Well I haven't done a detailed analysis before so here goes:

Alex - Great voice, not shown well in his sole, mainly due to the arrangement. Very professional when his microphone came off in You Give a Little Love. Definitely Oliver potential but maybe a bit posh

Chester - Fantastic singer, good mover, his Pie Jesu was awesome and is often the standard out in group performances. Definitely an Oliver

Laurence - Always thought he had a great voice but perhaps lacks the stage presence that others have. His Chitty performance was possibly the best of the solos, and I can imagine him as Oliver.

Harry - Great performer, great actor but perhaps a bit too deep voiced for Oliver. His performance with Sarah was superb but he has the irritating side of mouth singing. Could see him as Dodger more than Oliver as many have already said.

Gwion - He has got the aww factor, my mum wants to adopt him. He was great in Bright Eyes and his acting and performances are always super. Always gives his all and definitely has the look of an urchin. Could be Oliver

Kwayedza - Arguably the best vocal ability out of all of them but not the right voice for Oliver. He definitely has a bright future and he comes across as a nice guy too. Future roles in the West End are a real probability

Arthur - Not the best vocally, perhaps the weakest of them all but a good actor and has improved the most since his audition. Not really vocally right for Oliver but he makes me laugh with his fashion and comments

Jonny - Good vocally but he just lacks emotion in his performances and he doesn't really project his voice. He would be suited to a more mature role and I just don't think he is right for Oliver. His solo showed that he isn't as strong as other boys

So for me it has to be Alex, Laurence and Chester with Gwion as reserve.

Gwion!!!!!!!!!!! Cutest little boy ever ( except for my own )

I agree - he's so adorable, and he smiles all the time! Soo cute!

I've been working tonight and just got home. Turned on my computer and found out I had a lot of reading up to do on my favourite thread!
You've all posted a lot of things over the past few hours I wanted to reply to, but reading along I also found out there have been others who have already said everything I wanted to say.
So I decided to just comment on all of you instead :

*FrankiePugFace, Rose92 and Legend1989; It's always wonderful to read someone else's views. Especially on the "Oliversituation"! I agreed with Rose92's and Legend1989's posts the most, but really enjoyed reading yours nevertheless, FrankiePugFace! One comment you made when talking about Harry:
is exactly why I think Harry was selected intentionally so they can 'surprise everyone' and give him the part of Dodger.

*Holly Oaks and Ashrell; Between the two of you, you usually say everything I want to say, but better (not being a native speaker, I'm constantly reconsidering every sentence ) Makes me smile

*Casper1066; you make me smile too. No matter what anyone says, we can always count on this little post from Casper just saying 'Jonny...' It's sweet.

Chaperone, this is such a lovely post!

I got home from work to and was pleasently surprised by all the posts, will have a good read later

Thanks to someone elses earlier post I am now watching the 'Final 8' Oliver vT's for those who didn't make it on the Official site. I think it's a lovely gesture by the BBC to post them up as we would never have seen them otherwise.

I am looking forward to seeing which Olivers get the part this Saturday.

I mean every word of it! I do apologise for the excessive use of smilies in that post, but I guess I'm in a "smilie" kind of mood

Aw, that's a lovely post! And one can hardly tell that you weren't a native speaker from your eloquence. As you all probably know by now I kind of live in this thread too - I love the overanalysis and there's none of the unpleasantness like between the Nancy fans in the main forum. And we are always nice and positive!


Once again, I completely agree, right down to your top 3/reserve choice (I think this forum must attract a certain type of people, because I seem to be agreeing with everyone today - most people in real life/other forums seem to have completely different favourites to me).

As others may have been saying, I think I may have been a little harsh on Arthur in the past - I think he was trying hard not to make his voice sound overstrained in "I Have a Dream", and it made a big difference. I don't think I should've written him off as quickly. And he's got such a wacky fashion sense (the bright pink jeans... lol!)

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Jonny just has the IT factor.........he can move, dance and is the best actor......im sure he is Oliver.........

Jonny......

I do think Jordan should be commended for his behaviour on his behaviour last weekend. He has always been the most enthusiastic, and last weekend was no different. In the opening song, on the Saturday, there were telltake signs about who got through (i.e Jonny being quite animated, and Sam and Joseph being quite subdued). And yet, Jordan still managed to be as enthusiastic as if he had been the last Oliver selected. And as someone almost double his age, I don't think I'd have managed to have been as genuinely happy for the others as he seemed to be during the results show.


