Talent, like beauty, is very much in the eye of the beholder. For some, the belching of the national anthem is pure genius; for others a dancing dog or crooning octogenarian represents the height of showbiz allure.

Mercifully, we were spared the belching on Sunday evening but were reintroduced to the throaty charms of Janey Cutler, the 81-year-old great-grandmother who made such a strong impression on Simon Cowell et al with her impassioned version of Je Ne Regrette Rien.

The evening was kicked off, however, by the £100,000 winners of this year’s comp Spelbound. Although their routines are hardly original, they are given a thrillingly modern reinterpretation, providing an explosion of colour, movement and excitement.

Next up were Twist And Pulse, whose self-styled “streetomedy” – combining body popping with inventive dance moves and clever visual gags – was equally riveting.

Boy band Connected, though, were like a younger version of Blue but without the songs.

West End wannabe Christopher Stone looked like he had been gracing the stage all his life rather than being cooped up in an accountant’s office as he belted out The Impossible Dream. His rich baritone worked well with the pure voice of 14-year-old Liam McNally, with whom he duetted on Time To Say Goodbye.

And while the biggest “aah” of the evening was reserved for Chandi, the dancing dog who performed with her owner Tina Humphrey, the star of the show was almost certainly impressionist Paul Burling, whose rapid-fire, spot-on versions of Harry Hill and a legion of other television and cartoon characters were just sublime.