The Britain’s Got Talent grand final takes place tonight, with 10 acts battling it out for the £250,000 prize and a coveted performance spot at the Royal Variety Performance.

Among the finalists hoping to impress viewers is The Hawkstone Farmers Choir, the singing group originally created for an advert promoting Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone beer brand.

Ahead of the live final, Clarkson publicly backed the choir during an appearance on Heart Radio, encouraging viewers to vote for them and thanking Amanda Holden for sending the group through to the semi-finals with her Golden Buzzer.

However, not everyone is convinced the choir has what it takes to win the competition.

Britain’s Got Talent’s very first winner, opera singer Paul Potts, shared his thoughts on the finalists while speaking to Sky Vegas and admitted he has doubts about The Hawkstone Farmers Choir’s chances.

“The Hawkstone Farmers Choir do feel slightly like an advert for Jeremy Clarkson’s brand at times,” Potts said.

“Normally something that close to branding would raise questions.”

Potts suggested that while Clarkson’s fame may bring extra attention to the act, success in the final will ultimately depend on the choir’s overall talent.

“Whether it helps them depends on whether they’ve genuinely got the quality to back it up,” he explained.

The singer also revealed he believed another choir from the competition was actually stronger vocally.

“The gospel choir that some people criticised for being over-produced were stronger vocally and probably deserved the place more,” he said, referring to The Lux City Choir, who failed to make the final lineup.

“Hawkstone Farmers Choir were a bit pitchy at the start for me,” he added. “They’ll do well, but I don’t think they’ll win.”

One contestant Potts does believe has a real shot at victory is Filipino singer Matty Juniosa.

“He’s got a fantastic voice,” Potts said. “His bubbly nature might irritate some people because he’s completely unguarded in that way, but vocally he’s exceptional.”

Potts also weighed in on the number of magicians competing this year, suggesting they could end up hurting each other’s chances in the public vote.

“There are probably too many magicians competing against each other,” he explained. “And with last year’s winner being a magician as well, they may end up splitting the vote.”

Despite his criticisms, Potts praised the overall quality of the musical acts this season, saying he believes the singers and performers have been especially strong throughout the competition.

At the same time, he questioned whether the show’s format has given contestants the best chance to shine.

The former champion also shared his opinion on the controversial use of red and golden buzzers during the semi-finals.

During the live shows, judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI each had the power to award a Golden Buzzer, sending one act directly through to the final. They also retained the ability to press the red buzzer if they disliked a performance.

“I don’t think any buzzers should exist at this stage of the competition,” Potts admitted.

“The normal buzzers shouldn’t be needed because if someone isn’t good enough, they shouldn’t be there in the first place.”

He also argued that novelty acts should not reach the latter stages of the show.

“Acts like Mr Cherry are fun, but they shouldn’t really be competing at this stage,” he said. “There shouldn’t be anyone in a semi-final deserving three buzzers.”

Joining The Hawkstone Farmers Choir and Matty Juniosa in tonight’s final are Anastasiia and Salsa, Sadeck Berrabah and LMA, Fabian Fox, Liwei Yang, Ted Hill, Sonny Green, Rafferty Coope, and Celestial.

Britain’s Got Talent airs tonight at 7:30 p.m. on ITV and ITVX.