10 Things You Should Know About ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Winner Paul Potts

Opera singer Paul Potts made history as the first winner of Britain’s Got Talent back in 2007. He’s accomplished quite a bit since the series, so here’s 10 things you should know about Paul Potts.

The Bristol, England native grew up singing in choirs before ever taking to the Britain’s Got Talent stage. In his adult years, he’s noted that singing was his escape from bullying. Since finding his passion young, this opera singer has made it into his day job.

1. He Won ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Season One

Some would say it was clear that he won the compeition during this first performance of “Nessun Dorma” on the BGT stage. The audience went absolutely insane for this singer. Piers Morgan told Potts that if his performances following the audition were similar, he would make it far as a fan favorite. Morgan was right in his prediction, the phone salesman became a fan favorite and went on to win the compeition.

2. He’s Been in the Royal Variety Performance Twice

Every winning BGT act is invited to partake in that year’s Royal Variety Performance, but Potts is one of a select few to perform more than once. He originally performed in the 2007 show following his win, but was invited back in 2012. Potts was part of a collaboration featuring several winners and finalists from the BGT to celebrate the event’s centennial anniversary.

3. He Competed on The King of The Masked Singer in 2018

Britain’s Got Talent isn’t the only reality talent show Potts has popped up on! He appeared on the Korean program King of Mask Singer in 2018. This series is the inspiration behind the modern day The Masked Singer.

At the time, the compeition featured eight celebrities disguised with a mask while they sing. He was revealed as Justice Bao on the Korean series.

4. He Shares The Stage With Other Notable Artists

Potts has performed everywhere from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, to various Italian cities on tour, to subways stations and even more. While in these locations, he often gets the chance to share the stage with other artists like classical and crossover singers Katherine Jenkins and Hayley Westenra. On top of performances, he’s worked with several artists of different musical genres, like pop singer Carola Häggkvist, on collaborations.

5. He’s Released Multiple Albums

To this day, Potts dropped seven albums in total. His most recent release was a Christmas album entitled Winter Dreams. Although Potts hasn’t released new music to screaming in a few years, he currently has over 94,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and is actively sharing videos on YouTube.

6. He Competed on America’s Got Talent: The Champions

Potts returned to the Got Talent stage nearly 10 years after his Britain’s Got Talent win. This time, he took the chance to compete in America for America’s Got Talent: The Champions in 2019. In the series, he revisited his BGT origin story. Ahead of his BGT audition he was in an accident that resulted in whiplash and a broken collarbone. The accident fueled his passion for the compeition.

This opera singer performed “Caruso” by Lucio Dalla during the AGT: The Champions preliminary round and received a standing ovation from all four judges. He was voted into the finals, but was eliminated along with Angelica Hale and Preacher Lawson.

7. James Corden Played Him in A Movie

In 2013, Potts’ biographical film, One Chance, premiered. The film, directed by David Frankel (Known for The Devil Wears Prada) and was shot in both the United Kingdom and Italy. Potts is portrayed by actor and talk show host, James Corden. This film has a 63% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is said to have made $89.7K in the United States box office since its release to streaming in 2015.

8. He’s a Nature Photographer

When first clicking on to Potts social media, you’ll notice that a lot of his photos feature a landscape of some kind. Photography is merely one of Potts’ talents in 2022. While it doesn’t appear that he’s shot all of the social media photos on his camera, he does love to keep photos of the places he’s travelled to.

When he shares photos from his cameras he typically specifies whether it was shot on his Pentax 645z or his Fujifilm GFX100S within the caption. Potts is currently selling multiple photos for both license and print.

9. He Found Success With His Debut Album

Many Got Talent winners are successful immediately after winning, but Potts gives success a different definition. Following his win he released his debut album, One Chance. The album peaked at No. 1 on the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden charts. The same album peaked at number 23 in the United States.

Following the immediate success on the project, One Chance has since been certified Platinum in the U.K. and Australia, two times Platinum in Sweden, and five times Platinum in Germany.

10. He Wasn’t Always a Phone Salesman

Prior to auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent, Paul spent a few years working in politics. He served as a councillor for the Eastville ward of the Bristol City Council from 1996 until 2003. He was a Liberal Democrat councillor and was also the youngest in the Bristol City Council at the time. While serving, he continued to perform music as part of the amateur company Bath Opera.

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