Talk:Paul Potts

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Contents

[edit] First Album?

http://sonybmg.co.uk/artists/paul_potts/ apparently "One Chance" has been released by Sony BMG also it notes this as being his official site; http://www.paulpottsuk.com/ "suk" I guess means like Sony UK? in there there seems to be some official news of his work as an amateur

Or Paul Potts UK... Andymc 22:11, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Original sources of information

It seems to me (and I have watched the whole story develop) that this article started from the info found on the Bath Opera website. This, I believe was written in 1999. It refers to events that were then planned in Paul's future. It must be noted that any amateur opera company is going to 'big up' the C.V.s of its performers. This wiki article has kept the part about LPO. It is misleading to say that Paul has performed for LPO. Having read this article http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2007280255,00.html it would be far more accurate to say he has performed with an orchestra which included six members of LPO. In fact the more you think about it, the more it seems to me that it is totally relevant. Should perhaps look into the backgrounds of all the other orchestra members at that performance, and would it be relevant? I think not! Myredroom 11:00, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Notability?

Is Potts notable enough to have his own article? -- Kleinzach 06:06, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Even 5 seconds of fame is long enough sometime to have your own article, if the cause is just. 24.89.245.62 08:26, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
Yes. Bcameron54 11:31, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
Why? will we know who this guy is in a year just because of this?harlock_jds 12:16, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
If he is not going to be famous within a year, feel free to come back and erase his page. Unless, of course, you can look into the future. --perelly 16:37, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

I have put a notability tag on the page. Comments? -- Kleinzach 13:30, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Yes, it's unwarranted. It's not like Wikipedia is running out of storage space. I wouldn't have had another avenue to get information on him. I agree with everyone else here except for Kleinzach. Anybody care to remove the tag? Mbelisle 20:37, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
More specifically, he fulfills the Music notability guideline #1: " It has been the subject of multiple non-trivial published works whose source is independent from the musician/ensemble itself and reliable. This criterion includes published works in all forms, such as newspaper articles, books, magazine articles, and television documentaries." See Google News or Google. I count 5 articles and 20500 hits on Google, which is "multiple". Mbelisle 20:46, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

Well i bothered to search for him on wiki so other people will too.

I came looking for more information about him, and ended up here, so yes I believe he is very notable. Performance was amazing. 87.194.41.4 15:37, 14 June 2007 (UTC)

I too was searching for information on him, particularly about whether his initial performance was since I was curious whether further rounds had yet occurred. His personal career nor his singing career so far justify an own page, and neither does participating in the first round of a national talent show. However, I believe this article does need to remain because of the huge popularity of the video with him, as a complete underdog at first appearance, completely stunning the jury and crowd with his performance. Of course it is hard to verify this popularity. I'd suggest to at least leave the article right here for the coming period, and then discuss notability later on when either the thing has died out or he's come far in the competition and has other claims to notability (such as various performances, a CD deal etc.) (Stefan Kruithof 16:08, 14 June 2007 (UTC))

  • Bump* He the video is spreading like wildfire. I came to wikipedia to hopefully confirm or debunk a rumor that he isn't as amateur as is put forward. Hopefully someone who knows is actual past can add something.
Apparently, he has stared in previous shows and has had some training. Interestingly this production which stars Potts (click "cast") is described as an "amateur production" (click "Press Review"). He's not a "professional" as it's not his full time job but he's not an "amateur" either. 80.6.106.90 18:03, 14 June 2007 (UTC)
[1] Definition of Amateur: A person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science as to music or painting; esp. one who cultivates any study or art, from taste or attachment, without pursuing it professionally.
thus I would think he qualifies as 'amateur'. Most children receive piano lessons, and even have played before an audience - this does not stop them from being amateurs.
I meant he's not an "amateur" in the sense that he's not new to this and that he's obviously not "inept" (see the third definition). But he is an amateur if, by amateur, you mean "not professional". 82.43.117.197 22:34, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

His YouTube video has been watched well over 1.5 million times and hes now in the final, good chance he will win so this should stay. His semi final performance link has been added.

OK. I have removed the notability tag. -- Kleinzach 00:40, 15 June 2007 (UTC)
Please re-write this post. I agree that it is intended to portray him as a ringer and is vindictive. The info is clearly outdated and makes no mention of the accident and his ended dreams. Truly this show was his last hope. Please be judicious and find something better to do with your intellect and time than harass ordinary working people who have secret dreams. You are making no friends, nor wowing anyone with your talents of "research" that is selective.24.18.184.101 14:00, 16 June 2007 (UTC)
why not rewrite it yourself? why ask others to do the work for you?harlock_jds 17:13, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

The page is semi-protected. Most people can't rewrite it.

