THE Welsh wizard of song brought his fans to the boil despite the cold and wet, when he took Castle Howard by storm.

There may have been a touch of irony when Tom Jones took to the stage at the unseasonally rain-swept stately home, and announced: "I would like to say, I am glad to be here."

But the irony vanished as he belted out the old favourites and his newer hits in his own inimitable style, and in incomparable surroundings.

The 4,000-plus crowd responded by singing along and moving to the music - and, perhaps inevitably, flinging knickers and bras onto the stage.

The event on Saturday night, which was supported by the Evening Press, reached a climax with a firework finale, a fitting end to a night of vocal fireworks.

Updated: 08:32 Monday, July 26, 2004