regardless whether he received training or not, it's his performance on stage that endeared people to him...3 out of 5 who make it to the finals on Idol have had some kind of training, in the end you can be trained by the music powerhouses but once you get on stage if you can't connect to the audience then you're done... and no training in the world can help you acheive success unless you have the basic requirement: natural talent...and paul potts has that in loads!