Anyway I found this, his personal quotes on the issue. From http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/12849/Britain%5C's-got-talent-winner-Paul-Potts

Throughout it all, he hung on to his dream of singing. He joined Bath Opera and performed four roles as an amateur. He had singing lessons when he could afford it and spent all his savings – around £12,000, including £8,000 he won answering music questions on Michael Barrymore’s My Kind Of Music – on opera singing courses in Italy. This has led to accusations that Paul is a “trained” performer, tutored by Pavarotti himself.

“Everyone in Britain’s Got Talent had had some kind of training, including the kids. You don’t just walk out on stage and produce something out of nowhere, Paul explains. “If I were a trained opera singer, I’d have three years in a conservatoire behind me – and I haven’t. I spent three months studying in Italy in 2000 and six weeks in 2001 and I had to work 13-hour days for months to save enough money to go. I’ve never been paid for singing.

“I have sung for Pavarotti in Italy when he came to hold a master-class, but he would be the first to admit he’s no teacher. He didn’t give instructions or make suggestions or even pass comment. I sang an aria by Rodolfo from La Boheme and ran out of breath and Pavarotti said, ‘Rodolfo wouldn’t run out of breath – you’d better sing me something else’.

“I was the only one he asked to sing again so I took it as a great compliment. But again, he didn’t say anything about my performance. Someone else who was watching him told me his body language indicated he’d liked it. But I had auditioned to be allowed to sing for him in the first place.” —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.120.107.174 (talk) 08:18, 13 December 2007 (UTC)


Notability? You're kidding! He's absolutely stunning. He deserved to win, and yes, he has a notable voice.
--UnicornTapestry (talk) 17:28, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Removed

I removed this "and has an apprenticeship with Gilbert and Sullivan in Bristol", as it makes no sense. G&S are dead nineteenth century musicians and I don't reckon they are apprenticing anyone. Perhaps he has an apprenticeship with a G&S company but I don't know. Morgan Leigh 04:08, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Whatever WP may say, "Gilbert and Sullivan" generally refers to the gentlemen's body of work. The light-opera company they wrote exclusively for survived a century doing nothing, or virtually nothing, else, and it would be surprising if Bristol lacks a company that is best known for its G&S productions. Research needed, but doubtless when done, it will result in restoring a reworded version.
Matter of fact, here's the "I'm feeling lucky" hit for
"Gilbert and Sullivan" Bristol
Bristol Gilbert and Sullivan Operatic Society Home Page
--Jerzy•t 02:49, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

I have removed the references to future plans as these are lifted from a page of bath opera's website written in 1999, and it is not clear that these plans ever came t anything. Also Highlighted that Bath opera is an amateur group, as is Southgate.

[edit] amateur or professional

Would you like to buy a cell phone? Bcameron54 04:05, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

profesional singers frequently have to have side jobs until they have a big break, harlock_jds 04:59, 16 June 2007 (UTC)


i think all this crap questioning his 'amateur' status is coming from a bunch of Jealous A-Holes (and/or supporters of his competitors on the program.)

The guy is a cell phone salesman. OK?

I live in America and even I know that means he's not a pro. It doesn't matter who he interned with or what performances he has done. For $200 bucks I can play basketball at a Lebron James basketball camp. Does that make me a pro?

I think the opening part of this article, which is OBVIOUSLY written in a way that deliberately casts him as a ringer, should be re-written. The beginning should be about HOW he got his big break which is on Britains' Got Talent and not some podunk performance he might have performed at some kid's birthday party.

Note to Wik editors: Professional opera singers don't work at cell phone shops. Not even part time.

Anything less than a re-write of the WHOLE first section will belie the NPOV claims of wikipedia and endorse a bias that at best is vindictive and at worst agenda-driven...

anonymous: The complaint is correct, but the plaintiff isn't. Of course PP has all the right in the world to grab a chance of this calibre. So he's not to blame at all. But you can't deny that the whole thing is a setup. Amanda Holden says "A frog turned into a prince", the male jury members said "our idea was to find someone doing an ordinary job, who's got a talent, isn't aware of it and give him this platform ..." Someone who was trained by the masters and got acclaim from Pavarotti cannot possibly be unaware of his talent. Reality shows these days are molded by scenarios and "Britain's got talent" is no exception. The team behind the show did a good job in finding the frog, they just may have underestimated the crowd's memory. I also believe PP says some prewritten lines in his interviews, about the lack of self-confidence and being somebody. You invest a few thousand pounds in your career, then you do have your share of self-confidence. It all looked very fake to me, but hey, such a singer should not do an ordinary job, but sing for a living. Good end!


