Britain's got even better talent...

Well, I think so, anyway. Is there anyone who hasn't hear of Pudsey, the dancing dog who won Britan's got Talent at the week-end? I doubt it. He's now so famous, he's getting a "doggyguard". Yes, really.

But how many people have heard of Laura Van Der Heijden, the staggeringly gifted 15-year-old 'cellist (only just fifteen, at that) who last nght won BBC's Young Musician of the Year, with a stunning performance of the very difficult concerto by Walton?

I'm not denigrating Pudsey's performance. I didn't see it happen, but watched it on Youtube, and it was extremely clever (nearly 400,000 hits by last night). But apart from the glitz and the glamour (not to mention Simon Cowell's bewildering hair-do), have we got things just a bit wrong? The three children - for that's what they were - who competed in the Young Musician final, were staggeringly gifted, and had practised for six or seven hours a day for years. I'm sure they will be known for many years to come. Pudsey is - a dog.

But I guess that animals will always have it. If there were a tortoise who could sing God Save the Queen, or a budgie who could knock up a cheese omelette, they would win, too. I'm sure there were some very good acts in BGT, but couldn't these young musicians have just a little more publicity and praise, too? They are the future of this country's classical music, and will one day leave something very important behind them.

Pudsey may leave some tear-jerking video footage. Oh - and, maybe, a few generations of puppies.