Susan Boyle put West Lothian on the map

May 21 2009 by Alistair Watson, West Lothian Courier

SINGING sensation Susan Boyle has well and truly put West Lothian on the map.

Phone calls, e-mails and letters have flooded in from around the world wishing the Blackburn songbird well in her quest to win TV talent show Britain’s Got Talent.

Her video on Youtube has now been viewed over 100 million times – and is on course to be the most viewed of all time on the website.

But she is just the latest in a long line of talented musicians, actors and sportsmen and women who hail from the county.

Here, the Courier celebrates just some of them.

SINGERS

Susan Boyle has some competition on this front with 2007 X Factor winner Leon Jackson just down the road in Whitburn. The talented 20 year old won the fourth series of the popular TV talent show and the hearts of the nation with his vocal skills. He went on to have a Christmas number one single with When you Believe and late last year released an album called Right Now.

Kerry McGregor from Pumpherston was also an X Factor star in 2006 when she made the final 10 of the show.

And in last year’s Britain’s Got Talent, Andrew Muir put Fauldhouse on the map when he got to the final of the show. The singing plumber wowed audiences with his performances and is currently in the process of recording his own album.

ACTORS

Film director Michael Caton-Jones was born in Broxburn and attended St Mary’s Primary School. He directed Hollywood blockbusters Scandal, Rob Roy and Memphis Belle.

Although raised in Paisley, David Tennant, now most famous as Doctor Who, was born in Bathgate when his father the Very Right Reverend Doctor Sandy McDonald was minister at the town’s St David’s church.

He spent his formative years in St David’s manse on Marjoribanks Street and has gone on to star in Casanova and has etched his name in science fiction folklore as perhaps the greatest Doctor Who.

Bathgate also claim Australian actress Isla Fisher as their own. The flame haired former star of Home and Away spent the first year of her life in the town before her parents emigrated to Perth, Australia. She has gone on from the Australian soap to star in Hollywood films such as Wedding Crashers and Confessions of a Shopaholic.

MUSIC

Last year, West Lothian’s Schools Brass Band won the prestigious Scottish Youth Brass Band Championships for the fourth consecutive year.

And West Calder High School’s Wind Band won a gold award at this year’s national concert band festival in Cardiff.

MODELS

West Lothian has a wealth of talent in the modelling world.

Livingston’s Ashley Brown is starring in Living TV series Britain’s Next Top Model and is one of the favourites to be crowned the country’s next catwalk queen. The gorgeous mother-of-two is this year’s Miss West Lothian and a former junior world Tae Kwon Do champion.

Kimberley Thomson from Whitburn is making waves in the industry with many successful ad campaigns and photo-shoots. The stunning teenager made the final 12 of this year’s Miss Scotland competition and is in talks to join a girl band.