Sobs All ‘Round As Mum Buys Opera-Singing Bullied Son A Curry

We were reading yesterday about Britain’s Got Talent‘s latest sob-story contestant – a schoolboy from the council estates, Andrew Johnston, who is bullied for singing opera and choral at church – and thinking the whole thing smacked rather strongly of spin. Paul Potts Syndrome, if you will.

That was until we a) saw him sing, and b) read the follow-up story on today’s news.com.au coverage, and started blubbling like babies at his mum’s reaction to the fuss over her talented son. Call us softies (and you’d be right), but we don’t think there’s anything that isn’t geniune about mum Morag’s response:

“This has been an expensive day for us, traveling down to the audition, but it’s so special for him – it’s something he will never forget,” she said.

“Now we’ll go back on the train in luxury, and we’ll get him an Indian meal. It’s all he’s been talking about.

“He does a paper round, but to say ‘well done’ I’ll buy him the computer game he’s been saving up for. And he can put the money toward buying a cage for his hamster Chubby instead.

“I’m so proud of him today. He has a brilliant voice. But no matter what he sounds like, he’s still just a young boy at heart.”

The train! A curry for dinner! A computer game! A CAGE FOR HIS HAMSTER CHUBBY!

Seriously, this is worse than that Hallmark ad with the old lady crying across the road, or the ducklings in the Kleenex box.

If Johnston doesn’t win this series of Talent, clearly the people of Britain have no hearts.