A CAPACITY crowd at the Manchester Arena was there to welcome the 10 finalists of the renowned Pop Idol show.

The show rolled into Manchester on Monday night for the 11th show of its national tour. Hosted by the Lovely Pop Idol judge Nicky Chapman, it was Gareth, Will, Darius and Zoe who stole the show, with Gareth raising the roof as his teenage fans screamed with delight.

The first half of the show was a familiar set made up of songs which had been performed on the TV series, Darius Danesh's rendition of It's Not Unusual, complete with Tom Jones hip wiggle, my personal favourite.

Korben's energetic performance of Freedom, was followed by Jessica Garlick's pitch perfect cover of Madonna's Papa Don't Preach.

Zoe Birkett shone like a true star as she belted out the classic Aretha Franklin number Say a Little Prayer.

The second part of the set invited the idols to sing along with Big Blue - the big band also seen on the show.

Zoe and Gareth wowed the audience by duetting on Frank Sinatra and Connie Haine's Oh Look at Me Now, leaving the majority of the audience feeling rather jealous.

Aaron Bayley, who recently quit his job as a train driver, rose through the floor on a white leather settee to croon I Get a Kick Out Of You and Hayley Evetts turned in an outstanding performance.

The show's winner, Will, topped the night with Bobby Darin's Beyond the Sea -- a sure-fire way to get the audience swaying with their lighters -- before being joined on stage for the finale, My Way, a definite must for any Pop Idol addict.

CHARLOTTE BRADSHAW