Wawffactor

Revision as of 18:50, 20 February 2008

Host

Co-hosts

Judges: Owen Powell, Bethan Elfyn (2005-, Aled Haydn Jones, Huw Chiswell (2006-), Emma Walford (2003-4), Peredur ap Gwynedd (2003-5)

Vocal coach: Caryl Parry Jones

Broadcast

Al Fresco for S4C, 2003-

Synopsis

Straight off the back of ITV's announcement that Pop Idol won't be coming back and well before ITV's announcement of The X Factor, S4C swallows a little bit of its pride and comes up with this more bearable show. Wawffactor doesn't go looking for a singer, it's looking for more of a singing performer - the dancing and singing go hand in hand, although the singing is all the more dominant.

In Wales, the series doesn't mean the world to contestants as much as The X Factor does. There's no £1 million contract, which invariably means no excruciatingly tearful pleas of 'Please, it really means the world to me'. It's more of a platform for any aspiring young singers, which works especially in Welsh-speaking Wales. Most of the contestants don't follow the traditional route of the Eisteddfods yet it is available to them - so not making the next stage is more of a tiny knock than the big overblown tragedy it is to some of those involved in The X Factor.

The format is simple - hundreds take part in a series of auditions around Wales - all of them auditioning in front of four judges:

Owen Powell - former guitarist of Catatonia
Bethan Elfyn - Radio 1 DJ, sidekick to Huw Stephens
Aled Hadyn Jones (BB Aled) - Also from Radio 1 (best known from Chris Moyles) and also Entertainment reporter for BBC Radio Cymru
Huw Chiswell - senior musician

(N.B. Emma Walford was a judge in the first series, musician Peredur ap Gwynedd was a judge in the first two series and Bethan joined the panel in the second series)

Eventually, the hundreds that applied get whittled down to ten who take part in studio heats (with a studio audience of about 15!) The judges vote off one of the remaining singers every week. It's during this time that they recieve voice coaching sessions from profilic Flintshire singer-songwriter Caryl Parry Jones (who has also progressed to become Series Producer). The culmination is a live grand final from Cardiff (with a studio audience of certainly more than 15) with three remaining finalists. After the judges eliminate one of the finalists, the winner is decided by the now-obligatory phone vote.

Winners

2003-04 series winner: Lisa Pendrick - Following an album release, Lisa is concentrating on live performances and her own composing. She is also a reporter/researcher for Hacio, a late night current affairs programme produced by HTV for S4C.

2005 winner: Rebecca Trehearn - Released an album and then moved to London where she is currently performing in the cast of Queen musical, We Will Rock You.

2006 winner: Einir Dafydd - Also released a debut album and then disappeared for a while before coming back to win 2007's Can i Gymru (Song for Wales) competition.

Trivia

Despite the fact that both male and female contestants enter, the winner is always a woman. Both 2004 and 2005 grand finals featured three women. The 2006 grand final was the first to feature a male in the final three (Nathan Whiteley from Wrexham), but he was voted out by the judges.

Runner-up in the 2004 competition was one Aimee Duffy. In later years, she dropped her given name, secured a major-label deal, and burst into the public gaze with a number one single in early 2008.

Weblink

Official site - in Welsh and English

Feedback

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 Despite the fact that both male and female contestants enter, the winner is always a woman. Both 2004 and 2005 grand finals featured three women. The 2006 grand final was the first to feature a male in the final three (Nathan Whiteley from Wrexham), but he was voted out by the judges.
+Runner-up in the 2004 competition was one Aimee Duffy. In later years, she dropped her given name, secured a major-label deal, and burst into the public gaze with a number one single in early 2008.
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