FORGET TV's Pop Idol, a North-East college has launched its own search - for shy songsters.

Bathtime Pavarottis are being encouraged to come out of the closet and sink-side sopranos to leave their soap-suds behind, and report to Stockton Sixth Form College.

Enrolments start tomorrow night for a free 14-week course, Find your voice - singing with confidence, at the college which says it could help singers and musicians hit a new high note.

Sue Robertson, of the Tees Valley Music Service, will run the course in partnership with Stockton Adult Education Service.

This latest course is a successor to others run at the college for the past two years.

Vice-principal Peter Limon said: "The courses are designed to teach people the basics, so they can judge whether they want to enrol on qualification-based courses - but the overriding purpose is to provide students with classes they really enjoy, whatever sort of voice they have. They are hugely successful.''

For information about the course, call (01642) 612611.