THE "demon headmaster" of BBC programme Fame Academy has backed the inclusion of a Colchester singer who brought back the sound of the sixties.Former labourer, Peter Brame, 23, won a place in the Academy after receiving the backing of viewers across Britain in the live heats shown on June 30.

THE "demon headmaster" of BBC programme Fame Academy has backed the inclusion of a Colchester singer who brought back the sound of the sixties.

Former labourer, Peter Brame, 23, won a place in the Academy after receiving the backing of viewers across Britain in the live heats shown on June 30.

He has now joined a dozen other pop wannabes in the £35 million Academy house in north London hoping to live like a superstar for a whole year.

Already Peter's crazy antics and his performance of The Monkees' Last Train to Clarksville, has earned him praise from Mr Park who was forced to watch last week's show on television after being laid low by a virus.

Mr Park said: "He was lively and he certainly brought back the sound of the sixties. I thought he warranted entry into the Fame Academy and he will certainly be an asset.

"He has certainly created a buzz and he has great stage presence. It is nice to have a good balance of students – that is what the Fame Academy is all about and that is why there is no other show like this on television. But whether he is a possible winner is an entirely different situation."

Regular viewers of the hit show will know such praise from the often laconic tongue of Mr Park is rare but the former group director of Capital Radio in London is quick to point out he is honest rather than harsh.

Mr Park said: "I try to tell people all of the time this is a very hard business and the likelihood is that they are not going to make it.

"I feel I am just honest, sometimes that can be interpreted as being a bit harsh but I do not think it is appropriate to beat around the bush."

The three-minute rendition of The Monkees' classic was enough to earn Peter, a history graduate from Essex University, a place in the Academy.

Speaking before he went into the house, he said: "I decided I'd just be myself and see how people reacted."

His early taste of life inside the Academy has certainly raised a few eyebrows after he walked in on fellow male contestant Paris naked and was berated by fitness coach Kevin Adams.

The first series of Fame Academy recovered from a shaky start to become a firm favourite. The show, followed by a celebrity version which attracted 13.8m viewers, made Mr Park a household name.

His wife Anna, who runs a ladies fashion boutique in Guildhall Street, Bury St Edmunds, said her husband had stayed the same since his new-found status with the television public.

"He has not changed as a person, he has always been opinionated and bossy," she joked.

"He is always himself when he is on television and that is why he is so straight talking on the programme. He believes it is a very tough business."

The winner of the show will land a contract with UK record label Polydor, the company behind international artists Eminem, 50 Cent and Ms Dynamite.

Their one-year only superstar lifestyle will also include a sports car, luxury apartment, a recording session at the famous Abbey Roads studio, a lavish holiday for two and VIP tickets to some of the year's biggest events.