A line-up for the grand final of the singing challenge Sussex Coast Idol has now been confirmed.

Stars of the future from across Sussex will battle it out to win the competition which has taken the whole of the South Coast by storm.

X Factor winner Steve Brookstein will make a guest appearance and perform at the competition final at Portsmouth Guildhall on Saturday, May 27.

Other special guests will include XFactor finalists 4Tune, Nicholas Dorsett, and Phillip Magee plus Rik Waller. The event will be compered by Jane McDonald and Sam Matterface.

Before the big day there will be a regional final at Concorde 2, Madeira Drive, Brighton, on April 11. Other regional finals have been held in Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth.

Kerry Evans, 20, from Portslade, who is training to be a nurse at Brighton University, is one of the lucky finalists to make it through the regional semifinals from hundreds of entrants.

Emily Manthorpe and Catherine Lawson, both from Brighton, also made it through the regional heats. Miss Lawson said: "The semi-final was very X Factor-style each contestant sang their song and then stood and listened to the judges' comments on their performance.

"Then the audience placed their votes for who they think should win on their voting slips and the judges also had their say. Then we all came together and they put us into two groups and then with a huge build up and a lot of tension, they said group one was through to the finals. It's very exciting."