SO who’s going to win tomorrow night’s live final of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, then? I reckon it’ll be our own local lads of the truly amazing street dance group, Diversity, don’t you?

It’s been a pleasure, a real joy, a revelation, to watch this incredible group of youngsters, led by 20-year-old Ashley Banjo, from Wickford, winning their way to the grand finale, with millions of viewers assured.

While the bets, and the worldwide spotlight, have been on talented Scottish singer Susan Boyle, I can’t believe our Essex boys will miss out on the £100,000 prize, and the chance to perform in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.

If they win, surely offers galore will follow, with requests to perform their innovative, daring, athletic, and brilliantly-drilled, routines in many an arena.

Britain’s Got Talent has been compulsive viewing. It’s an updated, expensively-produced, and highly-sophisticated production, a modern-day version of the variety shows we oldies watched long ago at old, worn-out theatres, such as the Southend Regal – long since demolished – which I attended in my distant youth.

Several of the finalists have fame and fortune ahead, in careers which will lift off, win or lose.

Diversity already must know their future is bright indeed. But winning the title, and the big-money prize, would surely put them firmly on the road to great success.

You can do it, lads. You can do it.

Another proud representative of Essex is Rachel Riley, on Channel Four’s afternoon quiz show, Countdown.

The 23-year-old is improving with each performance, and is attracting considerable attention to Essex, and Southend in particular.

It’s not only ancients such as this scribbler who are regular viewers of the words and numbers show. No, it has cult following among lots of students, too, and many young contestants pit wits with oldies.

Countdown seemed nigh-on counted out after years of high viewing figures.

Much acclaim waned with the death of original presenter, the much-loved and eccentric Richard Whitely, and, later, the retirement of maths marvel Carol Vorderman.

But the show has risen from the near-dead, and a fresh, invigorating, breath of life has been achieved with Jeff Stelling as host and Rachel, from Thorpe Bay, solving the sometimes seemingly impossible mathematical puzzles.

Rachel’s early nervousness and occasional awkwardness in front of the cameras has gone. She is a bright, smiling presence on our screens, an Oxford graduate much admired by friends and acquaintances, one of them known to me.

So our Essex, oft derided, is doing telly well right now.