Long before Australian Idol or The Voice offered potential shortcuts to a career in entertainment, the big dream was to be spotted on TV by competing in talent quests – New Faces, Pot of Gold, Pot Luck, take your pick.

But there was a very big downside: you might come up before Bernard King, an acid-tongued judge with severe sideburns and an even more severe line in career killing. When Keith Urban was nine, he was torn to shreds by King after performing a Dolly Parton song on Pot of Gold. King gave Keith a score of eight, out of a possible 25.