The judges of ITV talent show The X Factor have reportedly tipped Shayne Ward as the most likely winner of this year's show.
The Sunday Mirror reports that the 20-year-old singer is expected to win the 2005 competition and be awarded a record deal.
The Manchester warbler is one of the four contestants selected by Louis Walsh to go into the finals of the contest in his 16-to-24 category.
Walsh, and his fellow judges Sharon Osbourne and Simon Cowell, are all believed to be rooting for Shayne to win, as they believe he has long-term potential in the music industry.
An X Factor source told the newspaper: "They have made it clear Shayne is their favourite. He has everything going for him. He's young, handsome and looks really good on TV - everything Brookstein wasn't.
"This year the judges don't care if the public know who they favour more - they want a real star and Shayne oozes X Factor charm."
Ward and the other three contestants being nurtured through the competition by Walsh have been taken to the Irish hitmaker's home town of Dublin.
Last year's X Factor winner, Steve Brookstein, has already been dropped by his record label.
