A PENSIONER who shares his name with the late, great comic Bernie Winters has won the opportunity to sing his way to stardom in a talent contest for the over 60s.

Bernard Winters, of Powick, near Worcester, might not have classics such as Mike And Bernie's Show to his name and he doesn't have a dog called Schnorbitz, but he has got through to the grand final

of the YOURS Silver Stars competition.

The 69-year-old hopes to get toes tapping when he performs If I Was A Rich Man, from Fiddler On The Roof, in front of a 2,000-strong audience at next week'sevent at Southport Theatre.

"It's a tremendous achievement to get to this stage," said the retired aircraft engineer.

"It's a great feeling inside when you're entertaining people, especially when you're being appreciated.

"When I perform I don't get nervous."

Mr Winters, who lives in The Greenway, was a semi-professional singer more than 25 years ago, performing in pubs and clubs.

He found sharing a name with the late star more of a hindrance than help, especially when trying to get accreditation with the actors and performers' union Equity.

"At the time you could only have one Equity person with the same name so I had to perform under my middle names, Patrick Francis," he said.

Mr Winters said that his forte was performing hits from the shows and that he would also sing They Call The Wind Maria from the musical Paint Your Wagon when he joined the 15 other finalists from around the country

Bob Brierley, organiser and national director of YOURS magazine, a publication aimed at the over-50s said: "Silver Stars is a perfect opportunity to showcase talented senior citizens and for many of the contestants, it will be their first time performing in front of a live audience, fulfilling a life-long dream."

The top act will scoop the star prize of £1,000, with the runner-up getting £500 and the third-placed singer £250.

It's the other Mr Winters...

Comedian Bernie Winters was born Bernie Weinstein in Islington, North London, on September 6, 1933.

His first real gig was on the stage of Soho's Regency club, where he sang, played the ukulele and told jokes.

Bernie and his brother Mike were one of the biggest TV double-acts during the 1960s and 1970s. They were regulars on the Royal Variety Show and had their own programme, Mike And Bernie's how.

Bernie's dog Schnorbitz was almost as famous as him.

Bernie died in 1991.