11 FEBRUARY 2002
In a grand finale watched by more than 11 million viewers, Will Young emerged as the Pop Idol champ on Saturday after a neck-and-neck race against his rival Gareth Gates. The 23-year-old, who won year-long contracts with record company BMG and 19 Management, said simply: “I am absolutely ecstatic.”

Will garnered a slim majority of the more than 8.5 million votes cast in a contest that went right to the wire. His win went completly against bookmakers’ odds and helped set a UK phone poll record. “When the hosts Ant and Dec said that it was really close, I just thought: ‘Oh, well, I’m second. At least I haven’t lost by that much,’” says Will. “But when they said I’d won, there was this feeling… of being really isolated. And suddenly there was this whole audience here and I felt like I had woken up again.”

Former choir boy Gareth, 17, was a good sport about his second place showing, calling Britain’s newest music star a good friend and an “awesome guy”. “If there is one person who really deserves this, it is Will,” said Gareth. “Of course I am disappointed, but I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience… I’m genuinely happy for Will, but obviously I wanted to win.”

Next up for Will, whose supporters include Robbie Williams and Victoria Beckham, is the February 25 release of a double A side disc featuring his version of Westlife’s Evergreen, which is likely to go straight to the top of the charts. Pre-orders of the single have already put it at number one in the top 100 hot CD singles list for on-line retailer Amazon, edging out the previous top seller, Enrique Iglesias' Hero.

Both pop idols have scored record deals, with Gareth due to release a single not too long after Will’s hits the shops. “I am not going to let some other record company snap Gareth up,” said Pop Idol judge and head of A&R at RCA, Simon Cowell. “There will be an announcement as to when his first record will be released and there will be some very exciting news attached to that.”