Susan Boyle

Reality TV has thrown up some unlikely success stories but none more extraordinary than Susan Boyle. The judges sniggered when a dowdy-looking middle-aged woman stood in front of them in the 2008 Britain's Got Talent heats in Glasgow and sharpened their wisecracks, clearly anticipating one of the unintentionally bad acts that give the show its comedic element. But despite a troubled background involving learning difficulties Boyle - whose singing had largely been confined to her local catholic church - proved she did indeed have an incredible talent, amazing everyone as she launched into I Dreamed A Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Within days she was a YouTube sensation, her performance getting 2.5 million views in the first 72 hours and she was dubbed "SuBo". She found her sudden fame difficult to deal with and, immediately after finishing second to dance group Diversity in the Britain's Got Talent final, was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. She recovered to release a single Wild Horses and debut album I Dreamed A Dream for Christmas, 2009.