Britain's Got Talent star Susan Boyle thrills Birmingham

Jun 14 2009 by Jonny Greatrex, Sunday Mercury

IT was a last minute decision, but Susan Boyle managed to make it onto the stage in Birmingham for the first night of Britain’s Got Talent.

And the Scottish spinster wowed fans at the National Indoor Arena on Friday with her performance of I Dreamed A Dream and Memory from the musicals Les Miserables and Cats respectively.

There had been doubts about the 48 year-old’s fitness to perform after she became ill with exhaustion.

But that did not stop the audience from enjoying the show.

Ian and Daphne Garrod, from Nuneaton, Warwickshire were impressed with all the acts.

Coach driver Ian, 55, said: “Brilliant, absolutely brilliant, it was a great show. They all seemed so much better on the stage than when you see them on the TV.

“We liked them all but my favourite is definitely Diversity.”

Human resources manager Daphne, 49, said: “I really like Julian Smith but in last week’s final I voted for him and Holly as well.

“I did not think Susan Boyle was going to be here. She is definitely very popular.

“She must have been under a lot of pressure.”

Tom Byrne, 49, watched the show with his wife Dawn, 46, and son Joe, 12, from Hampton in Arden, near Solihull.

Tom, who runs his own electrical engineering firm, said: “We loved Flawless, they were absolutely brilliant live.

“We bought our tickets before the show even started on TV, I think it was in February.