INTERVIEW: Britain's Got Talent

And it couldn't have happened to a nicer, more grounded, more deserving young man.

Now George Sampson, 14, and the nine other acts that reached the final are off on a 18-date tour around the UK which is at the Brighton Centre on June 9 and will finish at the Newcastle Arena on June 23.

And nobody could be more surprised to find himself topping the bill than George himself.

"Honestly," he says, "I never thought I'd win. I'm never normally nervous. But when it came to the final and I looked into that camera, I was thinking this would be the largest crowd I'd ever perform for. My heart was hammering. But then I saw the three judges smiling away and I thought: 'Just go for it!'

"When my name was read out, my mind went blank. It felt as if I was in a dream. Then the two guys from Signature came over and shook my hand and I realised it was for real.

"But I'm still on a bit of a cloud. I'm existing on adrenaline at the moment because my head's spinning and it's difficult to sleep. A couple of weeks ago, I was just a 14-year-old lad from Warrington. And now all this. It's crazy!"

If George's words come out in a tumble, it's easy to understand why. He says his world has been turned upside down and he's not talking about his break-dancing routine. But, typically, he's modest about his own talents. "I'm not a born dancer," he says. "I've got no natural flair. I've got where I am because I've worked hard."

And the credit for that, says George, can be placed at the feet of an inspirational teacher, Royston Swann '“ universally known as Swanny '“ who taught dance at the local high school. "Swanny was only 41 when he died from pneumonia two years ago," says George. "That was the worst thing that's ever happened to me. It hit me really hard.

"Swanny had always told me never to give up, to stay strong, to stay determined. So, as I danced my Singin' in the Rain routine in the final, I told myself I was doing it for Swanny. I'm not sure where he is now but I knew in some way he was up there smiling down on me. He knows I won and that makes me feel good."

George has pledged to pay off his mum's mortgage but how's he going to treat himself? "I've got a dance troupe called Access 2 All Areas '“ or A2AA '“ with my sister, Rosie, and two others. I want to take them to LA. America is the home of break-dancing. And I plan to buy a summerhouse to put in the garden. It'll have electricity and a TV and be my own private den to which I can invite mates to sleep over. Mum says no girls. But we'll see!"

George suffers from a mild form of Scheuermann's disease which can cause curvature of the spine but his doctors have given him the all-clear to undertake the tour.

"I'm looking forward to touring the UK and appearing in the Royal Variety Show," he says. "I'll sit my GSCEs next summer and then go to dance college. I'd like to meet Paul Potts who won the competition last year and get his advice; he's a real hero of mine."

George has won the respect of everyone involved in the competition and that includes Suleman Mirza, 29, and Madhu Singh, 34, who make up second-placed Signature. "He's a great guy," says Suleman, "and I'm pleased a dance act won the contest. This was an old-style variety show but with cutting edge acts, as people will discover if they come and see us on tour."

Suleman, a trainee lawyer, and Madhu, who works for PC World, first got together when each was auditioning for a show at the Millennium Dome. "We admired each other's work," says Madhu, "and then decided to try a fusion of the sort of Michael Jackson songs Suleman likes and the bhangra music I enjoy."

They were astonished, they say, to find themselves as runners-up in such a major competition. "The day before the final," reveals Suleman, "we had a call from Tito Jackson '“ some of the Jacksons are living in Barnstaple in Devon at the moment '“ wishing us good luck."

Then two days later, there was a text. "It said: 'Michael is aware of your act. He thinks you guys are awesome.' Isn't that incredible?" says Madhu. "Now, our dream is to work with him on his comeback tour."

Do well in Britain's Got Talent and your dreams really can come true, it seems. Young Andrew Johnston, 13, would like little better than a career like his hero's, Andrea Bocelli. "I can think of nothing better," says Andrew, "than singing all over the world."

And he's not worried what will happen to his voice when it breaks. "It will deepen but I hope it will also expand." The head chorister at Carlisle Cathedral is his own harshest critic, though. "People say I have the voice of an angel but I don't really believe that. I'm sure I can improve."