Is this the 'next Susan Boyle' (+ video)

IT engineer Michael Collings appearing on Britain's Got Talent.

Is the world ready for a second Susan Boyle?

Perhaps not - but comparisons are already being made. Another scruffy individual has shuffled on to the stage of Britain's Got Talent and proceeded to stun the judges and audience with an unexpectedly great performance.

Michael Collings wandered on stage wearing jogging pants and holding a guitar.

Few would have guessed that before the night was out, the 19-year-old would end up being dubbed the "next Susan Boyle" by the press and social media.

Collings, an IT engineer who lives in a caravan in Plymouth, initially drew scorn and derision from judges Amanda Holden and Michael McIntyre when he walked onto the stage.

"He looks like he's going on a long-haul flight," Holden observed.

"On EasyJet," McIntyre quipped in response.

But just like Susan Boyle did in her audition for the same show in 2009, Collings brought the house down and received a standing ovation for his rendition of Tracy Chapman's Fast Car.

The clip has been watched over a million times on You Tube since it aired on British television on Saturday.

Susan Boyle went on to be runner-up in her series of Britain's Got Talent, and released a platinum-selling album produced by Simon Cowell.

- NZHERALD STAFF, AGENCIES