Blessed is the Brian that impersonates Pavarotti……

Before I start, I’ll just make it quite clear that I am not a fan of ITV’s ‘Stars in your Eyes’. But when there is a celeb’ edition I do occasionally have a quick butchers – just to watch for the ‘cringe point’ – there always is one isn’t there?.... That’s the time when someone is on the box and they’re so embarrassing that you just have to put a cushion in front of you face and chant "Can’t hear, can’t hear" as loud as you can.

At least, on the Joe Public edition, there is a modicum of talent on show. "Young Billy Turner, a gas fitter from Bolton, who are you going to be?
"Tonight Mathew, I’m going to be Dame Nellie Melba"….

The ‘celeb’ edition is different – a lot different. The cringe point is much lower, much more achievable as someone from ‘Corry’ blows his or her credibility forever.

"And here is your host, Cat Deeley"… The intro’ credits have barely finished and I’m already reaching for the cushions. Yes, ego gets the better of talent as some zed list nobody is persuaded that they really can hit the same notes as Frank Sinatra. Or with a judicious bit of makee-uppy and the odd stick-on sideboard, you really will believe that Engelbert Humperdinck has just walked into the studio…

Saturdays edition, however, achieved a whole new standard of cringyness….. Brian Blessed was on.

"And tonight Cat, I’m going to be Luciano Pavarotti"…

Well that’s sounds easy then. All of a sudden, there isn’t a cushion to be had in our house - as the whole nation says "No, Brian, don’t do it.. just put the mike down and move slowly away"

I mean, suspension of belief is one thing. I just about believed that Brian, as leader of the ‘Winged People’ in ‘Flash Gordon’ had wings that could actually get his corpulent frame off the ground. Well, he had to didn’t he – otherwise he would never had uttered the films most memorable line "Gordon’s alive!"

But Pavarotti – that’s different gravy. Brian wobbles on - and now he's about to warble on. Well, he looks like the great tenor doesn’t he? I mean, he got a big floppy white hanky in his hand, he’s dressed head to toe in a penguin suit and he’s had some ‘stick-on’ comedy eyebrows stapled to his head.

And then he starts…..
The inhabitants of Alfie Towers chant in unison "La, la, la, can’t hear, can’t hear, can’t hear"….
Our collective heads are buried so low in our cushions that we are all in danger of committing some weird religious sect - type suicide pact. Well, if he doesn't stop 'singing', I'm going to kill myself!...

A new world record for ‘Cringyness’ has just been achieved.