Lancashire is the Fame Capital of the UK

    LONDON, ENGLAND, November 19, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- As the UK is in the grip of X-factor fever, 1Click2Fame reveals the fame capital of the UK is Lancashire producing more superstars per capita than anywhere else in the country.

The FAME500 Talent Map is a comprehensive depiction of where Britain's shining stars spent their younger years. From Ozzy Osborne to Leona Lewis, Guy Ritchie to Lilly Allen, the search canvassed famous musicians and actors across the nation to reveal the nation's hot and cold talent spots. The results were based on how many celebrities each county produced in relation to its population.

Here are the top ten counties and some of the talent that made them hotspots:

1. Lancashire - 1: 29,438
Noel and Liam Gallagher, Morrissey, Jay K
2. Merseyside - 1: 41,111
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
3. London - 1: 47,184
Adele, Sienna Miller, David Bowie
4. Surrey - 1: 55,737
Eric Clapton, Bill Nighy, David Walliams
5. Oxfordshire - 1: 67,222
Hugh Laurie, Radiohead and Supergrass
6. Cambridgeshire - 1: 70,800
Matthew Bellamy (Muse) and Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
7. West Midlands - 1: 90,328
Ozzy Osborne, Jamelia, John and Roger Taylor (Duran Duran)
8. Somerset - 1: 106,875
Vanessa White and John Cleese
9. Cheshire - 1: 112167
Daniel Craig, Gary Barlow, Tim Curry
10. Wiltshire - 1: 122,400
James Blunt, Joseph Fiennes, Billie Piper
*Talent Ratio (TR) - famous people from that county from the last 50 years against the county's overall population

The Fame500 reveals major cities aren't the only talent hotspots, every corner of Britain has its own superstars. Colin Firth originally came from the tiny town of Grayshott in Hampshire. Duffy's homeland Nefyne in Wales has a population of a mere 2,619 people whilst Will Young and Nicholas Hoult (from About a Boy) are both from Wokingham Berkshire with a population of little over 30,000.

Accessibility to the lime light has always been an obstacle for those in pursuit of celebrity. In an effort to encourage raw talent, 1Click2Fame is partnering Tesco to give Britons across the UK their chance to have 15 minutes of fame and continue their hunt for Britain's brightest stars through the installation of state of the art mobile audition studios outside Tesco stores across the UK.

Jonathan Lakin at 1Click2Fame said, "The results of the FAME500 Talent Map prove what has always been suspected, the UK's talent base is deep, wide ranging and can spring from the most unlikely of places. By creating these audition pods with Tesco and taking them to hundreds of cities across the UK, we hope we will be unlocking potential that no other talent search has been able to reach."

The state of the art HD Green Screen technology inside the Pods allows users to create their own professional performance videos - anything from singing, dancing, comedy - the only limit being the performer's imagination. Once recorded, all Pod users will be emailed the video to share with friends and fans and if they think they've got the fame factor, their video can also be entered in to the competition at 1Click2Fame.com. The website, already viewed by hundreds of thousands of people, is where hopefuls will be assessed by industry professionals and the public alike - with the aim of spotting, nurturing and rewarding talent. So the next stage is to get as many people as possible to vote online.

Rob Salter at Tesco commented, 'It's always good for a community to have young talent to rally around and support. The encouragement that all X Factor contestants get from their home towns is a perfect example of how a community can come together and is exactly what we expect 1Click2Fame and Tesco's own talent search to achieve. Hopefully with enough support some of those counties at the bottom of the FAME500 list will be able to play some catch up.'

Choosing from thousands of backing tracks and using green screen technology to select from hundreds of backgrounds, the public can tailor their performance to their own exacting demands - with studio quality recording equipment capturing the performance perfectly. Contestants then stand the chance to win big cash prizes, receive vital coaching, studio-time and management advice to help them become the next big thing. 1Click2Fame has already given away more than GBP150,000 in prizes as a result of this music, dance and singing competition.

So, gone are the days when it was obligatory to pack up, ship out and settle into a one bedroom studio-flat just for a chance at being discovered. Fame and fortune now lie on everyone's doorstep, or at least as near as their closest Tesco.

The talent search will be kicking off in Coventry on the 12th of November at Tesco Coventry Arena, Arena Shopping Centre, before completing a nationwide tour. To book your 15 mintues of fame in Coventry visit http://www.1click2fame.com/book-pod

For more information on the Fame500 Map or to view it visit http://www.1click2fame.com/.

# # #