Fans' joy at Wagner's X factor progress

He was the bookies' favourite to be sent home, but the X Factor adventure goes on for eccentric Black Country singer Wagner Carrilho and his legions of fans.

The quirky contestant sailed through to the next round of the show following a nail-biting night for the long-haired hopeful and his supporters.

Friends crowded round the TV to watch the retired PE teacher from Pensnett survive another week.

Amy Rickards, aged 32, who works at Tasty Fish Bar opposite Wagner's flat, had invited her friends and their children to her house in Tiled House Lane to watch the live results show.

And they jumped for joy screaming with delight when it was confirmed he had avoided being named in the dreaded bottom three following the public vote. Mrs Rickards said: "I'm so happy, we all love Wagner."

Judges had enthused about Wagner's display but focused more on the production than his performance. Simon Cowell said it looked like "the planet Venus in 1965" and repeated his call for viewers to "embrace the madness".

He had asked Wagner if rumours he was in a relationship with fellow contestant Mary Byrne were true. Mrs Rickards said: "I thought the judges were really unfair on Saturday night. Poor Wagner was embarrassed when Simon said that."

Wagner, 54, first appeared on the annual competition in show three with a resounding rendition of Pavarotti's Indigo.

He was sent home at the judges' house stage, but was re-introduced at last Saturday's live show as Louis Walsh's "wild card" in the over-28s category.

One Direction, the boy band featuring Wolverhampton 17-year-old Liam Payne, also made it through on the public vote.

Tamworth singer Treyc, a student at the University of Wolverhampton's Walsall campus, was sent through after her performance of Prince's Purple Rain.