It has saddened me greatly to read about the way Susan Boyle has apparently been affected by the publicity (both positive and negative) following her winning the first round.

The public's reaction to her was such an unprecedented overnight, immediate phenomenon. I do wish she, or someone close to her (her singing teacher, perhaps) had seen the sense in engaging an agent/personal manager immediately after the first show. I hope she is getting one now. She could have been saved from so much. An agent would steer her through the minefield of publicity interviews, the reading (or not !) of press articles and so on, and would advise her on the wisdom (nor not !) of making any instant changes to her appearance and would advise her on the best choice of song and so on.

An agent would also tell her that losing the contest would definitely not make her a "loser". It was a different kind of contest and contestant, I know, but all of the main contenders in the "Maria" contest have gone on to major roles in the West End and national tours.

An agent would also prepare her for the kind of "public" she would be meeting. Not long ago, I heard two actresses speaking who had each been famous long-running characters in "Casualty" and "Brookside" respectively. They were saying how people would camp outside their doors, acost them in shops, make critical remarks about their appearance and so on. One of them had gone on to work in classical theatre with Derek Jacobi and asked him how he coped with the public's attention after "Cadfael" when out and about. He said it rarely happened: "Different sort of audience, my dear."

However the finals of "Britain's Got Talent" turn out, there is certainly a performing future for Susan Boyle and I do hope she is able to take the opportunity to pursue it, with proper professional guidance.

- jeanie