and what a cruel lot u are.... touch of the green eyed monster i think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

no just not taken in by a sob story

hes a kid who is a good singer, but so are most head choristers

Yes, and he should be supported on merit as a singer, he's clearly good, as opposed to on the sob stories. (TBH, I was better at that age...)

And also, I think I've been to the area of Carlisle he lives in, it didn't look too bad - not as bad as parts of Nottm anyway.

Hope a singer doesn't win this year:yawn:

Pointless the kid bothering then. So no matter how talented you are, its what you do which counts?

He's better than Paul Potts. Paul Potts was completely untrained. This kid has had singing lessons from the cathedral since six.

No ForestChav it's not pointless Andrew bothering as he is very good.I just feel as it is a variety show it would be nice to see a different type of act winning, but if I felt he was the best I would vote for him. It's the only show non singers have a chance of winning.

And if they are better than him, you'd hope they would win.

Yes I would.

I think it's a case of Catch 22, I think some people (and I don't necessary mean Andrew Johnston or Kate here) go to the auditions with a sob story prepared to win over the audience and, to a lesser extent, the judges.

However, if the act then turns out to be half decent, the producers plug these sob stories for all their worth. The editing is to blame, yes, but if people knew that sad stories from the past wouldn't be aired, it's far less likely they would arrive at an audition looking for a sympathy vote.

It seems they let the story take over somewhat, a pity because with Andrew's talent it really wasn't necessary - his voice would have been more than enough. Andrew's mother said she never used the word council estate but Andrew definitely said it. Honesty is always the best policy in such things because the truth will always come out, especially when it is said on tape and shown on TV.
I also think he was probably more teased than bullied, although for a very sensitive child there isn't much difference between the two.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1773

Perhaps some of us aren't taken in by a very cynical sob story unlike most of the thick masses.

He had a nice voice but was hardly unique. The narrative associated of his performance was more to do with him being bullied and from a council estate than a good singer. It is very contrived.

Hmm, interesting. It does look like somewhere along the line it's been over-egged. He's reasonably smart - they have to be to get that far - but he's still a kid and if the producers are telling him to exaggerate it slightly he probably will because kids always do what adults tell them (apart from CLKs).

He probably would be teased for being a choirboy and chances are that probably would upset him as well, he's doing something he likes to do which is harmless and requires more talent than the other kids so he's an easy target for them. But then, if it's local kids he does say there's nothing to do so if they're bored they might think "oh let's pick on the little choirboy kid because we have nothing else to do". There's a line between being teased and bullied, it depends where he thinks it is, if he thinks he's being bullied for it ...

Sad about his dad though - it's important for kids that age to have a father figure and it seems he's using the choir for that as well... Well, that's understandable, he's been in it since he was 6 and he's 13 now so that's 7 years he's known some of the people in there. Even so, when he has to leave at the end of the year (they have to, even if their voices haven't broken) or before if it goes this term, he'll lose that part of his life - then what? That said, it's better for his dad to be out of it if he's always rowing with his mum - that's not a good environment to bring a kid up.

Looking at it, he seems like a pretty sensible young lad who just wants to do well at something - the bit about getting his mum off the estate somewhere better (however bad the estate really is) is quite thoughtful.

He shouldn't need to milk press attention and over-state things, but I don't think he is:
1. If it's him the remarks are coming from, that's probably how he sees it. If HE thinks he's bullied then it's going to affect him even if it's just a bit of a laugh for the other kids and they don't mean to harm him.
2. If it's the show's producers then shame on them for not letting the kid say what he likes. He's 13, he's not daft, let him speak for himself. And anyway, the kid should have enough talent to win on his voice, not sob stories taken out of proportion.

I don't think they are "milking" the publicity.

The boy is phenominal and deserves all the attention and it is tv and the press who invite him onto shows and obviously at 13 he has to go with his mum.

He probably has been tormented all his life about singing choir boy songs but to his credit he has continued. He does seem to have a sadness about him but that just adds to the appeal. Bullying takes many forms and it sounds like most of his was just constant verbal teasing. Doesn't make it any less horrible.

There are many choir boys yes but they don't all enter talent contests do they? Nobody stopped them doing what he's done.

He has an exceptional purity to his voice and the others are going to have to go some to beat him in this competition.

I bet Simon Cowell is already on the verge of signing him and also the girl group with the violins who I can't remember the name of.

He was drooling.

[quote=tatotal;23096993]Perhaps some of us aren't taken in by a very cynical sob story unlike most of the thick masses.
[/QUOTE


I resent being called thick. Thinking this boy is talented and that he probably has been teased most of his life does not make me thick.

If he's going to, he will have to do it ASAP, mainly because there aren't many 14 year old choirboys!

People should just wake up. After a few seasons of the X Factor, and last year's BGT, you should know by now that most of what you see is staged for entertainment. If you watch Britain's Got More Talent, for example, you can see Stephen Mulhern chatting to Ant & Dec with the sound of the judges' buzzers to be heard in the background.

That shows you that they already pick and choose beforehand the acts they decide to focus on with Ant & Dec looking on.

They probably even recruit some of the weirdo acts.

I didnt see the kid on GMTV, even if there lots of choirboys who sing like him he is still good, definitely talented Being 13 his voice could break soon though.

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/...n_page_id=1773

Well, if you look at the above link, it seems that the background of Andrew Johnston doesn't totally match that portrayed on 'Britain's Got Talent.'

The guy has a great voice but he is 13 - it could break any day.

I also didn't like the bullying story. The bullies will have loved their 5mins of fame and doubt it would shut them up!! Just makes it worse for the kid in my opinion

Anyone who relies on a sob story to win should be immediately disqualified.

I'm sick of the sight of this kid and his showbiz mum already.

Haha, why is it the kid's fault if his mum and/or the show decides to milk a bullying story.

The kid is head chorister at a cathedral, has a great voice, he's really talented.

Judge him on his voice, and his intelligence, not what family and/or the show turn him into.

OK.

I also didn't like his voice.