WELL done to a Yorkshire lad made good, we thought when Hear'Say introduced Johnny Shentall as their new recruit yesterday.

The Doncaster singer had won his place through sheer talent, ahead of thousands of other auditioning hopefuls. Or so we thought.

Now it turns out that he is a friend of the band and is engaged to another pop star. Suddenly young fans feel like they are being taken for fools.

The group may regret this publicity stunt. They were forged in the hothouse of public opinion, on the Popstars TV show. If fans turn frosty, Hear'Say will quickly wither and die.

Updated: 10:47 Wednesday, February 06, 2002