Bessie Cursons
Encyclopedia
Bessie Cursons is an English
teen stage actress from Portsmouth
, Hampshire
, England
who reached the final of the first series
of the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent
.
, Hampshire
, England
. She began singing and dancing at the age of 4 at local dance and music clubs. Her main ambition was to go on stage and become famous.
in India
when the Britain's Got Talent auditions were being held, in May 2007, but, along with her father, she made the trip back to the UK to take part in them. In her audition, which was the last of the show and was televised on 13 June 2007, she performed "Wouldn't It Be Loverly
" from the musical My Fair Lady
and received a standing ovation from the audience, with Simon Cowell
saying her audition was the most professional in the whole competition. She received three yes votes from the judges and was placed in the next round. She was chosen as one of the 24 semi-finalists for the semi finals in June.
In the semi-final, on 15 June 2007, she performed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
" from the musical Mary Poppins
and received a standing ovation and positive comments from the judges saying that she managed to improve on her audition. Cursons was automatically placed in the final after receiving the highest number of votes.
In the final, on 17 June 2007, she performed "Get Me to the Church on Time
" from My Fair Lady
. Judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden said Cursons 'deserves to be in the West End'. Simon Cowell, however, preferred her previous performances. Cursons lost in the final to opera singer Paul Potts
.
and Martin Freeman
in the film Nativity!, in which two schools compete to put on the best nativity show. Cursons played posh pupil Christy in the film, and leads a rendition of Ding Dong Merrily On High in which she is flanked by two choirs on stage. The film was released on 27 November 2009. The film made almost £800,000 in its first week, and went in at number six in the UK film chart. Cursons had three auditions for the film and was overjoyed to get the part. She said 'I was so excited. I really didn't know what to expect'. We filmed for about two or three months at this really old, posh-looking school in Coventry - it was a lot of fun.'
Cursons performed at the Guide Awards in November 2007 and was among the star performers. Cursons performed her audition routine from Britain's Got Talent
, Wouldn't It Be Loverly
from My Fair Lady
, at the showbiz ceremony at the Kings Theatre
in Southsea
. Cursons also does the voice of Victoria the dog in popular children's cartoon Gaspard and Lisa.
Portsmouth Today on 25 February 2009 reported that Cursons had landed a role in the West End production of Oliver!, alongside Rowan Atkinson
at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Cursons appeared in the show from the beginning of March until August.
, England
with her mother and father, Sarah and Andy, both 41, and her younger brother Billy, 7, who aspires to be like his older sister. Cursons, whose screen idol is Audrey Hepburn, hopes one day to carve out a career for herself in the movies. She said: 'I'd like to get in another film, because it was such a great experience. She currently attends Sylvia Young Theatre School
. After Cursons' appearance on Britain's Got Talent, her mother swapped her job as a secretarial manager at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth for a similar role at St Thomas's Hospital in London so her daughter would not be alone on the commute to the capital to attend theatre school.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
teen stage actress from Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
who reached the final of the first series
Britain's Got Talent (Series 1)
The first series of Britain's Got Talent began on 9 June 2007 and ended on 17 June 2007. It was won by opera singer Paul Potts. The first five shows concerned the audition stages of the competition and the final four shows aired the live semi-finals and final. The show was hosted by Ant & Dec on...
of the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
.
Early life
Cursons was born on 8 June 1995 in PortsmouthPortsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She began singing and dancing at the age of 4 at local dance and music clubs. Her main ambition was to go on stage and become famous.
2007: Britain's Got Talent
Cursons and her family were on holiday in GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
when the Britain's Got Talent auditions were being held, in May 2007, but, along with her father, she made the trip back to the UK to take part in them. In her audition, which was the last of the show and was televised on 13 June 2007, she performed "Wouldn't It Be Loverly
Wouldn't It Be Loverly
"Wouldn't It Be Loverly" is a popular song by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, written for the 1956 Broadway play My Fair Lady.The song is sung by flower girl Eliza Doolittle and her street friends...
" from the musical My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
and received a standing ovation from the audience, with Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
saying her audition was the most professional in the whole competition. She received three yes votes from the judges and was placed in the next round. She was chosen as one of the 24 semi-finalists for the semi finals in June.
