Judging by their reactions to him when he walked out onstage, it didn’t seem like any of the three Britain’s Got Talent judges expected much from 19-year-old IT engineer Michael Collings, who auditioned for the show in 2011. Michael McIntyre and Amanda Holden commented on how Collings’ outfit made it look like he was getting on a plane rather than doing an audition, while David Hasselhoff probed him about whether he thought he had the talent to get to the final of such a popular show.

However, when Collings started performing, McIntyre, Holden and Hasselhoff clearly regretted judging him based on their first impressions, with looks of awe spreading across their faces as he began to sing and play guitar. His chosen song was Tracy Chapman’s gorgeous ‘Fast Car’, which he really adapted into his own style. With his husky, endearing voice and pretty guitar plucks, Collings’ performance not only impressed the judges, but also received cheers and a standing ovation from the audience.

Before his audition, Collings had declared that he lived in a caravan park with his parents and had recently proposed to his fiancée at an all-you-can-eat buffet, two things which showed how down-to-earth he was and which obviously endeared him to the audience. His down-to-earth manner, however, may also have been the reason why the judges didn’t expect a great deal from him, with Holden actually saying, “I didn’t know what to expect from you, but I didn’t expect much to be honest”.

However, Collings passed the audition with a yes from all three judges, and went on to deliver numerous other brilliant performances during his time on the show, including an emotional rendition of Paul Weller’s ‘You Do Something To Me’ for the semi-final of the competition. Surrounded by dramatic stage smoke and dressed in a simple checkered shirt and jeans, Collings once again dazzled the judges and the audience with his stripped-back performance style and warm, soul-stirring voice.

Eventually, Collings placed fifth in the competition and took part in the Britain’s Got Talent tour after the show. Nowadays, he is clearly focused on being a family man, regularly posting updates about his family’s life on Instagram. He also regularly releases music under his own name and currently has over 25,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.