Talent

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MY MATE MATT – HELPING HAMBO

England's Matt Hampson was an emerging talent, until the moment that changed his life suffering a dislocation in his neck which trapped his spinal cord leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, Barney has walked miles for his friend Matt and is about to do so again in the Canal Path Walk to the Guiness Premiership Final 2009

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Public take on the judges over Strictly and X-factor stars

One has the dancing ability of a wooden horse; the other a voice that could scare a wooden horse. But that hasn't stopped the former political journalist John Sergeant and Daniel Evans, a 38-year-old widowed pool cleaner, from dominating Britain's two top-rated talent shows.Tonight, 64-year-old Sergeant will perform the American Smooth in week nine of BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing, much to the chagrin of even the kindest judge: Len Goodman has despaired of Sergeant's longevity, saying "this isn't Help the Aged, you know". He has become such a draw that yesterday the bookmaker William Hill was offering "Sergeant Specials": odds of 6-1 that he scores no points tonight; 3-1 that he scores the lowest points tally in the history of the programme; 10-1 that he makes it into the final just before Christmas; and 33-1 that he wins the whole thing.Over on ITV1, Evans has made it into the X Factor's final seven after invoking the memory of his dead wife throughout the earlier rounds. Fans of Laura White, one of the better singers, were so incensed after her exit last week that 50,000 signed a petition complaining to Ofcom, the independent television regulator. The programme makers insist that there were no irregularities; the simple fact was that far more viewers voted for Evans than White. But the bookmakers believe that his popularity won't last - William Hill has given him the worst odds of all - 50/1 to win the series.Not all that long ago, television producers could ask for an audience's opinion and then choose to ignore it - whether it was what to name Blue Peter's new kitten or who should win the public vote at the British Comedy Awards. But ever since TV companies have been fined for misdemeanours involving viewer participation, what the public wants, the public gets. Which is how it has come to this.Half the votes on Strictly Come Dancing go to the judges, with the rest in the hands of the public. So as Sergeant is reliably at the bottom of the pile after the judges have had their say, he needs more public support than Holby City's Tom Chambers, who has regularly been at the top. X Factor viewers initially have the power; then at the end of the show the judges will choose who to save between the two least popular acts.For some viewers, the joke is wearing thin. On the BBC's online message board, many were incensed by the prospect of Sergeant winning the show. Fanofdancing wrote: "This programme is called Strictly Come Dancing not Strictly Entertainment. If it's a popularity contest then why bother to have any dancing at all? People who think it's funny to vote for him are spoiling the competition for those who are lovers of dance." Clive Hurt, who runs the CJ School of Ballroom Dance in Cambridge, said: "He is a good social dancer, but for him to go to the final would be like a pensioner competing at the European athletics. It might be rather enchanting, but it wouldn't be right."But Sergeant has some influential fans. The Sun columnist Kelvin Mackenzie urged his readers to vote for "this bullied senior citizen". And despite singing Sergeant's praises under the rather unfortunate headline "Why all women love an ugly man", Esther Ranzten explained the secret of his success. "He makes male viewers of a certain age who, like him, are not as skinny as they once were, feel good about themselves." She added: "He makes female viewers laugh and want to cuddle him."Sergeant says he was "a bit startled" by all the fuss. "We are trying to do our best and if the audience like us, that can't be wrong under the rules of the show," he said. "The point here is whether the judges can keep to the spirit as well as the letter of the rules. It is funny how judges both in real life and on Strictly Come Dancing lose touch with the views of ordinary people."Tale of the tapeName John SergeantAge 64Occupation Former political journalistFamily Married with two sonsNot to be confused with The Churchill insurance dog, a gnome, Jo BrandLow point Dragging his dance partner along the floor like a mop during the paso dobleName Daniel EvansAge 38Occupation Pool cleanerFamily Wife died after giving birth to their daughterNot to be confused with David Brent, Rick Astley's dadLow point It was revealed he got two girls pregnant in five monthsReality TVOfcomTelevisionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds