Someone on the xfactor thread thinks this years winner is one of the best British male vocalists once I stopped laughing I thought I'd start a list of who other people think are the best British male vocalists I'll make a start with a few

Bowie
Elton John
George Michael
Jon Anderson
Marc Bolan
Marc Almond
Sting
Robert Plant
Dave Gahan

My faves

Robert Smith
Bowie
Morrissey
Thom Yorke
Freddie Mercury
Matt Bellamy
Elton

James Morrison.

Matt Bellamy. Without a doubt.

XFactor fans (of the music... the show is a different story) always believe that the act they follow is "the best..." something. It's quite depressing.

Anyway, I'd go with Bowie. I'm not a massive fan but I really like his voice. I prefer unique voices to pretty, polished ones; these are just boring and predictable.

At the moment, I really like Paul from Maximo Park but I think that's because he sings with an accent (from where he is from) and it's the accent I grew up with.

thom yorke
chris martin

It's such a shame that this couldn't have been a thread about which was the best male vocalists/group of male vocalists. If so, then I would have said The Priests. They harmonise utterly brilliantly. I can't think of any single male vocalist who knocks my socks off at the minute.

It's just their opinion. What if David Bowie and Paul Smith started their careers on XFactor? - would this mean your opinion of them as singers would be lower?

Richard Ashcroft deserves an honourable mention.

Of course it';s just their opinion, but that opinion will, as always, disappear when the XFactor act disappears (which eventually happens) then they'll get a new "best British singer" to love.

I like watching the XFactor, but the whole nonsense that comes after annoys me, and seemingly many more people.

If David Bowie came from the XFactor and had the career he did have, my opinion would not change. However, the XFactor allowing someone to be creative like he is would never happen, ever.

Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile).
No one else gets close.

Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys does not have a voice that sounds stereotypically "professional" (particularly when singing live sometimes) but in my opinion, he has the most beautiful voice I have ever heard and is quite possibly the only singer ever to sing and sometimes "rap" in a middle-class British accent. His voice can sound both very down-to-earth and very other-worldly, sometimes both at the same time. I really like the lush, breathy sound his voice has, particularly in PSB's post 80s work.

George Michael
James Morrison

Will Young

Will Young
Sting
Rhydian

From Hayley

Paul McCartney - no competition!!!