In the semi-final, on 15 June 2007, she performed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is an English word, with 34 letters, that was in the song with the same title in the 1964 Disney musical film Mary Poppins. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers, and sung by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke...
" from the musical Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
and received a standing ovation and positive comments from the judges saying that she managed to improve on her audition. Cursons was automatically placed in the final after receiving the highest number of votes.
In the final, on 17 June 2007, she performed "Get Me to the Church on Time
Get Me to the Church on Time
"Get Me to the Church on Time" is a song composed by Frederick Loewe, with lyrics written by Alan Jay Lerner for the 1956 musical My Fair Lady, where it was introduced by Stanley Holloway....
" from My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
. Judges Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden said Cursons 'deserves to be in the West End'. Simon Cowell, however, preferred her previous performances. Cursons lost in the final to opera singer Paul Potts
Paul Potts
Paul Robert Potts is an English pop opera tenor who won the first series of ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2007, singing an operatic aria, "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot". As a singer of operatic music, Potts recorded the album One Chance, which went to #1 in nine countries...
.
2007-present: Post Talent
Cursons filmed alongside Alan CarrAlan Carr
Alan Carr is an English comedian and television personality. Born in Weymouth, he was raised in Northampton before moving to Manchester during his early 20's....
and Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman
Martin John C. Freeman is an English actor. He is known for his roles as John in Love Actually, Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock and Mr. Madden...
in the film Nativity!, in which two schools compete to put on the best nativity show. Cursons played posh pupil Christy in the film, and leads a rendition of Ding Dong Merrily On High in which she is flanked by two choirs on stage. The film was released on 27 November 2009. The film made almost £800,000 in its first week, and went in at number six in the UK film chart. Cursons had three auditions for the film and was overjoyed to get the part. She said 'I was so excited. I really didn't know what to expect'. We filmed for about two or three months at this really old, posh-looking school in Coventry - it was a lot of fun.'
Cursons performed at the Guide Awards in November 2007 and was among the star performers. Cursons performed her audition routine from Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent
Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland...
, Wouldn't It Be Loverly
Wouldn't It Be Loverly
"Wouldn't It Be Loverly" is a popular song by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, written for the 1956 Broadway play My Fair Lady.The song is sung by flower girl Eliza Doolittle and her street friends...
from My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
, at the showbiz ceremony at the Kings Theatre
Kings Theatre, Southsea
Kings Theatre is a theatre in Southsea, Portsmouth which opened in 1907. It is operated by the charity Kings Theatre Trust Ltd.-History:The theatre opened on 30 September 1907 with a production of Charles 1 followed by 2 further of Sir Henry Irving's Works...
in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
. Cursons also does the voice of Victoria the dog in popular children's cartoon Gaspard and Lisa.
Portsmouth Today on 25 February 2009 reported that Cursons had landed a role in the West End production of Oliver!, alongside Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Cursons appeared in the show from the beginning of March until August.
Personal life
Cursons is currently living in CoshamCosham
Cosham is a northern suburb of Portsmouth lying within the city boundary but off Portsea Island. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 along with Drayton and Wymering and Bocheland , Frodington and Copenore on the island.The name is of Saxon origin and means "Cossa's homestead"...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with her mother and father, Sarah and Andy, both 41, and her younger brother Billy, 7, who aspires to be like his older sister. Cursons, whose screen idol is Audrey Hepburn, hopes one day to carve out a career for herself in the movies. She said: 'I'd like to get in another film, because it was such a great experience. She currently attends Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...
. After Cursons' appearance on Britain's Got Talent, her mother swapped her job as a secretarial manager at St Mary's Hospital in Portsmouth for a similar role at St Thomas's Hospital in London so her daughter would not be alone on the commute to the capital to attend theatre school.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Nativity! | Christy | Film debut |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Britain's Got Talent Britain's Got Talent Britain's Got Talent is a British television talent show competition which started in June 2007 and originated from the Got Talent series. The show is produced by FremantleMedia's TalkbackThames and Simon Cowell's production company SYCOtv. The show is broadcast on ITV in Britain and TV3 in Ireland... |
Herself | Finalist |
| 2009 | Gaspard and Lisa | Victoria | Voice |
| Stage | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Oliver! Oliver! Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.... |
TBC | In role March–August 2009 |