I admit that like you, I was skeptical of Arthur at first, and I shamefully admit that at times, I did wonder about his position in the final 8. One of my biggest fears in Arthur's case, was the way he belted out his lines. Not everyone should belt out songs, and it always worried me that he would ruin his voice. However, I Have A Dream was an eye opener for me when it came to Arthur. There was still room for improvement, but for the first time I felt like he was learning to control his voice and it made a difference. I don't he's ready yet, but maybe later he can go for a quirkier part.

I've got to say, as much as I was nervous about last week, I am doubly nervous for this week because after Saturday, we will only have 3 Olivers left. And I think it may be worse for the five this week, because for at least week, the part would have been almost in their reach. It also saddens me to think that Saturday might be the last time I hear some of my favourites sing. To think I am more invested in the results for the Olivers than that of the Nancys

I agree with this - I'm excited as well but I'm very nervous. I'll be thrilled for whoever gets Oliver because really, I like them all, but again I'll probably be gutted (like last week) for the other five! I know it's a competition and that's just how it goes, but I'm soft.

Thank you ! And I totally agree; all the frequent posters in this thread are always nice and positive!


Well, I must say that I actually always rather liked Arthur. I never thought he could win this and I still don't, but the kid has a certain 'uniqueness'. So I can see why he was chosen from all those thousands of boys. He certainly isn't the most talented one of the group, but in his own special way, he does stand out. And I agree that he's really showing improvement. From that you can tell he's really giving it his all, not only on, but apparently off stage as well.

The person I've been harsh on however is Jordan. My opinion of him has totally changed over the last week or so. Yes, there is something just to 'stageschool' about him, which I just don't really appreciate in any kid, not even the ones I work with. However, Jordan is also the one who showed the most strength and grace last weekend. From what I read on YouTube (which I know could easily be exaggerated, but still...) it apparently was also Jordan who managed to cheer the other boys up when they were all crying after "Reach". And I applaud him for that.
So I feel I've been too judgemental on Jordan before and sincerely hope the future holds great things for him.

I agree with you 100% on this. I'm very very nervous too. And, like Holly, totally soft

I've been having a think, and I've decided on who I'd like for the last three Olivers!


Definitely Oliver

Chester: I think, like most people, Chester will be on the last three Olivers; and he thoroughly deserves it. In every performance, since week one, Chester has given his line with such ease, and flawlessly. He’s a great dancer too. You know you can always rely on Chester to deliver!

Laurence: I think Laurence has surprised people, me included. He never really stood out, for me, but then Chitty Chitty Bang Bang came along and I noticed his beautiful voice. He isn’t the best mover but that can be sorted out. I think he’s a good actor too, and his “please sir...” line was one of the best.

Alex: Alex really stood out for me in Electricity, and then I went off him for a little (mainly because of Can You Feel... I think) But he really impressed me in I Have A Dream, he has a wonderful voice. I’d be pleased if he won Oliver.

Maybe Oliver

Jonny: I think some people will have noticed I love Jonny He’s got a lovely voice, is a good dancer, and I feel he gave a great acting performance on Saturday. My only problem with him is that I feel he’s too old. He’d be much better in a more mature role, like Billy Elliot. I’d be happy if won Oliver, but he just seems a lot older than some of the other boys and I find that a bit of a problem.

Harry: I like Harry. He doesn’t have the best voice out of the last eight but he oozes charm. He seems to be a good dancer as well. I do think he’d suit Dodger more than Oliver, but he gets the part of Oliver I’ll be content.

Gwion: I’ve really warmed to Gwion! At first, I found him a little annoying but he’s got a lovely voice. He’s adorable too, and a lot of people just go “aww!” if I ever mention Gwion. He’s a possible Oliver.

Not Oliver

Kwayedza: I love Kwayedza, he’s voice is amazing for a 13 year old and I could listen to it all day. But as I’ve said many times before, it’s too mature. Again, he could be a possible Dodger, but whatever he ends up in, he’ll go far.

Arthur: I love Arthur! I find him really sweet, but I also think he’s the weakest boy there, then again he is the youngest. I don’t think he’s quite ready for Oliver yet, but give him a few years. He does need to look after his voice though, he seems to be straining his voice a bit and that could affect him in the future.

