Link to newsround

Blue Peter's Joel makes magic on America's Got Talent

A man with brown hair wearing a white jumperGetty Images

If you are a Blue Peter fan, you might recognise Joel Mawhinney!

He was the show's 41st presenter and he took part in loads of different challenges and activities.

After more than three and a half years on Blue Peter, he announced in July that he was leaving.

But now, he's back on the TV! But this time, it's on America's Got Talent.

Read on to find out what talent Joel showed off on the stage and if he got into the next round...

Joel is seen standing in the America's Got Talent stage, wearing a brown leather jacket and beige trousers. NBC

A 50th birthday gift, a picture of a dog and a mobile phone.

Those were the judges' prized possessions that Joel appeared to smash with a hammer during his act!

But like with all magic tricks, everything was not quite as it seemed!

Joel seen holding a hammer in front of the judges table NBC

The audience and judges were shocked when Joel brought out a hammer instead of a wand

Joel had had given fourth judge Simon Cowell a key which unlocked a box hanging above the stage, and Howie's phone was inside it undamaged.

The phone then began receiving texts revealing where the other judges missing valuables had ended up.

The dog photo was hidden inside Sofía's seat cushion, while Mel B's bracelet was found in one of the famous Got Talent red buzzers - which Joel also smashed up during the trick.

What did the judges think?

Magician Joel Mawhinney appears on the America's Got Talent TV show. He has short, curly brown hair and is wearing a brown leather jacket, beige trousers and a white shirt. He is standing at a desk facing Simon Cowell who has his back to the camera. Cowell has short, dark hair and is wearing a black t-shirt. NBC

Joel stated his act by making a key magically appear in a wallet he'd earlier given to judge Simon Cowell

"I don't know how you do it. I believe in magic but I loved it," Mel B said when giving her verdict, which was a yes.

Sofiía Vergara laughed and said the "magic was very impressive". She also voted yes.

Howie Mandel gave Joel a no, saying the act as "too slow".

But Simon said: "Our audience love magic, which is exactly the reason I'm going to say yes."

With three yeses, he was safely through to the next round.

Simon Cowell smiling and giving a thumbs up with both hands. He is wearing sunglasses and a black t-shirt.Getty Images

Simon Cowell is known for being a tough judge to impress!

Joel said producers had been inviting him to audition for America's Got Talent for years but his "gut instinct was always no" - until now.

He said: "I left Blue Peter this year and wanted to establish myself as a magician again, because that's what I'm doing now.

"And I thought, you might as well kick the whole thing off with something a bit extreme, so I'll fly to the States and do that."

Joel from Bangor in Northern Ireland first appeared on Blue Peter in 2018, and in 2022 became a full-time presenter on the show.

He said having experience of presenting live television made his audition easier.