The final was always going to be a tense occasion. At the end of the day, it was question of whether it would come down to quality of performance or the forceful personalities of the mentors.

With two hours to fill, it was obvious there would be a fair amount of padding but it was ten minutes before they even managed to get all the judges out and one was left wondering when we’d actually hear a song.

The first commercial break came before a note had been sung and I found myself drifting to BBC One where Del and Rodney were in full flow. Such was the slow start to the final that I was inclined not to drift back.

Steve – Higher and Higher

Eighteen minutes into the show and we get a song. Was it worth the wait? Not really. I’ve accused Steve of heading to Russ Abbot territory before; this was pure Shane Ritchie. After an opening bordering on the flat, we had end of the pier histrionics and all the choir behind him did was to highlight just how inadequate the performance was.

You can’t tackle Jackie Wilson stuff if you’re devoid of soul.

A poor start.

G4 – Nessun Dorma
A professional enough job though it did seem to mark their transition from group ensemble to Jonathan’s backing singers. Jonathan has a good voice but he’ll never be a Carreras or a Pavarotti and if you take this song, that’s who you’ll get compared too.

End of Round One
On performance, G4 were easily ahead at this stage. As for the judges, Simon was coming across in a better light than Louis.


Steve – Smile
Much, much safer ground for Mister Brookstein, as he reprised one of his better performances from the earlier rounds.

To me, that sparkle was still missing but this was far more enjoyable than his first effort.

G4 – Bohemian Rhapsody
Quite why they came out dressed as Reservoir Dogs is a bit of mystery but this was a much better effort than they gave last week.

If there was a negative, Jonathan was now becoming such a front man that you’d have to question whether they still qualified for the group category at all.

End of Round Two
G4 still had the edge over Steve at this juncture while Simon was still ahead of Louis in the mentor stakes.

It was looking close.

Robert Unwin – Tragedy
The chicken factory worker ruled the roost with a singing style that made Joe Pasquale’s voice seem low key.

It may be unusual but had as much musical merit as some of Tabby’s vocal efforts.

Robert was a great sport and provided excellent entertainment.

Steve – Against All Odds
What an appropriate title. Ooh dear. Has he got a bad throat? Did he stumble over the words? Would his improved performance as the song went on cover the dodgy start? No idea really, but I’ll be honest, I expect something better than this from a finalist in a show this big.

It just wasn’t good enough. At this stage I knew I’d be outraged if Steve won.

Worryingly, I thought Sharon’s vicious attack on Steve would actually gain him votes.

G4 – Creep
I loved the version of this they did in Dublin. I haven’t kept that episode of the show but I’m damn sure that Jonathan wasn’t leading that day.

The magic of that Dublin performance, indeed the magic of G4 as an ensemble has been completely swept away as Jonathan has become the focus of all the attention. They’ve lost something precious on this journey and I think that’s a massive shame.

This was good but they’ve done it so much better in the past.

End of Round Three
G4 were by now way ahead on the night’s performances, so far in fact that I hoped the judges’ egos wouldn’t hamper the result. It quickly began to look like a forlorn hope as Mrs. Osbourne’s comments had inflamed the nation.


Meanwhile on BBC One…
Go on, admit it, you were switching channels all night too.

Yes, it was Strictly Come Dancing as various celebs cut a rug and no, I’m not talking about Brucie’s barnet.

I was rooting for Denise Lewis throughout, partially because I think she’s incredibly sexy and a terrific dancer but mainly because I’ve never forgiven Jill Halfpenny for splitting Gail and Martin up in Coronation Street.

So there.

Jill and dance partner Darren were the (apparently worthy) winners.

…and back over on ITV1
So here it was, the result show and judging by the mood on the forums in the intervening hour, Sharon’s tirade against Steve earlier in the evening had done him a massive favour, with even people who weren’t impressed with him being driven to cast multiple votes.

So Steve was pronounced the winner, a travesty given the performances on the night.

His terrible reprise of Against All Odds at the end put the tin lid on it.

Totally unprofessional.