Jonathan & Charlotte: We were wrong for X Factor

Jonathan & Charlotte: We were wrong for X Factor
Jonathan & Charlotte: We were wrong for X Factor (Image credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Britain's Got Talent singing duo Jonathan and Charlotte say they decided against applying for The X Factor because it's too pop-focused. The friends - Jonathan Antoine and Charlotte Jaconelli - came second in the last series of Britain's Got Talent, won by dancing dog act Ashleigh and Pudsey. "The X Factor is not only about the music, but also the image and we don't have the pop music image. We thought Britain's Got Talent would be better for us as it has a bigger array of talent," said Charlotte. The soprano decided to enter before asking for Jonathan's permission. "I found it online and applied on the spot, then I texted him and asked him if he minded. There was no thought before or after," she recalled. "When I started filling in the form, I was applying for myself and had no idea what I would do. Then I thought they have never had a classical crossover duo like us. We had thought of entering competitions before, and decided that we should try for the biggest competition in the UK." The pair are now enjoying their new-found success, with their debut album Together released on September 24, followed by an ITV2 documentary show charting their journey. "It's been a crazy ride. It's really bizarre. Johnny has changed so much as a person from the first episode to now. The best thing that has come out of this, even more than the album and all the other things, is that it has helped him come out from his shell and become himself," she said.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.