POP star wannabes battled it out in the first heat of RSVP Idol competition last night.

The first group of nine performers each stands the chance of winning the star prize of £1,000.

Manager of the Worcester nightspot Stewart Bellerby said the singers were superb and thanked the audience for their support.

He added that 31-year-old Elias Cameron, a musician of Henwick Park in Worcester "wowed the crowd."

At the end, the judges and audience voted for Jenny Brocklehurst, aged 23, a singer and interior designer from Cheltenham to sing Anastasia's Left Outside Alone again.

There are 18 singers in the competition, modelled on the poplar ITV show Pop Idol.

It will last for 10 weeks, with the two groups singing on alternate weeks.

By week nine the singers will be whittled down to just four to compete in the grand final on Monday, August 2.

The second group will sing at RSVP, The Cross, Worcester, at 8pm on Monday.