I think this criticism is a little extreme. Yes, Cowell misspoke badly about Potts not being aware of his own talent, but then again, I believe the judges are not informed about the background of the contestants, and rightly so, since knowledge would tend to bias them one way or the other.

As for the lack of self-confidence, it may be false modesty, but then again, like so many performers, amateur or professional, he may indeed doubt his talent and suffer stage fright that he has to overcome every time he performs. I know Carly Simon gave up performing for some time because of stage fright; so have other entertainers. It's not easy getting up on stage live and risking making a fool of yourself.

Yes, Potts is not the true amateur we would like him to be in a fairytale story, someone who just sings in the shower and has never performed in public before, but I don't think he is a ringer or a professional in any sense of the word. Give the guy a break. He took what might have been his last shot at 36, and he performed very well. It's still a great story, and a personal triumph for him, especially considering his health problems in recent years. As it is, I doubt he has a shot in mainstream opera. There are too many trained professionals he has to compete with, and too many critics waiting to savage him. His career if he has one will probably be a Welsh version of Andrea Bocelli, singing opera favorites like 'Nessun Dorma' and some broadway hits like 'Bring Him Home' from 'Les Miserables'. Bocelli tried serious opera himself, but got panned by the critics; his hook was of course that he is blind. Potts' hook is that he is the anonymous everyman, living out his Walter Mitty fantasy, and good luck to him too.

The article currently states, "During the programme there was some controversy[3] as to the 'undiscovered' nature of Potts' talent, who was portrayed on the show as simply a mobile phone salesman...." Prior to PP's semi-final performance, one of the hosts stated, "...he's a singer who's also a mobile-phone salesman...." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDB9zwlXrB8, within the first seven seconds), so, at the least, the sentence should be rewritten to specify when such a "portrayal" occurred (or to note that the semi-final BGT program did *not* portray him in that manner). MPoppers 16:13, 29 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] half the story

this article only tells half the story, why no mention of his illness, and his bike accident which ended his dreams of singing opera 6 years ago, and he thought his dream was truly over before Britain's for talent. It seems this article has been written with OUT DATED information that portrays this guy as someone who sings opera on a frequent basis. Shouldn't we use the most up-to-date information, which is from the day to day interview he did npr?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11107944

81.111.120.110 10:27, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

I agree that this information should be included in the article. I see a lot of people criticizing him because they think he has been a professional opera singer touring with other professionals for years and still does. The lack of this information in the wiki article enforces that argument.
He has had multiple misfortunes that prevented him from continuing his dreams, and of course, has forced him to continue working his normal job. He's still searching for his break and this could be it. Sonaro 14:12, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flabergasted....

In real life I am a Judge in Portugal, I normaly conduct a trial based on a FACT view and not on OPINION

The info on Paul Potts is at best uterlly misleading, biased, and would be a cause for slandering charges in my country. The definition Amateur aplies to this gentleman. The article is "implying" unrealitty. His bacground is not accuratly portraid, and again MISLEADING

This are the "facts" that I see on on this article based on my professional view.

Sugestion: stick to the facts, and present an acurate Curriculum Vitae of the named person. Deepbluewolf 14:20, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

I think its the same case with the dancers, they go to dance lessons, get trained and do shows.

Some people are "disapointed" with the fact that he has had some schooling in singing, that should be irrelevant to this entry. I paid to have Piano lessons with Maria Joao Pires, the best Piano player in Portugal, in my youth I played in Bars for money, YET that does not make me a Professional. I am a Judge, yet I do play the Piano and had a very extensive music education. Wiki's mission is to present the facts, as they are.

There should be compleate info on this guy. AND in a NEUTRAL way.Deepbluewolf 20:49, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

Did i mention i was a judge too?(good joke !) Deepbluewolf 20:49, 16 June 2007 (UTC)(posted by anonimous Joker) Please refrain from impersonating.Deepbluewolf

Do it again and I'll hold you in contempt of court! Deepbluewolf

One thing you can say about Deepbluewolf is that he has a sense of humor! Sincerely, GeorgeLouis (talk) 16:49, 8 December 2007 (UTC)

I think Britain's Got Talent misrepresented him. It's important to have all the facts available and it's dangerous to start excluding facts just to maintain his image of "amateur," whether or not it is applicable.

