Secondary school teacher Tom Ball wowed the judges and audience alike with this voice on Sunday’s episode of , leading some viewers to compare him to .
The 23-year-old from West Sussex auditioned for the show with the support of his dad and fiancé.
His unassuming attitude made for an amusing mix-up when misheard his name as ‘Tumble’, with the judge also struck by how happy he looked.
‘I’m very excited, I’m really excited!’ he shared.
Tom also revealed that his students didn’t know he was there as he wanted it to ‘be a surprise’, agreeing that he would just have to accept it if things went ‘badly’.
However, taking on Sam Smith’s Bond theme Writing’s on the Wall, the singer blew the judges and audience away right from his first few notes (and mastered those top ones).
With the audience at the London Palladium on their feet applauding after his first verse, viewers at home were equally struck by the quality of his voice.
‘First weep at #BGT well done Tom Ball,’ wrote one fan, adding: ‘I can see him as the new Susan Boyle.’
‘We’ve just seen the next #SusanBoyle moment on #BGT,’ commented another, telling Tom to ‘hold your head high’.
‘Tom Ball = Susan Boyle. Absolutely AMAZING! Well done fella!,’ wrote another viewer.
Susan Boyle famously left the judges open-mouthed with her stunning voice during her 2009 audition for the show, which was , when she sang I Dreamed a Dream from the stage musical Les Misérables.
She went on to finish second on the show, behind dance troupe Diversity, and has since achieved three top 10 UK albums, releasing her eighth – Ten – in 2019.
The judges were full of praise for Tom, with commenting: ‘Who knew what a powerhouse you were? That was an exceptional audition, one of the best singers we have auditioned in the past 16 years.’
told Tom she felt ‘really moved’ by his performance, while Simon praised Tom’s personality alongside his talent.
‘There’s something very likable about you,’ he said. ‘I don’t think there’s a single person in this room who wanted you to fail.’
‘I’m so happy you came, I’m so happy,’ he added.
– who had earlier delighted audiences with the introduction of audition, – remarked that Tom’s kids were ‘lucky’ to have him teaching them.
The singer was sent through to the next stage with four resounding yeses from the judging panel, or as Simon put it, taking in the audience’s reaction: ‘I think yu’ve got about 4,000 yeses.’
Elsewhere on the episode, of the series, with the media and music mogul praising him for making what he dubbed the first ‘actually funny’ joke about Covid.
Britain’s Got Talent continues at 8pm next Saturday on ITV.
