David won Fame Academy

There are many things I might write about this show, I could write a book! It seemed quite a mundane show until David entered - with his fun and clear passion for music. It was one of the first of the reality tv shows in the UK in 2002 and we had already seen Pop Stars and one Pop Idol show (the forerunner to the X Factor) that Will Young had won. There were mixed results with the shows formats and they were about Saturday night television mostly. While there was songwriting during the week it was not shown on the live showdowns on the Friday nights. The Fame show was the BBC's answer to the success of Pop Idol on itv and was part Big Brother and part talent show contest and the format had already been run in France. The 12 students were coached by music and dance teachers in a large London house. It's premise was about a live Friday night show at Shepperton where 3 students would sing for survival. Then after the phone in vote and the teachers comments - the other students voted on their choice.

David Sneddon won the BBC first ever Fame Academy show with over 3m votes in December 2002. David was not originally selected to enter the Fame Academy House (Witanhurst House Highgate London) following the first show in October, but made it in as a replacement when one of the original winners was forced to withdraw. David became popular on the show and went on to win over the public vote and was voted the overall winner, by which time he had been promised a recording contract with Mercury Records. 

David won the finals of the show winning the voters attention for his wonderful versions of " Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John and “ I Don't Want to Talk About It" by Danny Whitten, and his own composition "Stop Living The Lie".  His covers of Elton and the Beatles songs are he best I have heard.