E3 Group

Britain’s Got Talent has come to an end with Diversity being crowned this year’s champions. With the show finishing, you would expect the media storm surrounding the competition to die down but so far, it has simply gathered momentum, becoming a full blown hurricane. Susan Boyle is now in rehab for the stress of becoming an overnight success and every single act who participated in the final, and even some of the semi finalists, are now the nations hottest entertainment property. What has astounded me is how much the show has impacted on the media, the public and the entertainment business. Last week, E3 Artists reported record visits to the website from people hoping to hire Gareth Oliver and this morning, we even received a Dominoes Pizza leaflet encouraging customers to enter a Britain’s Got Talent competition to design a new pizza. BGT has shaken off its image as the poor relation of the X Factor and other reality TV shows to become the nation’s most watched and most debated programme.

At E3 Artists, the BGT fallout has been unprecedented. Aside from the Gareth Oliver enquiries, every day our team is taking countless requests to book, Shaun Smith, Flawless, Stavros Flatly and really, any BGT act that they can get their hands on. The Simon Cowell/ Piers Morgan press juggernaut is keeping every act firmly in the public eye and encouraging businesses of all shapes and sizes to associate their brand with the Britain’s Got Talent phenomenon. Following the unconfirmed report that Susan Boyle has been asked to perform at the White House, even international governments want to get in on the action and associate their office with the outpouring of good feeling to all the BGT acts.

Critics are levelling accusations of exploitation against the show, accusing them of publicising to death the likes of Susan Boyle while giving no emotional support to the acts thrust at lightening speed into the public eye. I am quite sceptical of exactly how exploitative the show really is. Isn’t the goal of all acts taking part to perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety performance? If that isn’t one of the most high profile moments of any entertainer’s career, I don’t know what is. I understand that people may not be prepared for a meteoric rise to fame like the one this series has awarded Susan Boyle, but why would anyone audition for this kind of competition without being in some way mentally prepared for and in fact, actively seeking fame? At any rate, it is clear that the runaway train that is Britain’s Got Talent is far from the home straight and acts like Susan Boyle and winners Diversity will have to be prepared for the international renown that is now obviously unavoidable. In future series’, The BGT team will have to give serious thought to the support available to these acts to help them deal with the stardom that is now so clearly unavoidable.

For details on booking BGT acts for corporate events please contact our London office.

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The Dora Bryan musical spectacular was held yesterday at Her Majesty’s Theatre London, and was a huge success. After weeks of hard work organising the celebrity performances and musical production numbers, the E3 team had spent many an hour trying to get things just right on the night and all the dedication really paid off. This was the first West End show produced by E3 Group and there were a lot of new experiences involved including an army of fans camped outside the theatre awaiting the arrival of the likes of Brian Conley, Anita Harris Rosemary Ashe, Sir Cliff Richard and of course, the lovely Dora herself.

The show opened with Zoë Tyler leading the cast in their rendition of a classic from one of Dora’s many musical turns, Hello Dolly, before E3 Group CEO David Hill began his duties as compère for the night. Comedian Johnny Casson, West End Star Rosemary Ashe and new face of musical theatre Mark Joseph then took to the stage, followed by a fabulous performance form Anita Harris. Steve Hewlett, comedy ventriloquist added some variety to the evening leaving the audience in hysterics with his array of vocal skills. The lovely Linda Lusardi then introduced her husband and singer Sam Kane whose performance was as powerful as his voice. Stars of Last of the Summer Wine, Jean Ferguson, Juliette Kaplin and Liz Frazer then reminisced about their time on set with Dora before Bryan Conley dazzled the audience with a true variety act. Singing, comedy and even fire swallowing comprised the show performed by one of the true kings of cabaret. The E3 dancers brought the first act down with the number Comedy Tonight from A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, one of Sondheim’s greatest shows.

The second act kicked off with Sir Cliff Richard performing an amazing, intimate solo set. Just Sir Cliff and his guitar filled the whole stage while he displayed that unquantifiable ability to get everyone singing along, no matter the situation. This was then followed by a sixties themed section recapturing the mood and feel of the decade which produced Dora’s iconic film A Taste of Honey. Dominic Halpin and The Honey B’s, a stylish combo, provided the music. Rita Tushingham appeared to reminisce on her staring role alongside Dora in the movie followed by the keyboardist Bobby Crush and comedienne Mia Carla. The students from GSA then dazzled the audience with their rendition of Coffee in a Carboard Cup, a performance worthy of any West End Stage. Dancing on Ice Judge Robin Cousins and electric comedy keys player Kev Orkian followed. Jill Martin then delivered a few anecdotes about her time working with Dora before the all star finale, Before the Parade Passes By, once again lead by Zoë Tyler, supported by the GSA students and the fantastic E3 dancers. Overall, the event was a fantastic success and a real demonstration of E3’s ability to adapt their skills to produce and manage any kind of event on the largest scale.

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• Sir Cliff Richard Confirmed for Dora Show (e3grouponline.com)
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