Hi, all, just a quick post and it's not about Waggy for once!

Thought some of you old-timers like me might like an update on an old-time contestant!

Last night, I was privileged to see a production of Blood Brothers in Milton Keynes, starring Niki Evans as the lead. Now, I didn't like her on XF, though that was partly due to the sob-story about her dad that she was made to shove down our throats every week, BUT she was completely sensational last night to the point where it took me 'til the interval to work out who it was (even though I had been told she was in it) because she was just so believable!

Her voice was utterly beautiful - powerful, emotional, broad and evocative. Her scouse accent was massively ramped up for the play, so she sang with the accent as well, and she just sounded like a megastar, despite looking like a dowdy housewife (in keeping with the play, obv, not being horrible), and her acting was fantastic as well, especially at the end.

I couldn't take my eyes off her every time she was on stage and she completely owned the stage. Blood Brothers is one of my favourite plays and I can honestly say she did it better than I ever imagined it could be done.

It just goes to show that XF doesn't really do the contestants justice. I genuinely didn't like her one bit 3 years ago but now, I am a huge fan!

I can't imagine Cher or the like doing anything like this, I really can't.

I liked Niki a lot, along with Rhydian - she was the best singer that year. Shame she was robbed of her place in the final by Leon the Plank and the Incestuous Difference.

Agreed, she was definitely a brilliant singer, it was all about Rhydian for me that year. I wish I had been able to connect with Niki more as a contestant because she was technically exceptional. If you liked her on XF, you'd have loved her last night! I still feel shivery when I think about it!

She was my favourite and I thought she was very underrated. Loved her singing All That Jazz. She was quite sexy too...

That was her best performance. She is indisputably a gorgeous woman!

I saw Blood brothers twice in London west end and Niki was in the lead role both times and I agree she was fantastic and her voice was brilliant.

Out of interest who does she play?

t I voted for her, but obviously she isn't current or edgy enough for today, what a joke

i loved nikki

she plays Mrs Johnstone in blood brothers

Agreed, it's a shame that this is what the show is all about.

No idea who she is. Is she the disabled woman?

No, that was Kerry. Type 'Niki Evans' into Google and you will see.

just watched her doing All that Jazz on you tube- makes you realise the quality of this years lot is slightly under par from previous years!!

I still don't recognise her. If she was same series as Rhydian, I kinda missed that series.

I went to see Blood Brothers on tour last night, in Perth and Niki was back playing Mrs Johnstone and she gave a fabulous performance! The whole production was excellent and it was great to see Niki again. She's really suited to musical theatre: very talented!

i liked niki. i would had loved to have heard her version of `when you believe`!

I watched Blood Brothers last year and she was amazing!

I still can't believe how Leon and Same Difference made the final over her

yeah, i remember her saying she recorded the single or made the video? she said she was hoping that people would get to see it. i would have liked her to have finished higher.

Ooh, I loved Niki, Beverley and Alisha that year, they were brilliant - Niki should have certainly made it to the final.

She was Mrs J in the West End when I saw it back in 09. She was brilliant then too.

she has been in the west end a good while. good for her. it is regular work after all. also her talent isn't going to waste!

I can,
she was dire & throughly unlikeable.

Niki (and Beverly) that year seemed to equate shouting and crying with putting emotion into a song. I still remember Beverly shouting her way through "You're Beautiful", she bellowed that song!

That said I have seen Niki in Blood Brothers since and she was excellent, she had really improved to no end, amazing what a little bit of musical theatre tuition can do.

Back to the important stuff, how is her dad?

The producers made such a mistake by focusing on Niki's sob story as much as they did. She was a good singer who didn't need to use anything like that as a crutch but it does seem as though they forced it upon her. It was really ridiculous how much the producers milked Niki's story week in, week out, though that year was terrible in general for sob stories as I recall.

It's amazing that producers are so blinded by their own egos they can't see how much they are failing someone. The worst thing is they never bloody learn, either.

Glad Niki has found success in the theatre. People always seem to act like theatre work is a major step down but it requires genuine talent and a strict work ethic, things that you don't need these days to get on TV.