Please sign your posts by striking the tilde key four times. Sincerely, GeorgeLouis (talk) 20:32, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] His name

Was his parents tripping when they named him? ;) ;) ;) CHANDLER   17:01, 17 June 2007 (UTC)

I think Pol Pot was not yet that internationally known when Paul Potts was born, just bad luck I guess. --Lamadude 00:22, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Doesn't he vaguely resemble William Hung? (physically of course)

[edit] Phone job was temporary?

I read somewhere that his phone job was temporary or that he hasn't been there for very long. Can anyone verify?

Also I heard he was a running lib democrat???

He hadn't been at the job very long, but there isn't any deception, he worked at tesco before that.

Wll do you have any sources, anon? seven+one 11:45, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New Teeth

Would it be relevant to add that he will be repairing his teeth?

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1948408.ece

not in the slightest! Myredroom 14:12, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
What about the rest of his face? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.127.152.150 (talk)
Wow, you are so unbelievably funny. Hold on... yep, my sides have split... ScarianTalk 00:40, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Semi-protection

I've semi-protected the page for now to end the edit war between anonymous IP's. Please discuss the proposed changes and issues here, on the talk page, instead of trying to solve things via an edit war. MastCell Talk 18:12, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Crappy third party websites

How lucky Paul is to have fan sites up and running.No matter how good or how crappy they are, thay all add to publicity and people should understand that. My site, [2] is not official, and likewise it doesn`t state that. But then again, it is no different to wikipedia or Myspace, who profit from other peoples good fortune. Grow up and stop surpressing freeddom of speech.

I would just like to add to the above comment regarding fan sites that have been set up for Paul. Individuals who set up MYSPACE accounts for Paul DO NOT make profit from other people's good fortune. Not all myspace fan sites (I can only speak for my own) set up for Paul are out to make a profit or make any claims at being official. The official sites are listed on the main page, so i'd appreciate if you didn't put our MYSPACE page in the same category as the websites out to make a profit on Paul's name. Thank you. [3]

There are currently four fan sites in this article. There is no evidence that any of them are official, even then one calling itself 'paulpottsofficial'. Accordingly, could someone please remove them all, and only link to sites that are known to be official, or to reputable sites such as newspapers, etc. 84.9.37.253 19:36, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

I was coming here exactly to make this comment. As I now know I am not the only one who feels this way, I will remove all of the fansites. J Milburn 19:45, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
And as you were doing that, I was too, and would have removed exactly the same ones. I've added a comment/reminder to read WP:EL before any external links are (re)added. As a point of information, the external links issue is the reason for the semi-protection, which was added two IPs couldn't agree which fansite should be first in the list of external links and kept reverting each other without discussion... another candidate for Wikipedia's lamest edit war. Bencherlite 19:51, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
I'm sure there are lamer.... At least the warring parties had something to gain out of it. Anyway, could you please unprotect now, this is a somewhat current topic, and lots of new users will want to contribute. 84.9.37.253 20:28, 18 June 2007 (UTC)
There certainly are :) - as for unprotection, you'll need to ask the admin who applied the protection (see above), as I can't do that. Bencherlite 20:33, 18 June 2007 (UTC)


Can someone remove the link to a crappy fan site that's in there at the moment.

Thanks84.9.37.253 20:08, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

Done. Bencherlite 20:21, 19 June 2007 (UTC)
User Antmccarthy keeps adding it back 84.9.37.253 20:19, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Anecdotal Recollection

I believe I knew Paul as an undergraduate student at the College of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth, from 1992-93 (I was in the first year of my course and he was in the final year of his). I heard him sing and had a few chats with him. As I recall, his two passions were music and politics. He had plans to compete in Eisteddfods and develop his singing as a very serious and committed amateur. But as I recall, he certainly wasn't contemplating going professional; he was motivated by his desire to sing, not to make money out of singing. From my memory of Paul (admittedly this was fifteen years ago), if he's claimed to have been singing as a hobby (albeit a very serious one) up until now, I have no reason to doubt it. It sounds like Paul has had to deal with one or two pieces of pretty bad luck in his life since, and I'm very glad that things have worked out for him. LDGE 21:55, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bath Opera - new website.

I would like to point out that the Bath Opera website is moving from www.bathopera.co.uk to www.bathopera.org, as noted on their old homepage at www.bathopera.co.uk. I would suggest that someone who is able to edit update the links with the new URL. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 74.98.75.45 (talk • contribs) 01:33, June 19 2007 (UTC).

