An Irish singer had the audience moved to tears when he appeared on Britain’s Got Talent.
He was so good that head judge Simon Cowell even predicted a future on stages in the West End or Broadway.
Mark McMullan, of Co Down, performed a stunning rendition of ‘Bring Him Home’ from the classic musical Les Misérables.
There was a heart-breaking story behind the 23-year-old’s choice of song.
Mark’s older brother has suffered from locked in syndrome since falling ill six years ago.
He said: “Bring Him Home is a very personal song to me and my family. About six years ago my older brother took sick from a brain injury.
“He was left with a condition called locked in syndrome.
“He’s trapped inside his own body, the only thing he can really do is hear, so my music kind of became a big comfort for him.
“Half of me is here today for me to try to pursue my career in music – and the other half of me is here to do them proud.”
He certainly did them pound as his performance was met with a standing ovation from the audience as well as judges David Walliams, Alesha Dixon, Amanda Holden and Simon Cowell who all sent him through to the next round.
Cowell told Mark: “He’s lucky to have a brother like you. You brought meaning to that song I hadn’t thought about before.
“I tell you what I was really impressed with Mark is you managed to combine a real tenderness with that song and then went into the strength in the second half the performance.
“I wouldn’t be surprised off the back of this that you start getting calls from West End producers, possibly Broadway producers, because you’re that good.”
Take a look at the video below.
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling