Susan Boyle, Britain's Got Talent

2009

Date: 11 April 2009 · Place: Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland, broadcast on ITV · Figures: Susan Boyle, singer · Simon Cowell, judge · Piers Morgan, judge · Amanda Holden, judge · Tags: Television Viral, Earnest Performance 01. I Dreamed A Dream On ITV On 11 April 2009 the third series of Britain's Got Talent broadcasts the audition of Susan Boyle, a forty-seven year old unemployed Scottish woman from Blackburn. The judges and audience visibly expect a poor performance. Boyle sings I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables. The clip is uploaded to YouTube the same evening. Within nine days it has been viewed 100 million times across multiple uploads, the fastest accumulation of internet video views to that point. 02. The Algorithm Of Lowered Expectations Boyle's moment formalizes a viral story structure: setup the audience for failure, deliver competence, document the visible reversal of judgment. The structure is replicated, often cynically, by talent shows worldwide. Boyle releases six albums, the first of which is the best-selling debut by a UK artist in history. She is later open about her Asperger's diagnosis, received in 2012. Sources • KnowYourMeme, 'Susan Boyle' • ITV, Britain's Got Talent series 3 (broadcast 11 April 2009) • The Guardian, 'Susan Boyle: 100m hits and counting' (20 April 2009)