The Goo Goo Dolls’ classic 1998 hit Iris has once again seen a surge in sales after it featured on last Saturday’s Britain’s Got Talent.

The song was performed on the show by Robbie Kennedy, a bricklayer from Cwmbran South Wales, and received a standing ovation from the audience, much to the contestant’s surprise.

Head judge and show boss Simon Cowell received the performance positively, saying afterwards: "I think that if you put that record out you would have a number one hit with that song. Loved it."

The song started moving up the iTunes chart shortly after the episode was aired and it wasn’t long before it was back in the top 10. Iris is currently at number 4 in the iTunes chart.

The song has received similar boosts previously including back in 2011 after Frankie Cocozza performed it during his time as a contestant on the X Factor.

As a result, it reached its peak in the charts at number three, bettering its original highest chart position of number 50.

It remains to be seen whether the song will do even better this time around but what’s certain is that inclusion on reality TV shows is becoming an increasingly powerful tool in giving a boost to older records.

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