Teenager Luke Bayer is being tipped for the top - as a contender for the crown of this year's X-Factor TV talent show.

The ITV1 programme, which draws millions of viewers, is a certain route to stardom and Luke, 15, of Cononley, near Keighley, is many viewers' favourite to win.

The 15-year-old had to go through the open auditions and then the agony of performing for the judges - music industry gurus Simon Cowell, Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, and Antipodean pop star Dannii Minogue - as they whittled the contestants down to the shortlists.

Now Luke - who famously wept during his audition - is in the running for the title as one of the young male team being mentored by Ms Minogue.

He has just made it home from "boot camp" in Spain with his fellow contestants and is about to take part in the heart-stopping Saturday night live shows in which the public will vote to put their favourite acts through to the final stages.

Luke said it had always been his ambition to audition for X-Factor as soon as he was old enough.

But he said he had never believed he would make it to the final six in his category, the 14 to 24-year-old men.

Luke, a pupil at South Craven School in Crosshills, initially auditioned in Manchester.

He then attended X-Factor Boot Camp' where he was one of 12 out of 60 in his category to make it through.

From there he sang at the Apollo Theatre in London, which is where he discovered he had made it into the final six.

This weekend Luke's X-Factor fate will be revealed as the half-dozen in his category battle it out to make it to the last 12 in the competition.

"I wasn't really expecting to get through, it's quite crazy. We went in as a four, and when we found out we had got through we all ran round like nutters," he said.

"It's been a really great experience. I have always liked singing, so I would like to do something with singing in the future, just to be on stage really would be my dream," he said.

Luke, who only turned 15 in August, said he had enjoyed the experiences presented by the show. As well as singing on stage to X-Factor's panel of famous judges he has also spent time at Dannii Minogue's house in Ibiza and been recognised by X-Factor fans.

His mum, Linda, said: "We didn't think he could get this far. We know he is good at what he does, but a lot of other people go in for this.

"He has done very well. We are very proud of him. The show puts contestants under a lot of pressure, so it has been an emotional roller coaster for him.

"He has done a lot of singing in the past and he is very passionate about it.

"He comes alive when he goes on stage.

"It has been an exciting summer for him because he has been to boot camp, where he performed a Will Young song, and then he went to Ibiza.

"He's back at school now, so I suppose it's back down to earth for him."

e-mail: will.kilner@ bradford.newsquest.co.uk