One Chance - James Corden shines in true-life tale of love and opera

Hashtags, selfies, photos of every meal. Love them or loathe them, these "look at me!" moments have become a staple of our narcissistic culture. I enjoy them about as much as a swift punch to the kidneys but even they pale in comparison to the true bane of our times: reality television. Singing contests, dancing competitions, win a wife, win a job, cook yourself to stardom; we are fame junkies - happy to be adored for nothing, and bound by the illusion that a few simple moments basking in the spotlight entitles us to more of everything. Which makes a comedy drama about the life of a TV talent contest winner seem like, well, an overegging of the ego pudding.

From the director of The Devil Wears Prada, (tomorrow, Fox Movies Premium, 9pm) is the remarkable real-life story of Paul Potts, a shy, humble shop assistant who became an overnight sensation after appearing on Simon Cowell's variety show Britain's Got Talent.

Ruthlessly bullied for his love of opera and chubby physique, everyman Potts (played by James Corden of Gavin & Stacey fame) spends his days working as a mobile-phone salesman alongside his best friend, Braddon (Mackenzie Crook; below left, with Corden), and his nights as an amateur choir singer. When Paul meets his dream girl on the internet, his life changes and they fall deeply in love. Fuelled by his girlfriend's unwavering belief, Potts journeys to Venice to study opera but he chokes during a performance for Luciano Pavarotti and returns home, along with his shattered dreams, to the small Welsh industrial town of Port Talbot. But, this being a rags-to-riches story much in the vein of Billy Elliot and The Full Monty (and with Potts' YouTube video being one of the top 10 most-viewed videos ever), it leads predictably to a by-the-numbers crowd-pleasing climax.

One Chance is a humorous biopic that never feels overly sentimental and Corden imbues Potts with bundles of charm. There is a touching chemistry between the cast, but, it must be said, the wonderful comic talents of Julie Walters, playing Potts' supportive mother, seem woefully underused.

Of course, and thank heavens, it's not really Corden doing the operatic warbling (this comes from the real Paul Potts) but he does put on a convincing lip sync and it would take a cold-hearted person indeed to not get goose bumps when he belts out Puccini's Nessun Dorma in all its thunderous glory. #adelightfulsurprise