Benefits Street star Orange Dot to cash in on karaoke talents by releasing CD

Benefits Street star Orange Dot plans to release an album of karaoke songs.

Dorothy Taylor, a 4ft 11in mum-of-five, has revealed she is recording a CD to cash in on the lucrative music market.

And the self-styled Karaoke Queen who has sung for years in pubs around her home town of Stockton-on-Tees believes it will be a major hit.

“If it can get in the charts then that will be great,” said Dot, 49. “I’ve always done karaoke around the local pubs and I’m game for owt.

“My friends would say ‘I bet you wouldn’t get up and do that’ but, when I did, a lot of them said ‘I didn’t know you could sing!’

“I think I’m mint!”

Diminutive Dot has already secured the services of agent Barry Tomes who made a star of White Dee in the first series of Benefits Street.

Barry, who owns Gotham Records, said a Christmas album is in the pipeline. “For a little lady she has a big voice,” he added.

Dot’s husband Kevin was slightly more cautious about his wife’s fledgling singing career.

“She’s not the worst singer in the world but she’s not the best, to tell the truth,” said Kevin, 49, who has been married to Dot since they were 18. “Her singing’s all right. Barry thinks it will go well, so why not?”

Mixed-race Dot, whose mum Mary, 82, is from Glasgow and late dad Christopher was born in India, appears in the new Channel 4 series.

Now in its second series, it follows the lives of families living on Teeside’s crime-ridden Tilery Estate.

Jobless Dot has been given the nickname “orange Dot” because of her tanned appearance.

The grandmother, who has a history of depression, claims £200-a-month disability living allowance and £184 income support. Kevin is handed £284 in carer’s allowance to look after her.

Last week’s show saw the grandmother-of-six trying to make custard using the same sieve she uses for her gravy.

The scene saw controversial columnist Katie Hopkins Tweet: “With respect, civilised society does not use a sieve to make custard nor gravy.”

But last night Dot said: “It’s just one of the silly things you do. It’s giving our area a voice and we have never really had a voice before.”

The first episode in the new series of Benefits Street also followed Julie Young, Sue Griffiths, Maxwell and Lee and Chrissie Nutley.

Despite being watched by nearly 3 million people, though, the figures were down by a million on last year’s first episode of series one, filmed in Birmingham.