The upcoming stars of Edinburgh's entertainment circuit to watch out for in 2011

CITY hairdresser Gavin Blackie not only overcame nerves but an exploding microphone to win Edinburgh's Got Talent 2010. He did so with a rousing rendition of Human by The Killers, which had the audience on their feet.

Gavin, from Granton, scooped the first prize after the judges returned a dramatic three-way tie, forcing the decision to go to the public vote.

The 27-year-old showman admitted: "It was quite daunting knowing I was up against people that had been on X Factor, but when they said it was a tie I knew it was anybody's game."

Since winning, Gavin has gone into the studio with producer Iain McKenna to record a ballad called You Are. He also switched on the Omni Centre's festive lights. It's unlikely to be the last we'll see of him.

Emma Gillespie: Pop singer

BUSKING on the streets one minute, winning Must Be The Music the next - such is the life of Emma Gillespie, the next big thing in pop music. Having blown away the competition on Sky's answer to X Factor, the Polmont singer, who performs as Emma's Imagination, signed to Gary Barlow's record label. Her debut album Stand Still is out in January, and with the Take That superstar giving his backing, it's not difficult to imagine it being a success.

Emma, who wrote all but two songs on the album, is confident what she has to offer is different from previous reality TV winners. "I think the album will surprise people, because they'll only have heard a few of my songs, and will have an idea as to what I'm like as a singer, but the album is very diverse."

Oliver Sabin: Musician/DJ/Producer

OLIVER SABIN, aka Unicorn Kid, first showed up on our radar back in 2008. Then a 16-year-old Leith Academy pupil, we'd caught him playing locally one night with a live show consisting of a toy guitar, a Gameboy, various toys and a colourful keyboard strewn across a table. "I started making electronic music when I was 15," he explains. "When I was 16 I started to develop Unicorn Kid."

His well-made tunes signalled him out as one to watch and, before long, the electronic wunderkind had won a competition run by TV teen drama Skins to unearth new musical talent. Catching the attention of the Pet Shop Boys and Gorillaz, he has since produced high-profile remixes for both. Big things are predicted for the young Leither in 2011, when a full-length release of his own is promised.

Greg McHugh: Actor/ Stand-up comedian

IT may have taken a few years, but 2011 looks set to be the year Greg McHugh becomes a household name, thanks to Gary Tank Commander. The former St Thomas of Aquin's pupil first unleashed the camp, well-meaning but naive Sergeant Gary McLintock on Channel 4 audiences in 2006, before developing the character at The Stand, where he began his comedy career at the Red Raw beginners night. The 29-year-old, who initially studied business at Stirling University, broke into acting after winning a place at the RSAMD. Following the 2008 Scottish BAFTA award-winning mockumentary Gary's War, and last year's debut series, the Morningside-born performer returns to BBC One Scotland in six new episodes of Gary Tank Commander next Monday. And if sales of his DVD are anything to go by, Greg will indeed be commanding an ever growing fanbase.

Ruth Milne: Actress

TALK about a baptism of fire. Edinburgh actress Ruth Milne made her TV debut before an audience in excess of eight million in the Doctor Who adventure Tooth and Claw. That was four years ago - the former Boroughmuir pupil actually celebrated her 18th birthday on the famous Tardis set. Milne's big break came after attending a casting session when she was just 17 and a member of the Lyceum Youth Theatre. That role not only got Ruth noticed but won her an agent and saw her cast in the 2007 movie Hallam Foe. Never one to rest on her laurels, Ruth then went to drama school. Now 22, she returned to the Capital in 2010 to make her professional stage debut in Punk Rock, at The King's.

She recalls: "I took a year out of school thinking, 'I want to be an actor and people have said I should get some extra experience'. I thought that, maybe, if I was lucky I'd be able to work in a cafe for a year and see what came along, but I was just so lucky to get that break."

Expect to be seeing a lot more of Ruth Milne in 2011.