Acting alumnus Finley stars on Britain's Got Talent with Elvis song

Finley, 21, received four yeses from judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and KSI after the audience at his Blackpool Winer Gardens audition went crazy as he belted out Elvis Presley’s Burning Love.

Since his performance, which was been viewed almost 500,000 times on the primetime Saturday night ITV talent show’s YouTube channel, Finley’s own social media follower numbers have soared and he is repeatedly getting stopped in the streets of his home city to talk about an audition that won the hearts of the nation.

He said: “It was nothing short of amazing, watching the show on TV on Saturday night. I was surrounded by my mum, dad, our family friend Derek and my girlfriend at home.

“The audition was back in October and, when I knew it was going to be aired, I was absolutely buzzing but, even if it hadn’t been on telly, the way the crowd reacted to me on the day would have been enough. Since the weekend, I’ve gone from having 4,000 followers on TikTok and Instagram to having 18,000 on TikTok and 10,000 on Instagram and I’ve also been tagged in so many videos.

“I went busking the day after the show was on TV and I couldn’t walk down the street without people stopping me and bringing the audition up. Even my dad was getting stopped as well!

“It was a weird feeling. All I have ever wanted is to have my music enjoyed by the people of York but, now, my dad is ringing me about 20 times a day to ask if I’ve seen this or that about me online. 

“I’m receiving message after message as well and am just trying my best to get through them all and reply. It’s been brilliant to have the support of my own people in York, but there’s even people from America that have been getting in touch!”

Finley, who studied Acting at College from 2021 to 2023 and gained a Distinction grade, admits he had to conquer chronic nerves before taking the stage in Blackpool.

“I was very, very nervous,” he confessed. “Just before I was going on stage, Ant & Dec came up to me and I had to put my hand over my mouth because I felt I was going to be sick.

“I was a bag of nerves and thought I was going to have a panic attack. I couldn’t even remember the words of the song, but I just remembered something that my dad had said to me.

“He told me to just treat it like I was busking so, as soon as I looked at it that way, I felt better.”

Before his performance, when asked by influencer KSI how he would spend the show’s £250,000 first prize if he won it, Fin answered that he would give half of it to his supportive and proud parents Darren and Lisa, who were pictured in the crowd.  

Singer Alesha then whispered to KSI and questioned whether he thought Finley rap based, before he wowed and shocked the whole theatre with his song choice and voice.

The audience were quickly up on their feet, as were judges Amanda and Alesha, although Finley didn’t allow himself a glance in their direction.

“When the music started playing, the audience were already clapping and I could hear them cheering when I started singing, so I couldn’t be more thankful for them,” Finley explained. “I didn’t want to look at the judges’ reactions, though, because I knew I might start overthinking it if I did and that might take me away from the performance.”

At the end of Finley’s performance, an excited KSI exclaimed: “Finley, where did that come from? That was not what I was expecting!

“I love that! That was amazing!”

He also jokingly asked if it was an original song, with Finley falling for his prank, whilst Alesha enthused: “What I loved most about that audition was how you responded when you saw the audience get behind you. Your confidence grew and it looked like you were having the best time of your life up there.”

Amanda added: “It was like an aerobic workout and I’m absolutely knackered!”

Finally, Simon observed: “The audience love you!”

Demonstrating his endearing charm and charisma, Finley also declared: “I love older generational music. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s my cup of tea and we love a cup of tea in Yorkshire!”

Reflecting yesterday on his song choice, Finley explained: “I love a bit of Elvis. I’ve always been a big fan and feel that his songs provide the biggest shock factor when I sing them.

“There was a lot of very talented people at the audition, so I knew my choice of song had to be something that gave me a bit of an edge and I believe people always want to get up and have a bit of a boogie. 

“It’s a cracking song and I wanted the audience to enjoy themselves. After I came off stage, my mum was crying. 

“I then went to the toilet to calm down and looked in the mirror and burst into tears myself, but they were happy tears.”

