Without the pressure to achieve stardom that came with subsequent seasons, Britain’s Got Talent was able to catch some incredibly refined talent in its early seasons. Authentic, raw, and humorously haphazard performances were the norm, as seen by the famed father-son dance team Stavros Flatley from 2009.
Season three of British Got Talent aired in 2009, at which time Susan Boyle became a global sensation and the season-winning street dance ensemble, Diversity, premiered, and these British-Cypriot artists sent their BGT audience into a frenzy. Stavros Flatley brought an unexpected twist to this lineup of superstars by executing an insane Irish dance routine with a Greek-Cypriot touch when shirts were off and bellies were out.
At the sound of his Irish fiddle accompaniment, Demi Demitriou, the father—who was forty years old at the time—sprung from behind the stage’s side curtain and began hare-jumping around the stage. He then stepped back to gather his breath and gave the stage to his son Lagi, who was twelve years old at the time, and who wowed the audience with his impressive footwork after running a crazy merry-go-round.
Their comedic act was built on top of a satirical mash-up of two names: Michael Flatley, an Irish-American dancer, and Stavros, a Greek kebab shop owner performed by Harry Enfield on Saturday Live (Channel 4). The initial trio of judges for the show—Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, and Piers Morgan—voted yes three times, sending Stavros Flatley and his act to the finals, where they finished in fourth place.
Demi was the owner of an electrical business and a Greek cuisine takeout before they became TV talent competition legends. Lagi supposedly skipped a full academic year to accompany his dad on tour after their combined act became popular. Demi returned to Cyprus after selling his restaurant and losing his electrical business. Despite his run-ins with the law and his return home, the pair made a triumphant 2019 return to Britain’s Got Talent: The Championships.
Stavros Flatley’s book, How to Be A Little Bit Greek, was published in the same year as their return to BGT. They’ve dabbled on other networks, making appearances on shows including Sugar Free Farm, Celebrity Coach Trip, and Dress to Impress. Demi is now dancing with his nephew Samson, and Lagi became engaged to his fiancée Annika on New Year’s Eve 2020; they welcomed their first child, Xenia, in 2023. The two have now professionally parted ways.
