A Tory MP joked with a constituent that if enough money was donated to charity he would enter Britain's Got Talent, and it now looks like it could actually happen.
Will Quince attended a community barbecue in his constituency last Sunday, which is where it all started.
"They managed to persuade me to sing a song," Quince told BuzzFeed News, "then I posted a picture of it online and a constituent got in touch and said, 'I'll give you 250 quid to a charity of your choice if you enter Britain's Got Talent.'
"I said, 'If you make it a thousand pounds I'll do it.'"
A crowdfunding page was created on 23 July and three days later, at time of publishing, it had already raised £435 towards the target.
Admitting that he didn't think this would actually happen, the Colchester MP said that he has "no idea" what he would sing on the TV show, and would have to "give it serious thought".
It is likely that it would be musical theatre, however, as it's the tenor's preferred repertoire; the song that inspired the crowdfund was "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady.
Asked about whether he thought he could go far in the contest, Quince said: "It'd be a one-off audition; I wouldn't be anticipating getting much further." But his supporters disagree:
I've heard @willquince sing. I reckon he could go all the way on Britain's Got Talent... https://t.co/Snk8QhN30y
Labour MP Wes Streeting told BuzzFeed News: "Will Quince may be known to do a turn at karaoke; he has a very theatrical/operatic tone and I'm convinced he can make the live shows."
In any case, Quince would be the first sitting MP to audition for Britain's Got Talent.
Here he is showing off his singing talent on the BBC on Tuesday morning:
Has @willquince got talent? He sang live for @kathmelandri @richjonesmagic and @PeteWatermanOBE this morning