Hello Paul! Do you enjoy doing interviews?

They make me a little bit nervous - I find them easier as the day goes on.

Well this is on the phone so we can't see each other at least. We could both be naked and neither of us would know.

(Laughs) I'm not sure you'd want to have that picture in your mind.

Did you ever think of changing your name?

No because no matter what I change my name to, I was born Paul Potts. I never saw any point in that. I've been amazed how many times I've been asked what my parents were on when they named me, except of course I was born in 1970 and no one had heard of that certain person (1) until 1976, so short of a crystal ball, I'm not sure what anybody could have done about it. If my parents could foresee that, I'd be asking for the lottery numbers (2).

In 1996 you became a member of Bristol City Council for the Liberal Democrats. How do you think they're doing as part of the coalition?

I think they're doing a very challenging job. It's not helping their status in the country, but at least they're showing some principles. It would be very easy to do what's popular. They've become fall guys for the Tories in many ways, but I think they've been courageous. And courageous isn't what you want to be in politics. I think there have been some decisions made where perhaps they could have stuck up for the poorer people more. There's this archetypal rule where people on benefits are automatically bad, but sometimes people that have been unemployed long-term have been paying into the fund for 40 years, so why should they be stopped from taking benefits when they've actually paid into it for decades? If somebody has never paid into the system then okay, but it should be on basis of what your national insurance contributions are over the years. That would be fairer.

Gordon Brown presented you with a platinum disc for sales of your first album (3). Did you get to chat to him about politics at all?

I avoided the subject of politics (laughs). But it was a pleasure to meet him. I know he wasn't the most universally popular person, but he's a very nice guy and that sometimes gets lost in all the shouting. One of the most negative things about politics is that you hear a lot of shouting and screaming and not a lot of consensus. Hung parliaments are often seen as a negative thing, but I see them as a way for politicians to start talking to each other.

How did you feel when you found out James Corden had been cast to play you in a film about your life?

Relieved in many ways because it told me it was going to be a comedy, which is what I wanted.

But your story is quite sad (4).

Well you need to read the book because that's even sadder (laughs). I studied film at university as part of my degree, and, in a film, you don't have the space to go into a dark place and escape from that dark place into the light. It's very difficult to go into depth in a film, because you don't have time. I thought it was important that it should cover some of the issues, but also that it found a way of getting past those. I also didn't want it to take itself too seriously.

Did you hang out with James before filming started?

Not really, because I was on tour all the time, so it was difficult for us to get together. We went into the studio so I could record the vocal for the film and he had to watch me singing and figure out some of my idiosyncrasies and then lip-synch to it. But in the end, I had to sing to his mouth movements, which is very hard, because you've got to keep some emotion there.

So you watched him miming and then sang along?

Yes, basically I had a screen with a green dot that signalled when I had to start and I had to marry my singing to the movements of his body and his mouth. The amount of power I put into it had to look convincing, so if he wasn't using much physical power in his body, then I couldn't use a lot of vocal power. I had to adapt, which made it very challenging. Also, if you've seen the trailer, that bit where he's running away from the bullies and there's heavy breathing: that is actually my breathing. They asked me to heavy breathe.

Blimey. What was the scenario?

I had to just act like I was running and was out of breath. Not a phone booth type of heavy breathing. That would be the wrong kind of dark.

During your Britain's Got Talent audition, Piers Morgan pulled a face like he'd just smelt a fart when you walked out and said you were about to sing opera. Do you think we're too obsessed with how people look?

I think that it's very natural for people to make assumptions. We all do it – we all look at people and think, "Oh they look a bit of a state." It's human nature. I got criticism in Germany from Der Spiegel who told me that I wasn't as stupid as they thought I was and that's my fault. I was just left shaking my head at that point. I mean, I did amble on stage for my audition like I was walking to the pub or something. I thought it was going to be an absolute failure, so I walked like it was going to be an absolute failure.

Your audition video has been watched 115m times. Do you feel like you laid the groundwork for Susan Boyle in the I-wouldn't-have-expected-that-voice-to-come-from-that-person audition stakes?

I'm not sure I can take the credit for that. What we both demonstrated is that music isn't about genres, it's about connecting. Some of the singers I like the most aren't necessarily the best singers, but they're the ones that connect with me. There's more to music than singing perfectly in tune. All you have to do is listen to Dire Straits – it's great, but you wouldn't describe Mark Knopfler as having the best voice in the world.

You were accused of not being an amateur opera singer because you'd previously appeared in six opera productions and been tutored by Pavarotti. What was that all about?

I think the public got the impression that I was completely untutored, and of course I'd never said that. Actually, throughout the competition on the Britain's Got Talent website it had my whole history where I'd talked about everything I'd done, including the masterclass with Pavarotti and two other singers. I've always been honest about my history.

Also, surely the dancers that go on there haven't learned how to do backflips the day before.

Exactly: they're trained. I don't understand the cynicism sometimes, but I think that's part of people overanalysing things. Madonna commented on this a few days ago, saying she didn't realise ambition was so frowned upon in the UK. In many ways, the fact that I had some experience made it more difficult because I hadn't sung properly in about four years.

After you won, in June 2007, you didn't quit your job at Carphone Warehouse until March 2008, why not?

I couldn't really believe that any of it was happening. It was only when Carphone Warehouse actually wrote to me and said "Look, what are you doing, are you coming back or not?' that I had to make a decision. I was on a career break. I'd taken a sabbatical to tour the world.

Are you still signed to Syco?

I'm not. They released a greatest hits last year. My third album (5) was released mostly through Sony but also via other labels in different parts of the world. I had much more freedom on that one.

So it was an amicable thing?

I never believe in burning bridges; you never know when you might need to cross them. There's no point burning the bridge behind you and there's no point in any kind of bitterness.

What does Simon Cowell smell like?

(Laughs) I don't get that close to him.

Is it true he has a shower in his office?

That I don't know. I've heard that's the case. I did see Amanda Holden the last time I was in London and she was doing some filming stuff in his office and she did mention there was a shower in there. It might be true.

Footnotes

(1). He means Cambodian dictator Pol Pot. Back to article

(2). He probably won't need them: Paul's estimated wealth as of 2009 was £5m. Back to article

(3). His debut album of opera standards, One Chance, has sold around 700,000 copies in the UK alone. Back to article

(4). In 2003 he received treatment for a benign tumour. Shortly afterwards he broke his collar bone in a cycling accident that forced him out of work. He was months away from having his £60,000 home repossessed when he applied for BGT. They should make a film about his life ... Back to article

(5) Cinema Paradiso failed to chart in the UK, but did peak at number 40 in Germany. Back to article

One Chance, the film based on Paul Potts's unlikely rise to fame, is released on DVD in February