It really is an open question of course...it really depends on how you mean by talented? As mentioned, does that mean songwriting, musicianship, vocally?? And it also depends on what kind of music you like!

There are a load of hugely talented blues musicians at the minute, eg: Oli Brown, Virgil McMahon, Marcus Bonfanti...biggest doesn't necessarily mean the best remember!

it wasn't one of simon cowell`s shows either, he was just a judge.

Howeer you look at it gary is an incredible songwriter regardless if you like him or his music. Will young has nothing more then a voice, and thats only if you like his voice.

Oh who cares will young came from one of THOSE shows, thats good enough for me.

No one has said Ed Sheeran.. Thank God..

will writes too, well co-writes anyway. gary also co-writes a lot of the time too.

Completely disagree. Will Young is far more than a voice. He acts, he's intelligent, he writes and he performs. He may have won Pop Idol but he's anything but manufactured. 11 years on and he's still going strong. He's a very talented guy.

yeah, well i was only correcting your mistakes.

Those sort of show all blend together for me, I dont watch them but know will young won one.

Yes will may be a jack of all trades but when it comes to muscial talent there really is no contest, great songwriters are worth their weight in gold.
I really dispute how much input will young has into any songs, he was always a singer who clearly has dabbled in a bit of songwriting, but songwriters are born, not made.

I dont rally like either of them so am judging from a pure netural perspective and basing it on music talent as this is a music forum.

gary co-wrote his biggest hits too, there is no difference in that respect.

It's wrong to label someone as 'manufactured' just because they came from a reality show. It's just an audition process that most pop artists go through. It's the music that counts at the end of the day.

Gary Barlow? Really? Did no one hear the piece of crap he wrote for Matt Cardle?

Of the younger artists, I'd say Pete Doherty. Shame he's wasted so much of his talent though.

If the question actually means "Who is the most talented male on the current British music scene?", then I can't really comment, because the current music scene (British or otherwise) has little appeal to me.

If the question means "Who is the most talented male, still alive, in British music, including males whose best work was in the past", then for me that would be a very long list of names indeed. Near the top of that list would be, among others who don't immediately spring to mind, names like Macca, David Bowie, Ray Davies, Pete Townshend, Mark Knopfler and Elvis Costello. Will Young and Gary Barlow would be near the bottom of that list, or more likely, not on that list at all.

For me it's between;

Plan B - who else has directed a movie, written the soundtrack and won Ivor Novello awards for his second album 'Defamation of Strickland Banks' ?

Ed Sheeran - came from nowhere with his vocal talent and his guitar playing skills to be nominated for 4 brit awards and perform at the opening ceremony of the Olympics!

I don't think Will Young is talented, only vocally. Gary Barlow, although plays the piano and has written some pop gems in past few years, has suffered by writing a dreadful song for Matt Cardle ruining his career, and also not doing very well with Marcus Collins.

Another vote for plan B

You obviously have amnesia as Simon Cowell was only a judge on Pop Idol. The show was Simon Fuller's idea (as is American Idol). Simon C only thought up X-Factor when he was on PI. Pop Idol format was far superior to XF.

Plan B? I laughed.

My memory is fine thanks, I have little time for reality music shows and even less time for the manufactured music artists they produce, all I know is will young won one such show so when comparing will to a proven songwriter like gary barlow then to me there is little contest. But I guess it depends on what parameters you are using in compasion.
Barlow is a very talented songwriter, without him take that would never have existed (good or bad some might say)
Of course will young has a decent voice, but its not really to everyone's taste and its nothing spectacular.
Will has done some acting blah, blah but from a musical persective there really is not even a compasion as I said in an earlier post, both artists cant really be compared. Also I am not a fan of either really so have no "standom" to either artist

I think your all forgetting James Morrison?

Peter Gabriel, a multi talented musical genius IMO....

Why did you laugh? Do you know another British male artist who has directed a movie and written the soundtrack for it? Didn't think so...

Also, Someone I forgot earlier who I think is talented is Damon Albarn. Although I don't like all of his material, he writes great songs with Blur like Song 2 and The Universal, as well as for the Gorillaz like Dare and Clint Eastwood

Surprised Thom Yorke has not been mentioned.

Luke Morley.