Flop Idol : The Hilarious Diary of a Pop Idol Wannabe

The hilarious diary of the author's attempts to have a No. 1 hit single. On 1st May 2001, 40-year-old Jonathan Maitland decided to attempt to fulfil a lifetime's ambition.

To this effect, he placed a GBP100 bet on himself with William Hill, at 50 to 1, that he would have a No 1 hit single in the music charts by the end of 2002.

The only thing standing in his way was a complete lack of natural musical talent.

This is the hilarious diary of his attempts to do just that.

As well as being very funny, the tale of Jonathan and his 'heroically average' band also provides a fascinating insight into the state of the British music industry.

Insiders such as Cliff Richard, Bob Geldof, the heads of A&R at Polydor & Sony, among many others, have given Jonathan the benefit of their full - and very frank - views.