Mick Hucknall went to the BBC thinking he was Simon Cowell, but better.

In a recent interview with the Daily Express, he said: "I approached the BBC about a year ago with the idea of a programme. I said I wanted to find the next David Bowie, the next Freddie Mercury, the next Lennon and McCartney but they rejected it and went for The Voice instead, which to me was another version of The X Factor because it's not about creative artists... I would call on them to devise a programme to find the next Elton or the next Mick Hucknall. The BBC are the people to do it because they represent British culture; they should be looking to find the next musical icon."

Nope, instead they're just looking for ratings, like ITV. And that might involve not having Mick Hucknall on primetime TV.

Why are you reading something about Mick Hucknall comparing himself to Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Lennon and McCartney and Elton John? He's got an album out on October 26th. It's called American Soul. Mick is from the Greater Manchester area. Just in case you were wondering.