As I’ve said before though, I’ll be so happy for whichever of these boys get Oliver. They’re been working hard for weeks and have all got such guts to get there every Saturday night – I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do it at their age (or now!)

Thank you for overanalysing! You know we all love it here! And of course I agree with most of it.

Most of us here seem to agree that it should be Chester/Alex/Laurence. So do I (as you already know). However, I don't know if it will be though, considering what Jocko Homo posted a while back...

I think we could all be in for some surprises... Time will tell. The boys themselves (probably) already know by now. I wonder how the winners will be announced next Saturday. I really hope there'll be more to it than the usual five minutes...

I feel like I'm boring you all with repeating everything But very apt post Holly Oaks, and I too agree with most of it.

Do you think the unsuccessful 5 would get as nice a sendoff as the 4 last week? I think it might be even worse for those 5, because the part was so near, yet so far, and particularly with the ones put through in the later stages must have felt like false hope. It'll be nice if the 5 have a chance to do a song by themselves/lead one, and be commented on by Cameron like the previous 4 boys - all in all have some focus, rather than being pushed to the side by the winning boys.

And I really really want a slower, ballady and lyricy song like "Electricity" or "I have a dream" - those two were really the only times (apart from the Sunday performances for some of them) in which we were really able to hear singing ability; in the upbeat songs there's just too much going on to appreciate it fully. In fact, why don't they just do two - a lively, choreographed song, plus a slower, more beautiful song?

.... now that I've said that, they're probably going to be singing YMCA, or something.

Lol at that last part! And repeating everything is just part of overanalysing imo

Oh, what a wonderful world it would be if the boys got to do two performances in one show... Let alone each perform a song by themselves...
I do suspect, from how they handled the situation last week, that they'll focus on each of the 5 boys in a special way. Just as long as they can do it in 5 minutes, that is.

Holly Oaks - I totally agree with every point you made (apart from Laurence who I spotted at the start.)

As I used to work in a betting shop, I have been monitoring the odds and have evaluated the current ones.

Gwion 1/4 - remains a firm favourite maintaining his position from week one
Jonny 4/7 - increased popularity in last 2 weeks but has stabilised
Laurence 17/25 - Dramatic rise from 6th favourite 2 weeks ago, odds continual shortening
Harry 9/10 - Has been near the top of the list for a while now, support maintained
Arthur 73/50 - Has fallen from 2nd favourite in a week and odds are increasing
Chester 26/17 - Don't understand why he isn't considered a main candidate but odds are slowly shortening
Alexander 5/3 - Odds are increasing and remains an outsider but I thinkhe should be one of the 3
Kwayedza 57/25 - Seen as an outsider as odds have been steadily increasing

The odds are all pretty close so it doesn't appear that there is a clear frontrunner becasue it is so hard to pick a winner as they could all do a job as Oliver.

I just don't really (or rather, really don't ) understand betting, but from what I see here it seems that those odds don't at all reflect what the majority of posters on this thread think the outcome will be (correct me if I'm wrong...). Therefore, it could still go either way...

Jonny has the maturity for his act, good singing, vulernability which is Oliver, can act the socks off everyone. He dances to the beat and looks very cool on stage.

Jonny for Oliver...........

I really don't understand betting, but I do find it weird that Alex and Chester have less chance of winning than Arthur, Harry and even Gwion. I thought Chester would be the favourite!

Could a Mod plz post a poll for this with three choices for everyone out of the eight remaining Olivers.....we'll see who is the favourite.

I'm a bit concerned about those odds, because it seems totally wrong for me. Chester and Alexander should be much higher, imo. I hope they're wrong.....

Yes, I'm concerned now too. Especially since last week, when the odds implied that it would be Jonny who was going through and it turned out to be true...

OMG I've just come across a spoiler online about the final three....! Fortunately, it was spoiler tagged so I haven't looked at it and exited the page asap, particularly as I have no idea if it's a reliable source. But now my stomach has just started to churn over with curiosity and renewed anticipation. I don't know if I can hold looking at it until Saturday as I'm already starting to become really nervous!

I won't tell you the website in case I tempt all of you, too Just be careful because there might be some other spoilers lying around on the web - it might be wise not to surf around too much until Saturday, because the three were probably chosen today.

Oh, you've got me all curious now! Please tell me the website, I won't look, honest!