From the Sunday Mirror today:

Meanwhile Edith was yesterday accused of being "sneaky" about her singing experience.

After her win she insisted all she had done before was "in a band in Scotland when I was 14 and some dodgy karaoke". But the Sunday Mirror has tracked down secret photos of her in a music video for her band Woodchuck two years ago.

A source said: "She has an amazing voice - but she's a sneaky one trying to say she has never sung before. She's got loads of experience."


That's not nice, really, is it, if true. She received a lot of votes on the grounds that she had no experience, I would have thought.

I take it all with a pinch of salt. Let's not forget the purpose of the event and how much money was eventually raised for Comic Relief. I sometimes think that viewers take it more seriously than the contestents - thank God therefore for Ade Edmondson. They all have successful careers already, they don't really need to start a singing career too.

Anyway, the final boiled down to Radio 1 Vs Eastenders fans picking up the phone. It had nothing to do with who had the better voice - Debra Stephenson would have been in the final if it had.

Fair enough. Don't worry, I'm not taking it too seriously but I just kind of wish she hadn't dissembled about her experience (if report is true) because it makes her look a little underhand. I heard people saying that Kim was auditioning for Chicago and stuff and trying to imply that it was her that wasn't entering into the spirit of Comic Relief by taking it too seriously. I agree Debra has the best voice.

I wondered how long it would be before Kim popped up in Chicago! That show seems to be a catch all for singing soap stars!

I hope all the people who criticised Kim for her experience are going to say the same about Edith on this thread

Personally I have no problem with it same as with Kim. They may have singing experience, but they are better known for something else.

But who was it that said that she didnt have singing experience? Shes constantly messing aroung singing songs and jingles etc on her radio show!
I thought she entered- as did most of them- with some sort of singing experience behind them.

She did, I thought:

'After her win she insisted all she had done before was "in a band in Scotland when I was 14 and some dodgy karaoke".

I got the impression that Debra and Kim had gone to stage school where singing is part of the curriculum of course and Edith hadn't got any proper experience at all. I don't mind if she had. I just would have preferred her not to hide it, that's all.

Edith was not a member of Woodchuck this is yet again total tripe from tabloid rubbish. Of course I couldn't guarantee she never went along to Barfly to watch them perform

Ade has had a Number 1 single, but nobody goes on about it Hell, this isn't even true. I wish people would research what they decide to post.

Ade's single was a comedy single which has no bearing at all on singing ability.

What did you expect me to do, get on a train to Scotland and interview everyone who's known her or hire a private investigator?

Edith's had singing experience. Or do you believe she came to the show having hardly sung before in her life?

What you mean, predumably, is that she hasn't done it professionally (apart from maybe that band years ago) or hasn't had training [though in fact we don't yet know either of those things for sure.

Re woodchuck -- could this be what they have in mind:

Crash Positions
( UK 2002) HD: 4 min. Director: Ben Caron Touching duet between a young man and his ex-girlfriend, whom he's recently dumped because she was a bitch. It just so happens that he's a mogue beautician, and his girlfriend is dead, and he's doing her make-up as he sings to her. Producer: Jilly Pearce. DP: Grant Raphael. music/composer: Woodchuck.. Cast: Edith Bowman, Philip Whinchester.

http://www.filmcentre.co.uk/search.a...rash_Positions

It also looks like she was in a Woodchuck video

http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:5...oodchuck&hl=en

(It's only in the cache, so look while you can.)

Like Edith I imagine, as a young woman who loved her indie music I've been in bands..........it's not quite the same as having a trained voice. I suppose if I ever entered a competition I'd have to say I'd been a "music professional"?
This whole thread's a bit daft, isn't it?

Going to a stage school isn't quite the same as having a trained voice either. (Have you heard some of the people who've come out of such places? ) The ones who come out being able to sing are ones who had talent and interest going in. And many people get help with their singing at ordinary schools and in church.

Yes I could be wrong but i think Reggie went to a stage school as well, as Natalie Cassidy (sonia) from Eastenders said on BBC3 that she was supporting him and Kim as she went to school with him and it would be unlikely that it would be a "normal" school for them both to have attended the same school at the same time would it? I don't think anyone said he had an unfair advantage like they did Kim. Anyway the point being he couldn't / can't sing to save his life

I think that's the Italia Conti: there's one in Clapham and one in N.London somewhere too. It's a stage school for 'normal' kids; you go after school etc. I think most of the EE cast, plus people like Kathy Burke went there.

I know, Cliff Richard was the one singing. The point is there, though.


Oh, and yes. You should hire private investigators.

My point was only really that peope were having a go at Kim and Debra as if they in someway had an advantage. I just thought it a little unfair on them (if, and only if, it's true about Edith. If not, then I still think there was unnecessary bitchiness about those two).
*

That's my point really. I have no issue with Edith; it's just that I think Kim and Debra were given the mantle of semi pros (in singing) and Edith wasn't. Really, I just didn't like them being half-villanised for trying hard.

Next time (if there is one) it should all be comedy people. The soap stars who treat it like a career opportunity make it BORING. Let's get more fun into it.

To be considered you should have to be not able to sing

It's a career opportunity for everyone involved, and if you rule out people who can sing, you have to rule out Edith and maybe Adrian as well.

But if you want to have some interesting singing afrer a short time, you have to let in some people who are already fairly good at it.

Also, people are thinking too narrowly about career opportunities if they're thinking only of singing careers. For example, Edith may now get more, and more prominent, presenting jobs.

Konnie Huq has been singing on Blue Peter Christmas shows for half a decade - she didn't reveal her enormous singing experience either....she ought to be given a medal for concealing it so well.......

I doubt if anyone there hadn't sung before somewhere and i doubt if we know the detailed singing experiences of anyone. Kim was variously reported as doing 1, or 2, Eastender's Christmas shows guided by Carrie and David, going to drama school, thinking singing was the thing she liked doing most and coming to the Academy with no real singing experience.....

Wouldn't it make sense to have comics doing comedy than have them singing when they couldn't ?

Were you being ironic or do your ears have a death wish......

It wouldn't work anyway Morecambe and wise would have won every year with Give Me Sunshine.........

Perhaps - but given we don't know the votes or when and by whom they were made or how close the SF was and where the momentum was swinging, who knows.

Debra is interesting - you are right but if the one with the best vocal ability ever won these competitions Simone would have won FA2. They don't because the public I think doesn't like vocal gymnastics (or operatic singing?) but it does like emotional, powerful performances of songs that it can still recognise and characters who seem lost in their songs not just experimenting vocally with them. Its Carolynne and Alex who get to the FA2 final not Simone or Louise.

Thats why I think they had the basics of an excellent final for a full show some other day. Bridge Over v Somewhere Over was an excellent test of the two finalists with each doing a popular song well. Those two performances contrasted their two styles of singing and the relative abilities of each of the two looking right into the lens were on display. Lesley I thought pretty well summed up both singers giving the public an interesting choice. The outcome might have been different and shaped by a thousand and one factors on another day with different voting proceedures but with the same voting public as voted in FA2 perhaps not.

My ears are still bleeding from having to listening to Debra, Kim and Edith's singing. Painful.

Why does it matter whether Edith or anyone else already had singing experience? No-one ever said they were supposed to be starting from a level playing-field - it isn't as though they were competing for a recording contract! I found it interesting how much some improved compared with others, but not on the basis of who had done what before.