A quirky British singer-songwriter, Charlie Winston, has become a superstar in France despite being a nobody in this, his native land. The 30-year-old performer, named after Charlie Chaplin and Winston Churchill, has topped the French album and singles chart, shifting more than 200,000 copies of his debut, Hobo - which is tipped to become the frogs' best-selling album of the year.

Lucky him, I say - the cad is no Jacques Brel (by which I mean to say he's untouched by genius) and he doesn't even speak French. Lucky because, having broken the French market, not only has he won the admiration of many demure French girls, he can expect a far more rewarding career than those who have enjoyed equivalent success in Britain. Explaining why he tried his luck in France, he says: “I wanted to get out of London after 12 years because the music scene there is driven so much by the latest trends, and I’ve never been interested in following fashion”. He found the French value different things in music - showmanship, originality and lyrical depth - and find our constantly revolving popstar roundabout rather baffling. If he follows up his debut, he will find they also value longevity and loyalty - quite often in France, artists sustain interest over two and even three or more albums.

I don't love Charlie Winston's music by any means - poor man's Ennio Morricone whistling and open mic lyrics. Stupid hat too. In fact, there's something rather hapless about his success. But still, lucky him. His career model comes close to the ideal. If I had a choice, I would rather be a star there - France is a great place to be a star: respect, intelligent chat shows, good food, nice theatres to play in, no London Lite... - and a nobody here. We're quite accommodating to nobodies.