Or use Internet Archive. --213.216.199.6 10:55, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Misleading

Why is there not more about Paul's life in England (not even referenced next to Bristol). He was a liberal democrat town councillor there and did not move to Wales until 2003. I notice also, that he is filed as a Welsh opera singer. Would he not be more appropriately classed as an English singer? Smacks a little of cultural thievery, as it appears to suggest he is Welsh. Jaxkat 10:36, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

Why is there not more information on his life in England? Because someone needs to add it, using proper sources! Please help if you can. As for classification as Welsh/English/British, this can be difficult but depends on proper information in the article. For example, someone can be born in Bristol of Scottish parents working in Bristol: Scottish or English, or British? Here, Potts is said in the article to be "from" Port Talbot and "born" in Bristol. If his links to Welsh are purely recent residence rather than family-based, I agree that Welsh categories (save "People from NPT") would be wrong. Given what you say, I'll alter the categories that I applied yesterday and move him to British categories for now, unless and until we have further information in the article to justify a move to English/Welsh. Bencherlite 12:17, 19 June 2007 (UTC)
How about the category 'People from Bristol, England'? Just as relevant, if not more so, wouldn't you say? He is FROM Bristol, He currently LIVES in Port Talbot. Why is this so difficult to convey correctly? If he moves to Italy to study, would you then say he is from Italy?86.128.225.151 09:31, 21 June 2007 (UTC)
See Wikipedia:Categorization_of_people#By_residence. "People from" isn't the equivalent of "Natives of" - all the "Natives of" categories have been deleted, and WP doesn't have categories such as "People who live / lived in X". You can have more than one notable residence in your life. At present, he appears to pass the test for Port Talbot; there needs to be more in the article about his life in Bristol to establish notable residence - judging from other discussions here, that won't be too difficult when others add the material. And, yes, if he moved to Italy for a sufficient length of time to make his residence there notable, he could be added to an appropriate "People from (Italian place)" category. Studying at university / music college in a particular location is rarely enough, though, to make your residence there notable. Hope this makes sense. Bencherlite 09:49, 21 June 2007 (UTC)
I can reference the 'councillor' statement from this article -http://news.independent.co.uk/people/pandora/article2675772.ece and will add more as I come to them. I have seen an article relating to his childhood in Fishponds (Bristol). I'll try to track that down. I admit to not seeing anything about his parentage. I don't want to start a debate on whether being born in a country constitutes a persons nationality. However, for example, we have Shirley Bassey born in Wales to English mother and Nigerian father classed as Welsh. Could this be a reference point in this instance? Probably not. Could open up a can of worms and I'm not really interested in anything other than a factual biography. I would like to add to the article but is/was protected. Until it is open again I will add new references here as I find them.

Jaxkat 15:16, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

This article http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001320029-2007280255,00.html references his father Roland (bus driver)and his mother, Yvonne (Tesco cashier), two brothers and a sister. It mentions their growing up in Fishponds, Bristol. Nothing on parental nationality though.

Jaxkat 15:44, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

Okay. The Houses of Parliament recognise Paul Potts as a Bristolian Englishman who went to live in Wales in 2003. Is this statement acceptable proof of his antecedents, or does somebody have to produce a birth certificate! No doubt you will still want to know his parents nationality, as if this isn't enough! Quote:

'730 BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT PROGRAMME 19:6:07 Stephen Williams Dr Hywel Francis Bob Russell Mrs Ann Cryer Jeremy Corbyn Mr Paul Keetch * 6 That this House congratulates Paul Potts for winning ITV's Britain's Got Talent competition; notes that this talented Bristolian has wanted to be a classical singer since his time at St Mary Redcliffe School; further notes his service to the City of Bristol, elected as the youngest member of the City Council in 1996 and retiring in 2003; believes that his parents Roland and Yvonne and the people of Bristol and his new home of Port Talbot have every reason to be proud of him; and wishes him well in his future career as an opera and classical music singer.' reference http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmedm/70620e01.htm 86.128.41.206 03:01, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] pt link

Could someone editing this page add the portuguese (pt) interwiki link? Thanks!

[edit] Councillor

Since this article is pointlessly protected (no, I don't want to login, thanks very much), it would definitely be worth adding that he was Lib Dem Councillor.

