Oh! It’s Neil the Baby! (Picture: ITV/BBC)
Viewers of The Voice Kids got a real shock when a child actor rocked up at the auditions for the new 2023 series.
Do you recognise him? Well, what if we told you that 14-year-old Oscar Hartland was actual Neil the Baby in Gavin & Stacey?
Honestly, we are as shook as you are.
Now a teenager, the young star has big dreams of becoming a rocker with his band – but started off in James Corden and Ruth Jones’s hit comedy series, playing their adorable son.
Speaking in his VT – which was filmed in nostalgic Barry Island – he said: ‘A lot of people don’t recognise me now, but I was in a huge TV show.
‘I was Neil the Baby in Gavin & Stacey season 3, and I was Neil the Baby again in the Christmas special in 2019.’
Oscar Hartland is now 14 and has big dreams of becoming a rocker (Picture: ITV)
He went back to Barry Island for his VT (Picture: ITV)
‘Being in Gavin & Stacey, oh, it was crazy,’ Oscar added.
‘Working with huge names like James Corden, Rob Brydon, Ruth Jones… it was just like – woah.
‘It’s nice to go back to Barry with the band and show them what I did.
‘People know me as being Neil the Baby, which I absolutely love, but now I want to be known for my music and singing.’
Performing in front of coaches will.i.am, Pixie Lott, Danny Jones, and Ronan Keating was bound to have brought some nerves – but Oscar’s mum arranged a little surprise message for him before he took to the stage.
He even got a special message from Ruth Jones! (Picture: ITV)
The teen loved being a child actor, but now he’s keen to be known for his music (Picture: ITV)
None other than Ruth herself – aka Nessa, Oscar’s on-screen mum – was on hand to wish him good luck, in character, of course.
‘Oh, Neil the Baby, what’s occurin’?’, Ruth began in the accent we all know and love.
‘We knows what’s occurin’, you’re on The Voice Kids,’ she joked.
‘Don’t forget, you takes after your mother when it comes to music. Go out there and you smash it, kid. Alright? Cracking.’
Oscar was in disbelief as he watched the clip – and the excitement didn’t end there.
Three of the coaches turned their chairs, with Oscar choosing Danny Jones as his mentor (Picture: ITV)
Following his performance of a Foo Fighters classic, he managed to get three of the judges to turn their chairs, leaving Pixie, Danny, and Ronan to pitch themselves as the ideal mentor for him.
Ultimately, Oscar chose Danny, given his enthusiasm and experience with a band as 1/4 of McFly.
But, of course, Oscar couldn’t leave the stage without a cheeky namedrop.
The guitar player said: ‘I used to do acting. I was in a TV show not so long ago.’
Naturally, the judges were curious…
‘It was called Gavin & Stacey,’ he told them, leaving them all stunned.
Neil the Baby was born to Smithy and Nessa in series 3 (Picture: BBC)
Oscar even returned for the Christmas special in 2019! (Picture: BBC)
What a blast from the past! (Picture: BBC)
‘I love Gavin & Stacey!’, exclaimed Pixie.
‘I was Neil the Baby,’ he said with a smile.
‘Very cool,’ Ronan commented.
Viewers also lost their minds after witnessing Neil the Baby now all grown up and following his passions.
Taking to Twitter, a very excitable Rylan Clark wrote: ‘NEIL THE BABY IS ON THE VOICE KIDS ALERT’.
‘I feel old’, stated another – same.
‘Omg it’s Neil the Baby!’, wrote another.
‘Neil the baby’s on the tele!!!’, tweeted another.
The Voice Kids continues Saturday on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Oh! It’s Neil the Baby!