Jonathan Ansell was part of four-man operatic group G4, which came second in the 2004 version of the TV talent contest, and his debut solo album Tenor at the Movies has beaten off competition from established singers to take the number one spot.

The record, which features famous film theme tunes, also stormed into the pop albums chart at number nine.

The 25-year-old said he was delighted by the album's success, and is now in talks to star as his idol Luciano Pavarotti in a tribute show in Las Vegas.

"It's incredibly exciting," he said.

"I'm completely over the moon that I could have been a student three and a half years ago and now I'm top of the classical charts. It's a childhood dream come true."

At the same age, other famous tenors had enjoyed rather less success: Russell Watson was working as a bolt-cutter and singing in working men's clubs, while Pavarotti was a footballer studying opera.

Ansell, who grew up in Bognor Regis, East Sussex, formed G4 with three friends while studying at the Guildhall School of Music.

They busked in London's Covent Garden before achieving stardom through the X Factor - where Mr Nasty Simon Cowell predicted stardom for Ansell.

His ultimate ambition is to perform at the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, he said.

Source: PA