1995 local elections: fifth place (2-candidate election, ahead of only his brother) in Eastville ward, Bristol, http://www.bristol.gov.uk/item/electionward.html?XSL=main&ShowElectionWard=true&ElectionId=44&WardId=31 14 April 1996 by-election: elected (single candidate), Eastville ward, Bristol http://www.bristol.gov.uk/item/electionward.html?XSL=main&ShowElectionWard=true&ElectionId=45&WardId=31 1999 local elections: re-elected, in first place (though this is not necessarily proof of a personal following, as his name comes alphabetically before the other councillor elected, which is an advantage) http://www.bristol.gov.uk/LocalElectionViewer/?XSL=main&ShowElectionWard=true&ElectionId=52&WardId=31 2003 local elections: did not stand. http://www.bristol.gov.uk/item/elections.html?XSL=main&ShowElectionWard=true&ElectionId=57&WardId=31 His address was then in Fishponds, Bristol http://www.bristol.gov.uk/committee/1999/aa/aa000/0518_5.pdf


Popbitch says:

Residents of Eastville, Bristol, were most surprised at his TV billing, as Potts has been a prominent local politician, confident enough to be elected a Lib-Dem Councillor in 1999. Potts told TV judges that he'd spent several months at opera school in Italy in 2000, which must have impressed the constituents who thought they'd voted for someone to represent their interests in Bristol.

--Rbirkby 15:41, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Um, WTF? Elect their interests in Bristol????? As I showed above, he stood down FOUR YEARS AGO. When he moved to Wales. Why do people insert incorrect information into articles when correct information is here.... He was a councillor 1996 to 2003. NOT ANY MORE. 84.9.37.253 23:28, 21 June 2007 (UTC)
I think the point of popbitch's statement was that at the time he was an elected councillor, he was in Italy, when perhaps he should have been representing the interests of his constituents. This was in 2000. As you say he didn't stand down until 2003.86.128.225.151 07:49, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
That's far from clear. A councillor is an unpaid (they do get allowances) position. People do it in addition to their normal jobs. Taking a summer singing school in Italy is hardly contradictory. 84.9.37.253 19:36, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
What is unclear? An elected person, absent from his surgery goes to Italy for his own ends..is that what you want from your elected representative? Where would you go, who would you speak to, if you wanted answers to your political questions?86.128.225.151 23:04, 22 June 2007 (UTC)
My guess would be the same thing as if you wanted to contact your MP when he was on holiday - wait till he gets back. They are allowed holidays you know.
you are muddling local councillors with MPs. Myredroom 14:16, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Videos

There are legal videos of all of Potts' performances on the show's website: http://talent.itv.com/ Perhaps they should be added to the article

These might not be available outside the UK. 84.9.37.253 23:01, 19 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Paul Potts Myspace Page

Whilst not official, paul potts has a very popular myspace page that has received almost 100,000 hits, with over 2000 friends, in less than a week (this is something il divo havent achieved in 3 years). Exclusive interviews from newspapers and video's are featured on this myspace, for those people all over the world that are not able to access the information because they are not in the UK.

I dont claim the page to be official, i wouldnt even know who to ask, unlike the others which all say they are official and its actually Paul himself sitting by the computer all day long. This is a site where people from all over the world can come together and leave messages for Paul, and Paul, his wife and family are also very aware of this myspace page, his wife was one of the first people to leave comments.

All messages are passed onto Paul from this myspace page, and I ask if its possible to put this on his main wiki page for everyone to share.

Many Thanks.

http://www.myspace.com/paul_potts

Would you mind asking him to provide the missing info we require to give an accurate biography for inclusion on this site. His myspace page is woefully short of accurate information. A good first question might be 'what nationality is he'?86.128.225.151 22:57, 20 June 2007 (UTC)
Wikipedia is not a site for personal biogs - it is based citable information in the public domain, not what people would like to be known about themselves. Myredroom 10:54, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Copied material

At the end of the Wikipedia article there is reference to http://www.paulpotts.me.uk/ I would just like to ask more experienced users, isn't the degree to which the article in Wikipedia is a copy of the article in that website too much against the Wikipedia rules? The topic is hot and, naturally, someone putting the text for the first time needed to rely on some source, but it struck me that whole paragraphs were identical. Fon 00:10, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

