He was in all the papers yesterday and then again today with his mum telling us about his bullying and how he comes from a rough council estate blah, blah etc. I think he was on GMTV this morning too.

Im gonna admit he had a very good voice, but there are lots of other choir boys up and down the country just as good as he is, and he is now at an age where his voice could break anyday.

Im not sure who is behind all this milking of the press. If its the producers or his mother? But it doesn't seem fair, it almost like he is being pushed as the winner already. Im assmuing he is a dead cert for the live shows. But to be honest I prefered Gin the dog and that Boyzone bloke. I suppose Andrew could be a red herring like Ryan the soldier in the last series of X Factor?

Talking of classica singers, when are we going to see the much hyped teenage girl who Simon thinks could be the next Katherine Jenkins?

Why shouldnt they? He IS talented, even if he has an equivalent in every cathedral in the country.

I'd say than going on a reality tv show is looking for attention anyway, for the record.

I'm sick of the sight of him already.

Him and his mother seemed to be backpeddling the bully comments on GMTV this morning

Andrew Castle asked about the bullies and then there seemed to be an awkward pause before young Andrew said "Its in the past now" and his mother said the same there was another pause and AC said "Its amazing how many people want to be your friend when you are famous"

as though the bullying only stopped on Sat night after the show

I also noticed that in one of the papers he comments that it was a couple of kids in his street called him a sissy for singing

I think what's happened here, is that whoever speaks to the acts to get some background info from them before the show, has found out he was teased by his mates about his singing and has manipulated him into making it look like he was the victim of a bullying campaign.
I picked up on the fact that the boy said "my mates don't like this music" - if he was being bullied, he wouldn't call the perpetrators "mates" - Also, why complain about the fact he was from a council estate - a lot of us originate from council estates, and it's nothing to cry about.
I heard him and his mother on the radio this morning, and it did sound like they'd seen this sob story wasn't a wise move - they both said the teasing was in the past, and the boy himself said he'd travelled the world as a chorister, so things really aren't all bad for him.
Personally, I thought he had a lovely voice (though it's bound to break soon) and he really didn't need the sob story to get through to the next round, but these tear jerkers seem to be becoming a feature of shows like BGT and X Factor, even DOI to a certain extent...It really isn't necessary, and all it does is detract from people who truly have battled against the odds to be there - I wish the producers would stop it - it's one of the few things about BGT that I don't like.
(Sorry for the long post)

Why not?There is growing public interest about this kid after the Saturday show.I for one would like to know more about his background.

He's a kid, he's been singing since he was 6 and is HC at Carlisle. More to say... Just google his name, there are a few articles from the local media in there.

A short, fat, singing, victim of bullying, who doesn't know how good he actually is....

Where have I heard that before?

Good for them. Make the most of it.

I agree.

A touch of the Green Eyed Monster amongst a few I dare say. Each to their own.

He isn't fat, he's well built. And he's short, like all 13 yr old kids with a high voice. :S

Really? I'll look forward to seeing that.

heh, one Katherine Jenkins is bad enough

i'm soo glad I Don't buy newpapers or watch tv .. YES!! I was spared .. this is awful to almost well prostitute your hardship to the nation to win , Gin the dog cannot do that , I hope the dog beats him ..

Even Gin and Kate were on Monday's This Morning.

by reading the daily rags and watching these morning TV interviews you get the impression that the family have lived in total poverty, eating scraps from a bin, living on a sink estate where on every corner there's a 'bad lad' waiting to mug you, pimp you or sell you drugs

add to that being mercilessly bullied by a pack of school twonks all because you just 'want to sing'

then add the comments of 'Im doing it for my mum' and

Hey Presto..........a winner is born


Anyone got a sick bucket

Yep

but they haven been bullied have they

You know what though, even with Gin's owner, there was the part about her life being nothing without Gin - and the fact that they played on the fact that Kate had no family with her on the day....I think the makers of these programmes picked up on the fact that a sob story wins the viewers over, and they've gone into overdrive with it - the worst case of this that I can think of, was last years X Factor - the obligatory crying every week by the contestants got plain annoying.

Is it just me, or does he look like that fat kid from King of the Hill.?????

Simon: Hello, what's your name?
Little girl: Sarah
Simon: And what's your talent?
Little girl: I sing
Simon: Tell me… do you like standing next to trees in the school playground?
Little girl: No.
Simon: [looks puzzled] Oh… why not?
Little girl:Because I was beaten up by a tree in the school playground?
Simon: Gasp! How courageous of you to admit that on TV.
Little girl: The script said "brave" not "courageous" Simon.
Simon: Never mind, the editors will sort that out.
Little girl: Oh, OK.
Simon: Gasp! How brave of you to admit that on TV.
Little girl: [starts crying because the producers deliberately upset her just before the cameras started rolling]
Simon: Don't cry, sweetheart. Simon loves children — even the ugly ones like you!
Little girl: Simon. You are my hero and you have made my dreams come true.
Simon: The script says all my dreams. Can we do that again?

hahahaha

So you didn't read the story in the sun....

With my little "parody" above, I meant no disrespect to Andrew's Johnston, or anyone on these shows. I was just making fun of the ridiculously phoney production of the show. It's probably the fakest thing you can see on TV

nope I didnt

but then it wasnt mentioned on stage infront of a TV audience of millions

She did say before she went on that Gin was all she had, giving the impression she was a lonely girl, and the point was made that she was at the audition alone....if she progresses, I'm sure more will be made of this - that seems to be the way the producers and the media like to play things.