It’s almost exactly five years since Susan Boyle’s Britain’s Got Talent debut; a moment which lives in the memory of many. In five minutes, a scatty, unprepossessing Scottish woman opened the eyes of an entire nation with her touching rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables.

Boyle is now living that dream as she is about to record her sixth album and embarks on her first UK tour which saw her doing what she loves to a sold-out York Barbican last night. Sometimes accompanied by Strictly Come Dancing’s honey-voiced vocalist Lance Ellington, Boyle worked through a repertoire handpicked from her albums with some personal, never-recorded favourites thrown in for good measure.

From “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “You Raise Me Up” to “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” and “River Deep – Mountain High” the set list explored a huge range of style and tone but, as ever, Boyle is at her most impressive when performing songs from the musicals.

Oliver’s “As Long as He Needs Me”, Chess’ “I Know Him So Well” and, of course, “I Dreamed A Dream” were the stand-out numbers of the evening, seeing Boyle find an unbreakable emotional connection to each song in a way she did not in the chart hits.

However, the show’s design suffered from an undeserved air of pomposity which swallowed up the unassuming songstress from time to time and made her seem out of place on the stage.

Nonetheless, accompanied by her band, Boyle delivered an impressive vocal performance deserving of the applause it received.