Campaigners bidding to make Wagner Carillho this year's X Factor winner reckon they're backing a dead cert - thanks to global opera fans.
It is widely believed that online campaigns to promote the eccentric Brazilian contestant are designed to miff Simon Cowell as they did last year, when Joe McElderry was pipped to the top of the charts by Rage Against The Machine.
Pete Cretin has organised one website which calls on opera fans around the world to vote for Wagner.
"It's very simple, really," he said. "We've hit the worldwide opera community with the message that there's this guy called Wagner bidding to win a UK talent show.
"We tell them he performs all sorts of stuff like arias from the Rienzi, and that his staging of Siegfried's Funeral March is great telly.
"Add the promise of a stage full of big birds in breastplates and horned helmets for the Ride of the Valkyrie... well we're getting thousands of messages of support.
"Wagner's gonna walk this.
"Take that Cowell!"