Speculation has already started, meanwhile, regarding what Finley might sing should he make it through to the live shows which determine who then progresses into May’s final, where the winner earns a spot on the bill at the annual Royal Variety Performance.

Offering a few clues to his former college, Finley said: “I’ve done what I’ve done now and, if it stops here in terms of Britain’s Got Talent, as long as I’ve made the people of York and Yorkshire proud of me, I’ll take that, but I’m passionate about what I do, so I would love to make the live shows and I’ve got my fingers crossed. 

“I think people would advise you at that point, but I love singing New York, New York so, maybe, it could be a bit of Sinatra, Dean Martin or even Tom Jones. I’d love to show the audience how I can perform something a bit more powerful.” 

Finley has performed at a lot of local pubs in and around York with his first gig staged at The Victoria Hotel.

He has also sung Burning Love and The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles at Liverpool’s world-famous Cavern Club. 

In the city centre, meanwhile, many York residents will have recognised Finley on TV as the busker with the “booming voice” who regularly entertains passers-by in St Helen’s Square and is often wrongly accused of miming Elvis songs! 

Nearby shop Porters have already taken to their social media accounts to congratulate Finley on his BGT audition and, in return, he is offering to promote their products, laughing: “I need some new clothes and I want to give back to my city anyway I can.

“The audition hasn’t changed anything for me. I’ll always want to go and busk in the city and sing to my people.”

He has inherited his singing talent from his mum, who is another well-known performer in York’s live music venues. 

Acting, however, has always been Finley’s biggest passion and led to his choice of college course at the age of 16.

He progressed onto the MetFilm School in Leeds, where he is currently studying a BA (Hons) Acting for Screen degree.

Admitting he was “way too nervous” to sing when he was younger, Finley credits College with giving him an all-round performance skillset and raising his confidence levels, citing two of our existing tutors Shannon Collins and Dale Osborne as being key factors in that evolution.

“The course gave me an all-round set of tools to develop personally,” he pointed out. “My skillset is more screen acting, so I really enjoyed filming duologues and monologues, but I also learnt a lot about how to perform on stage and your movement.

“Shannon was absolutely lovely and provided massive support for me. I was very anxious when I started the course, but College helped me a lot.

“I’ve always been an asker of questions and Shannon would sit down with me and answer all of them. Dale was also brilliant and a good laugh.

“He combined being a tutor with also being somebody you felt was a friend. I enjoyed my experience at College and always recommend it to people. 

“I gained confidence there and was encouraged to push myself to get where I am now at the MetFilm School.”

Whether Finley’s future lies in singing, acting or both now, following his life-changing audition, he is unsure but added: “A lot of doors are opening for me at the moment and I’ll be looking to release my own stuff at some point and bring back that older generation of music.”

Having been part of the same College cohort as Ollie Briscombe – who recently landed a major movie role in The Choral film written by Alan Bennett – Finley also identified another name for people to watch out for from the talented York College Class of 2023.

“Ollie is a really good friend of mine,” he said. " I love him to bits, so I’m buzzing to see him absolutely smash it.

“Everyone was committed to getting a great grade in our final year and we’ll all definitely be hearing about another one of our mates - Calum Davis - soon, too, because he’s a great actor.”

On seeing her former student turn into an overnight sensation, meanwhile, Shannon enthused: “Fin was a fantastic student, who went above and beyond. 

“He was always brimming with energy and full of enthusiasm for any challenge. He is a talented actor and was particularly strong at comedy. 

“In our final show, based on The Odyssey, he played the role of “Paris”, so he basically started the Trojan War! Fin has a huge personality and always made rehearsals fun and positive. 

“He also has an excellent work ethic, is determined and demonstrated commitment and dedication to every project he did. We first heard Fin do his interpretation of Elvis during his Audition unit where he performed Heartbreak Hotel and we were also completely surprised that voice could come out of him! 

“We’re so proud of him for pursuing his love of singing and of his performance on Britain’s Got Talent. We can’t wait to see if he progresses further. The whole Performing Arts department is rooting for you, Fin!”

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