Gareth or Will? You have your say on Pop Idol showdown

IT seems you're a fan of either the stutter or the smile.

In the red corner, Bradford's Gareth Gates, a 17-year-old pin-up with boy-band good looks and that vote-winning stutter.

In the blue corner, 23-year-old Will Young, from Hungerford, Berkshire; tall and dashing, with a grin that could melt your mam's rock cakes.

They are the two finalists of Pop Idol, touted as the hottest talent competition in TV history, and this Saturday, one of them will be on the road to stardom.

Well, in fact, both of them are likely to get snapped up by Svengali-style producers, but the fact remains that only one of them will have the nation's ringing endorsement.

For weeks on end, they have kept the country clamouring for more, as they croon and shimmy their way through everything from Abba to Saturday Night Fever.

Come Saturday, the public are expected to vote in their squillions for one of the two heart-throbs. One will walk away with a lucrative recording contract; the other gets, as Jim Bowen once said, bus fare 'ome.

The final seems to be dividing the streets of York in much the same way as it has divided the nation. Our straw poll in the city centre put the two hopefuls almost at level pegging, with Will just edging into the lead. In almost every case, it's the smile, or the stutter, that decides it all.

There is one thing which shouldn't get overlooked in all the Gareth-Will hype, and that's the Darius factor. Most people we interviewed had a soft spot for the plucky Scot, who used the contest to live down his humiliation on Pop Idol's precursor, Popstars.

His infamous Britney Spears impression on Popstars, as well as his cries of "how much love is there in this room?", made him a figure of national scorn, but his reinvention was a joy to watch. Many mourned last week, when he was booted off.

Comments in York ranged from: "I was sad when Darius got voted off; he was my favourite", to "Darius was better than any of them" to "Ooh, that Darius, couldn't you just squeeze him?" Not sure whether that last one was complimentary or not.

Many people simply hadn't heard of the show; some ignored it. But in those who have seen it, Pop Idol seems to have aroused a frenzied passion. It has polarised households, offices and shop floors. One wonders if Her Majesty isn't a closet Gareth fan. Millions of ten-year-olds can say, a la judge Pete Waterman: "Son, you just ain't a pop idol".

The bookies' choice remains Gareth, whose Westlife style gives him the hardcore teen appeal. Steve Halliday, who runs the Jorvik betting shop, in Bright Street, said there had been very few Pop Idol bets so far, but added: "I laid a fiver on Will about a week ago, but Gareth is well odds-on at 1/3, while Will is 9/4."

One thing is certain: people who have seen Pop Idol love to talk about it. The passion and depth of knowledge is really quite staggering.

But perhaps the last word should be left to York's Hayley Bamford, a former Pop Idol contender who crashed out at an earlier stage. She is currently on holiday, but her sister, Katie, told us: "We're all Will fans in this house. We have been from the start, apart from when Hayley was in it, of course.

"But I think she's into Will, like the rest of us."

Roll on Saturday.

Tell us who you think will be Pop Idol on Saturday. You can ring our phone poll, or vote online at www.thisisyork.co.uk

Andrea Calvert, from Heworth, York

Definitely Will. He's got a better voice. We tried to give up watching it, but it got so exciting that we had to sit down and see it. He's got personality.

Suzanne Axelsson, visiting her native York from Stockholm, Sweden

I think it has to be Will now, despite the fact that he looks like Chorlton from (kids' TV show) Chorlton And The Wheelies. He's got the same smile. But I was a Darius fan; I thought he had the right style.

Paul Mounce, student at York College of Law

Will. I think Gareth is a bit too "boy-band" and boring. Will's a bit different from the norm. I only used to watch it if it happened to be on, but I really got into it when they got down to the last few.

Louise Chalk, from The Groves, York

Will. He's a good singer and he's, er, nicer looking. I actually liked Rosie Ribbons; she was really good. But I'm sure Will will get it now. I don't think Gareth's stutter is legit, you know. It gets him the sympathy vote!

Tracie Brown, from Burnholme, York

I want Will to win. He's talented, with a better voice, he looks like Jamiroquai and he's really sexy. I've thought that all the way through.

Nick Brignell, from Burton Stone Lane, York

Gareth; I don't like Will. He's a posh public school boy and Gareth is a good Yorkshire lad and down-to-earth. I thought Darius would get it, though, he was just a nice bloke. But I reckon Gareth will romp it on Saturday. (Nick, a hairdresser, said a reported craze for Gareth's spiky haircut had not yet arrived in York.)

Kathleen Gall, from Huntington, York

The others are all brilliant but I think it's going to be that Gareth. He's a lovely lad. It's a shame it comes down to this, really, because Will is great as well. But I'm sorry Darius didn't get through; he was my favourite. When he did Abba, that was wonderful.

Peter Morton, from Osbaldwick, York

The wife and me both agree that it's got to be Gareth. I think, for a 17-year-old lad, he comes out with the right things. He always says nice things about looking after his family, and buying them a house. He's got that little twinkle in his eye that I think makes him a star. The others are great, but he's got the edge. I think you'll find it'll go 60-40 in his favour.

Updated: 11:45 Wednesday, February 06, 2002