, Demi owned a Greek food takeaway and an electrical business. After their double-act took off, Lagi allegedly took a whole year out of school to go on tour with his dad. Demi eventually sold his restaurant, lost his electrical business, and has since moved back to Cyprus. However, his bout of bad luck and homecoming didn’t stop the duo’s grand return to the show in 2019 for Britain’s Got Talent: The Championships.
The same year as their BGT return, Stavros Flatley released a book called How To Be A Little Bit Greek. They’ve dabbled across the TV networks, appearing on shows like Dress To Impress, Celebrity Coach Trip, and Sugar Free Farm. The team has now split professionally – Demi currently dances with his nephew Samson, while Lagi became engaged to his girlfriend Annika on New Year’s Eve 2020 and welcomed their first child, Xenia, in 2023.