Wayne Denton relives his New Faces final thrill

By Monday evening the nation will know who has been crowned the latest winner of ITV's hit singing contest X Factor.

While the victor will be dreaming of a star-studded career in the pop industry, the date will have extra significance for one Black County singer.

It will be almost 25 years to the day since Cradley Heath-born performer Wayne Denton took to the stage in the final of the 'X Factor of its day' New Faces.

The ITV talent show launched the careers of stars such as Lenny Henry, Victoria Wood, Jim Davidson and Showaddywaddy.

Wayne, then aged 29, joined five other hopefuls in front of a national TV audience for the live final at Birmingham's Hippodrome Theatre on December 13, 1986.

And while Wayne, who now lives in Rowley Regis, did not win the overall show, he did go on to enjoy a long and successful career in the industry.

He is still performing today and also runs an artist management and entertainment consultant business in Causeway Green Road, Oldbury.

Viewers will be able to relive the night that helped set him on his way on Monday when BBC2 screens a Wonderland Special about the show called I Had The X Factor...25 Years Ago. "I was nervous," said Wayne, recalling his appearances on the show. "But I was also a bit sceptical about doing it. In my eyes I didn't think you could compare a singer against a comedian against an illusionist, for example.

"My opinion was if you had a very good comedian then they would win because people wanted a laugh."

Despite his reservations he won his heat in September performing the Neil Diamond hit Hello Again to book his place alongside 11 other hopefuls. Six of those appear in

Monday's documentary including fellow singers Julia A. Scott and James Stone, comedians Vinny Cadman and Billy Pearce and violinist Gary Lovini.The final was eventually won by comedian Duggie Small, who does not appear.

"It did give me a little bit of celebrity status locally," he said about booking his place in the final. "I had nice cards and good luck wishes from people."

"Looking at X Factor now, the acts get dancers, fireworks, massive bands," he said. "When I did New Faces, we got three minutes, and you might have had a band but there was no razzle dazzle."

He added that the money winners made also paled into comparison with the "astronomical" amounts today's victors can go on to make. But he is adamant the show opened doors for him.

Wayne had become a regular on the Black Country pub circuit, singing and playing guitar, since he left Rowley Regis Grammar School.

But following his stint on New Faces he found himself supporting 1980s comedy duo Cannon & Ball as well as Ken Dodd, Des O'Connor, Jim Davidson and Freddie Starr.

He also began travelling the world performing on cruise ships.

"I was playing major theatres doing support work. It wasn't great money but it was nice quality work."

Life in the entertainment industry has not always been so glamourous though and the life-long Wolves fan admits the constant travelling has taken its toll on previous relationships, including his first marriage to Vanessa.

"Me and Vanessa worked a double act called Spritzer and we did the cruise liners together," he said.

"We were together 24/7 in a small cabin. We were married for seven or eight years but that had an affect on us."

Happily, Wayne, aged 54, remarried earlier this year in the Ukraine and he now lives with his second wife Iuliia, aged 30, and her daughter Mylana, aged nine. These days Wayne spends a lot of his time running Wayne Denton Entertainments and as a John Denver tribute act. He feels his experiences over the last three decades have stood him in good stead for the job.

Among its duties, the company helps provide celebrities for store openings, after dinner speeches, fundraisers and meet and greets. Stars obtainable through the agency include Frank Bruno, Barbara Windsor and Des O'Connor.

But he still finds plenty of time to indulge his first love of performing recently returning from a gig in Ireland and set to fly to the Caribbean Monday for a cruise liner show.