The Stage

One and Only winner hits back at tribute acts’ criticism

Published Wednesday 20 February 2008 at 12:40 by Matthew Hemley

Exclusive: Katy Setterfield, The One and Only winning act, has hit out at tribute artists who criticised the show, claiming they did not audition because they were scared of losing.

The 37-year-old, whose performance as Dusty Springfield on the BBC1 programme saw her win a three-month contract with Las Vegas tribute show Legends in Concert, accused the acts who spoke out of “sour grapes” and said they lacked the courage to take part themselves. She was responding to accusations from professional tributes that the show made a mockery of their industry and did not represent the high standard of those working in the UK.

Setterfield, a professional singer who has also performed as Cher in the past, told The Stage: “I have been a tribute act for many years and I managed to get on the show. If they couldn’t be bothered to take a day off to stick their neck on the line, that is not my problem. They didn’t do the auditions because they were too scared they wouldn’t get on it or lose, but their fear is not my problem.”

She added: “It’s total sour grapes. It is easy to sit from your armchair and slag something off and say, ‘I could not go because I had a gig’, but that is a load of rubbish. You can cancel gigs. If they really thought they could get on it they could have done.”

The singer will take her Dusty Springfield tribute to Las Vegas in May and said she would like to continue her act when she returns to the UK later this year.

She is planning to team up with fellow contestants Siam Hurlock, who performed as Diana Ross, and Cher tribute Joanna Berns to create a new live show featuring the three singers. Saturday night’s live final of The One and Only was a ratings success for the BBC, peaking at around seven million viewers.