A teacher’s pub karaoke rendition of the opera classic Nessun Dorma was so good that it went viral—and also earned the attention of producers from Britain’s Got Talent.
37-year-old Benjamin Gillham had been out drinking in Liverpool, celebrating the birthday of his friend Laura Beever. The two went for drinks, and then decided to do some karaoke.
The duo rocked up to Cooper’s Town House pub on April 7th where they performed one song each before Beever signed Gillham up for the iconic Puccini aria “without him knowing.”
Captured on a phone video, Gillham puts on a magical display inside the small pub with an audience of 12 people, leading some (like the lady in white seated next to him) to tears before receiving a standing ovation.
The pub later uploaded the video on social media, and it has since racked up over 3 million views, with thousands of enthralled watchers leaving comments. (Watch the clip with its dramatic climax below…)
Gillham, from the Wirral Peninsula just outside the city, has since told how producers from BBC One’s The Voice UK and ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent have got in touch asking if he would like to apply to perform on their shows.
“The response has been incredible, social media can be soul-destroying but it has been really nice seeing all the comments about my voice,” said Gillham, who explained that Beever had asked him if he wanted to sing the aria, but then signed him up queued it up anyway after he declined.
“I had a couple of drinks, and there was a chance that the top notes wouldn’t have come out. But now I have her to thank, really as the video went viral.”
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He then became a creative arts teacher at special education school Foxfield School, in Merseyside, which he says he “loves.”
“Seeing the joy that music brings, it means too much to them, it is a lovely place to work.”
The singer says the video has reignited his passion for singing and hopes it will bolster his career.
As a teenager, Gillham dreamed of being a professional singer, and in fact did several auditions for The Voice, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent, but was never accepted.
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“No one expected the video to land the way it did. The standing ovation at the end, even the woman next to me who was reduced to tears.”
“It has been quite emotional for me receiving all the comments about my voice, and then to be contacted by the talent show was just an incredible feeling. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next.”
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