You got to be kidding. That is a shitty spam site trying to make a cheap buck out of the guy with google ads and stolen content. In this case the thief stole all the wikipedia content and didn't follow the licence which only requires the user to detail the licence the content is published under. Hopefully the idiot that keeps adding the link in to that site will be banned permanently. 84.9.37.253
I was not - it just did not occur to me someone would have had the cheek to steal like that from Wikipedia, without acknowledgement. But now, you are probably right - after all, why not? I was misled by that link in Wikipedia, suggesting priority of the other source...
Anyway, if the 'borrowing' was from here to there rather than the other way round, then it is good you are trying to have at least those links removed. Fon 23:35, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Coppied or not coppied, I believe that the http://www.paulpotts.me.uk/ website is an excellent tribute to Paul, and one that he should be proud of. I do wonder sometimes, about how boring some of the contributers (above) lives must be, when all they have to worry about is a Paul Potts website. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.9.196.162 (talk • contribs) 09:06, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

Please read the Wikipedia policy on no personal attacks and the Wikipedia policy on being civil before commenting on talk pages again. Thanks. Bencherlite 09:35, 30 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Votes

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know/remember how many percent of the votes he received in the final? No need to put it on the main page, but I never saw the results. Were they even published? Cheers. --perelly 08:44, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Semi Protection

Can anybody give an indication of when this article will be open for contribution? It is a hot topic at the moment and will no doubt attract many visitors in the very near future. It is, in my view (and others on this discussion board), inaccurate in its present form and requires considerable input from referenced sources. It also requires consistency in its presentation and grammar. I look forward to this article being opened for contribution sooner rather than later.Jaxkat 10:49, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

From the history log: "18:09, 18 June 2007 MastCell (Talk | contribs) m (Protected Paul Potts: IP edit war in progress [edit=autoconfirmed:move=autoconfirmed] (expires 18:09, 2 July 2007 (UTC)))" Bencherlite 10:54, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

Paul Potts used to sing in the school choir at St Mary Redcliffe school in Bristol. He had a distinctive voice even when he was younger.

[edit] June 9, 2007

This date gives the impression that the show was televised live on that date. But according to BBC - Wales http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/paul_potts/pages/biography.shtml, the program took place on March 17, 2007 and was broadcast on June 9, 2007. This info is now updated. Leon2005 14:47, 2 Jul 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Negative reviews needed

The article leaves the impression that but for a little bad luck he would be singing professionally in live productions of operas, which is far from the truth. Here are some responses (what i found just from Googling

"Paul Potts" "opera-l"

) by critics with more experience evaluating operatic voices than most, and i'd guess than the show's judges.

http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0706c&L=opera-l&P=16034
http://www.asingerslife.ch/blog/2007/06/18/paul-potts-final-winning-performance-with-nessun-dorma/
http://operadaddy.blogspot.com/2007/06/britains-got-talent-and-ive-got-balls.html

--Jerzy•t 02:34, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Undergraduate

Potts has a degree in Theology from the College of St Mark and St John in Plymouth - sometime in the early-mid 1990s. Odd that this never gets mentioned. Presumably it detracts from his image of ugly duckling/less than ordinary origins?

--- See my comment under 'Anecdotal recollection' above: he was in his final year when I was in my first, in the 1992-93 academic year. He graduated in the summer of 1993. LDGE 18:59, 23 July 2007 (BST)

Paul was born to a welsh mother and english father in October 1970. He was at carphone Warehouse as of 01 september 2004 starting as a sales consultant and then was promoted to be Manager of one of the Cardiff stores, and then moved to Port Talbot branches, he then took the position as Team Leader at the branch in Bridgend.


HUGE article here from the Daily Express, full of info for those who can be bothered to incorporate it

http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/12849

[edit] Commercial link

Oskopia 18:51, 17 July 2007 (UTC)"Time to Say Goodby" links to a "pay for" video.

[edit] Links question

I'm a long-time fan of Wikipedia, but a new registrant. I wish to learn the mysteries of HTML and how a page is put together. Also, I wish to contribute, where I can, to the knowledge base. I chose the Paul Potts article as my first go at helping fill in an article, and now see that it was a fortunate choice. Being unable to do any editing, I was forced to fish around the help files to discover the trouble. Along the way, I was introduced to a bit of the behind-the-scenes struggle of this site. It is a primer in co-operation, or the lack thereof.

One thing I wished to do here, was to add a link to my blog about the ramifications of the Paul Potts story...how it is a microcosm of the human story and can be an inspiration to us all. This is part of a research project on the ideas of the success writing genre. The URL for this site is http://www.thepaulpottsstory.com/

It seems, though, that such a link may not be appropriate for Wikipedia (if I read the FAQ's correctly.) Looking at the links that are listed, though, I see similar sites...one that even beams direct to an order form for Paul's album. This is confusing. Any light shed on this situation would help me to learn more about how Wikipedia operates and how to become a helpful part of the community.

