Paul Potts: Was he a success?

Paul Potts might have had a film made about the story of his life – all the way from Carphone Warehouse employee to international recording artist – but was the first ever winner of 'Britain's Got Talent' actually a success? Let's have a look at the numbers...

[James Corden: One Chance producers had to stop me singing]

First album
Potts's first album 'One Chance' was released just a few weeks after his 'Britain's Got Talent' win in June 2007, and sold a whopping 125,000 copies in its first week. It went on to sell 3.5 million copies in all. It went at least double platinum in five countries (an impressive five times platinum in Germany) and went to number one in nine countries. There was also the small matter of the £100,000 prize money he won from the show. But despite his public wealth, his bank wouldn't give him an overdraft until he received the money because he was in around £30,000 worth of debt at the time.

After BGT
Off the back of the success of both 'Britain's Got Talent' and 'One Chance', the former Bristol City Lib-Dem councillor was catapulted into the international spotlight, thanks in no small measure to his audition clip on YouTube, which scooped over 115 million views. He appeared on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' and began performing around the world. In the year after winning 'Britain's Got Talent, he played sell-out concerts in 85 cities in 27 countries.

Passione
Potts' second album 'Passione' was released in 2009, but it didn't quite reach the dizzy heights of its predecessor. It went gold, selling 7,500 copies in a week, but rather considerably fewer than the 125,000 of 'One Chance'. It also sold 20,000 copies in Sweden and more than 16,000 in the US. It went to number one in New Zealand, but it only peaked at number five in the UK.

Dropped from Syco
Despite his first album flying off the shelves, Potts was dropped by Simon Cowell's Syco label in August 2010, following what some said was the SuBo effect, Susan Boyle becoming a rival to Potts' audience and taking up the lion's share of Cowell's attention. Though it was reported that Cowell and Potts did not see 'eye to eye' on his future, Potts denied such rumours and said the split was amicable.

[James Corden stars as Paul Potts in One Chance trailer]

Cinema Paradiso
He released another album after leaving Syco – covers of movie music called 'Cinema Paradiso' – in 2011. There are no published sales figures for the album, but it currently ranks at a rather lowly 287,257 on the Amazon best-seller list.

One Chance
Potts received an advance from the production of the film of his life, the Harvey Weinstein-produced 'One Chance', and he will also get a percentage of the profits from the film, but has remained tight-lipped on the figures. The movie itself concludes not long after his 'Britain's Got Talent' win, as he prepares to perform at the Royal Albert Hall.

Big In Japan
Potts is indeed still very big in Japan. And Korea and Germany, where he remains a big draw, and regularly sells out his concerts, but according to reports a comeback tour of the UK was cancelled last month. He still lives in Port Talbot in South Wales, but he now also has a home in the Lake District too. He's thought to have amassed a fortune of £7 million.

Watch our interview with 'One Chance' star James Corden, below.