I imagine that those who call him 'beige' have never seen him live on stage at one of his gigs. He's a very funny guy, a very generous performer and yes, with an extremely off the wall choice of costume.
Anyone who can stand up and do a set at Glastonbury in a candy striped dress and boots, and still have a packed out audience on side is anything but beige.

He's in a different environment at the moment, just one of fifteen competitors learning a new skill. As other have said, he's not the type to push himself to the front, it's all about the dancing, time will tell if he's good enough to stay in the competition or not.

I think he is pretty much middle of the road, so far at least. He hasn't turned out to be as good a dancer as had been predicted. He's not terrible either, just somewhere in the middle.

I do think there is an element of truth in the OP to be honest. In a year of some real stand-out characters there is a danger of somebody who is less in your face fading into the background in the early weeks.

This year we have:

Danny – early favourite with the judges – a couple of wow dances which people didn’t expect
Ed – that Charleston will certainly have earned him some votes
Greg – his bum likewise! Plus Natalie is generally recognised as being a well-liked pro
Rinder – enough said, he’s never going to fade anywhere!

Which leaves Melvin (already gone) and then both Will and Ore who for me have not yet had standout moments to make people sit up and remember them.

I think he's just a quiet person. I didn't watch Pop Idol but whenever I've seen him on TV or interviewed, he always seems to be a fairly self-assuming bloke. I like him and I liked his Tango with Karen (haven't watched W2 yet as I'm not particularly enthused this year) and I'm looking forward to seeing his Movie Week performance.

I think many believed he'd be a more accomplished dancer because he was painted in the tabloids as the contestant with the most dance experience while those with far more flew under the radar. He's at about the level I expected but think he'll work hard and be determined to improve.

I must admit that I agree with you Jiroos, I haven't voted for him, at least not yet. I'm interested to see how he develops at the weeks go by.

I appreciate that lots of people liked his Tango, particularly Karen's choreography but I didn't enjoy it and I found his Jive underwhelming.

I do think there are some very big personalities in the show this year and Will seems to be quite quiet and reserved in comparison. There are others who are quiet too though, for example Louise, and yet I don't forget her.

It's just as well then that neither I, nor anyone else here said that he will become a "forgotten man" in general, everyday LIFE. Of course this will never be the case - whether he likes it or not, Will will ALWAYS be remembered primarily for winning the first-ever series of Pop Idol.

What I DID ask in my OP is basically this..is arguably the biggest name signed up this year (the one that "made Claudia scream" apparently) in danger of becoming "forgotten" among this group that make up the Class of SCD 2016? Let's be fair - the biggest draw being the least remembered or talked about - it is quite a paradox,

I appreciate that he doesn't have to be loud and in your face - but I'm not sure the BBC signed him up to their possibly 'loudest' (in every way) show for his quiet, self-deprecating demeanor. Maybe it was his obvious 'ringer' status which won them over.


I find it very hard to believe that he doesn't know that he is regarded as this years "star signing"...whether he likes the fact or not.


This all day long.

I thought Claudia said it was Ed Balls' signing that made her scream.

You could actually be right - maybe I'm thinking of all the speculation that it was Will because she is, apparently, a massive fan...

Um...ok. By 'forgotten', I assumed you meant that in years to come, he won't be remembered as having been on the show due to his, in your opinion, relatively low profile so far.


Why should he necessarily know that? In a group that includes a global (albeit faded) pop-star, an Olympic gold medalist and a former high-ranking politician, I'd be surprised if Will Young considered himself any bigger a 'star' than them, because he's not like that. I met the guy once, a few years ago, after a gig he did in Bristol, and he was so nice and un-assuming and self-deprecating. Even if he did have some sort of impression that the BBC consider him a bigger deal than he maybe considers himself to be, that doesn't mean he has to live down to that perception.

No, not at all.



Firstly, from a showbiz (as the show is) point of view, he is the biggest signing.

Greg may be an Olympian but is nothing in comparison to Will in those circles, much like former Chancellor Ed. Secondly neither Greg or Ed stand a chance of winning whereas Will has potential. in hindsight, I should have adapted my definition of "star signing" to reflect these facts.

I like Will , a really nice guy but he has kind faded into the wallpaper for sure .
First his dancing has not been stand out . Very mediocre . Plus he is genuinely shy and not as in your face witty as some on there when with the judges or Claudia .
Then he (and everyone else really) has been overshadowed by last week's load of old crap .
Hopefully he'll come out fighting this week . I hope so .

Although I'm not a fan of his singing, I too like him as a person. I'm not sure I would call him shy exactly - he certainly wasn't afraid to stand up to Simon Cowell all those years ago - but it's true he's not as loud or flamboyant as some. I think he will probably come into his own once the numbers have dwindled a bit (assuming he lasts that long).

Portmeirion, is likely to be inhabited by a considerable number of "average people."

But "average entertainers?"

I'm not so sure.

I fear this might be true. He was one of the signings I was most excited about as I do like him as an artist but he's been a bit 'meh' for me so far. didn't really believe in the tango and I didn't like the jive at all, just too loose and underwhelming. I fear that his laid back and pleasant personality may be reflected through into the dance and he won't 'shine' or make an impact.

I tend to agree with you, certainly about his dancing, which I have found instantly forgettable, and anything he has said on ITT etc.

But I wish he would be more beige when it comes to the ridiculously pantomime outfits he wears in the practice room, which are borderline disrespectful to his partner. Does the guy never look in the mirror?

Well, we'll have to wait and see, won't we? A couple of weeks ago people were writing Ed Balls off as the most likely first boot but since performing a flawed yet entertaining Charleston, he's risen to the dizzy heights of 'might last until Blackpool'. At the moment they're all pretty much one dance away from 'being a real contender' or disappearing into the wallpaper depending on how their Saturday night goes.

I don't think he's being disrespectful. He seems to enjoy dressing up, and doesn't feel he should be restricted by convention. Some of his stage outfits have been more bizarre than the ones he has worn in training! He's very eccentric and funny on stage when he does his own shows. I think he is more anxious doing SCD but will hopefully start to come out of his shell. He was funny in the launch show though!

I'm surprised how straitlaced people are about clothes on this of all shows

I wouldn't say I'm straitlaced but I do feel that he is trying to hard to give himself an angle with his crazy 'training outfits'. He already said on ITT that he will be going for a different look each week. The deliberateness of it makes it all too forced.

Will has quite a colourful taste so I dont think its at all forced . He is a quirky funny guy and I love watching him

With the caveat that it's still only been 2 weeks, and a lot could easily change, I think the case of Will seeming fade into the background is a classic case of viewers' expectations about "big name" signings [Peter Andre...?] and then the reality of fame not mattering so much once the show gets going. It also doesn't help that the tabloids go all lazy-bonkers over the big names, somehow equating fame with likelihood of dazzling us dance-wise.

Even here on DS, where devotees really should know from experience, the line-up gets criticised every year for being full of "Who?"s -as if that's what makes a good show- when in fact once we get to follow the dancers, the lesser known ones often get to shine for whatever reasons, bringing their "noticeability levels" up to the levels of the previously bigger names.

So I don't think Will's fading, it's just that the playing field is gradually being levelled as time goes by.

Perhaps it's an attempt to appear, "interesting?"
I personally think it just looks silly.

How many times? It's not forced for the benefit of the programme .

That's the way he dresses all the time, whether he's in public or in private time.
You can't pin down a style on him because it changes with the wind. Sometimes smart, sometimes scruffy and sometimes downright weird.

Of course you do.