Thanks for listening. Don 23:12, 21 July 2007 (UTC)

Don, don't put up a link to your own site. It is bad form. If your site has relevant information, somebody else will link to it. Sincerely, GeorgeLouis (talk) 07:31, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Lib Dems Councillor

Okay, we really need a source for that statement. It reads: "He was a Liberal Democrat councillor in Bristol from 1996 to 2003." - Get a source for it or it'll, most likely, be removed. ScarianTalk 00:47, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

Hooah, no need to panic. I found two relatively vague references for it. They give the jist of the statement though and back it up fine. ScarianTalk 00:53, 22 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] still protected?

what a fucking joke. 87.74.14.3 20:09, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Watch your language, please. Sincerely, GeorgeLouis (talk) 07:32, 1 January 2008 (UTC)
Consider creating an account my friend. ScarianTalk 06:02, 25 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] What year was he born?

The article states 1970 but he is in the 1971 births category. One of the two needs to be corrected. --BHC 07:23, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

I think 1970 is correct. News articles said he's 36. His birthday is stated to be October 13, so 1970 will put him at the right age. Leon2005 - 5 September 2007

[edit] Status on New Zealand Charts

Could someone that is able to add in that the album has gone to Number 1 on the charts in New Zealand please. Here is the the webpage of the official NZ chats http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp It has been the number one since the 6th of August. Makarauri 09:43, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] YOUTUBE VIDEO IS ALSO TOP RATED

http://www.youtube.com/browse?s=tr&t=a&c=0&l=

ITS AT #3 AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.188.17.249 (talk) 01:24, 22 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Career End Rumour

I noticed that the article states that his career ended after a series of illnesses and a bike accident. This is untrue. According to an article on his official website, posted just two days ago, his career is far from over and he's still scheduled to tour Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Scandinavia next year.

http://www.paulpottsuk.com/news/2007/10/25/pauls_latest_canadian_interview_reuters —Preceding unsigned comment added by EmperorNapoleon (talk • contribs) 06:48, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

Might want to re-read that.--80.194.170.170 18:26, 28 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Not to be confused with Pol Pot ?!?

Is that a bad joke? I never thought of Pol Pot until I saw that reference in the article (and I'm supporting a family in Cambodia, I've been to Phnom Penh, I visited the killing fields). If it's a joke, I don't think it's funny. I don't see a need to have such reference in the article. Cheers. Julian —Preceding unsigned comment added by Juliancoccia (talk • contribs) 11:11, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Spam needs to be deleted at Wiki - Paul Potts

Under References

Item number 16 http://www.thepaulpottsstory.com/ Does not belong there.

There are much better fan sites out there. Why is that site listed at Wikipedia?


The Paul Potts Story was one of the first blogs about Paul. Furthermore, it is unique in that it talks about the social effect of and response to Paul Potts. The blog you recommend below (PaulPotts fanclub) is a late-comer and a purely commercial enterprise. That's why.Don (talk) 02:25, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Good Paul Potts fansite

Yes, add http://www.paulpottsfanclub.com/ this is the best fansite i know. :P —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.109.117.85 (talk) 04:32, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Interview on When Britain First Had Talent

The programme was shown last night, the interview can be seen here. There may be some material that could be used in the article, but please remember that linking to the YouTube video would be against our policy of not linking to copyright violations. J Milburn (talk) 16:54, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Paul Potts Resigns from Carphone Warehouse March 2008

On his blog at http://www.paulpottsuk.com/blog/2008/03/06/my_latest_news#comment_form , Paul states in his first March 2008 entry that he has officially resigned from Carphone Warehouse now. Eight months since Britain's Got Talent... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.17.252.73 (talk) 12:52, 10 March 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Tour dates???????

Can we please have these removed? Wikipedia is not, so far as I am aware, a site devoted to adverts. 82.69.28.55 (talk) 14:01, 12 April 2008 (UTC)

Done. 123.243.72.161 (talk) 05:50, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
I removed these to the current date, but someone restored them back to January (which are obviously not tour dates as they have passed). I'm removing them again, and suggest the disagreeing editor (left message on their talk page) justify in talk why this outdated information should be replaced in the article. --Faith (talk) 03:11, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
Removed again. It's enough to mention he's on tour which we do. A link to an external site with the tour dates is a better idea. Exxolon (talk) 19:23, 22 May 2008 (UTC)