ONE of the stars of this year's Britain's Got Talent series will discover life on the other side of the table when he judges a similar show in the village of Capel.
Comedy impressionist Phil Green steps into Simon Cowell's shoes for one night, on August 17, when he assesses the ability on show at Capel Music Festival's final pre-event, the Talent And Tote.
The 21-year-old, who teaches a weekly street dance class in Dorking, wowed the famously forthright pop impresario with a set of highly original celebrity impersonations back in the spring, with Cowell hailing him "a naturally funny guy".
So will he use his talent for mimicry and judge Capel's hopefuls in that style?
He told the Advertiser: "Simon Cowell is really scary but luckily he said I was quite crazy and he liked it, which was nice because he isn't shy about telling people they sound like a strangled cat.
"I won't be basing my judging style on him – I'm going to be myself with my judging hat on. I'll be honest though.
"I'm not a nasty person. I won't be saying, 'You're rubbish! Get off the stage!' I'll just be more like, 'Oh maybe you could do this instead'. I'll be fair but firm."
The event takes place in a marquee on the village recreation ground, with the winner earning a chance to perform on the same stage during the main festival the following day.
With two performances in a high profile contest under his belt, Phil is well aware of the kind of pressures the hopefuls will be under during their two-and-a-half minute slots.
"Being up on stage and being judged like that is really difficult," he said. "The people sitting at home watching BGT probably didn't realise how nervous I was."
Phil, who will also compere the evening and perform his own act, added: "I hope to see anything or everything from the competitors and not just 20 boys with guitars, because that might get a bit boring.
"I'm hoping there will be cats tap dancing or something. That would be awesome.
"I definitely want to be entertained, interested in what they're doing, and see some crazy things.
"I'm 100 per cent looking forward to it. I just want it to be now!"
The evening, which begins at 7.30pm, will conclude with a race night and disco.
Tickets, costing £5 (under 12s free), are available in advance from Capel News and Carters Garage in Capel, or direct from Dawn Hinton on 07730 584871 or from Emma Jaques on 07715 475779. All money raised on the night will go to St Catherine's Hospice, The Studio ADHD Centre and other local charities.
