Susan Boyle, An Unlikely Singing Sensation

A middle-aged volunteer church worker with the voice of an angel is Britain's latest unlikely showbiz star.

Susan Boyle, 47, wowed judges and audience alike when she performed on the television contest "Britain's Got Talent."

When Boyle stepped on stage she told the show's judges, "I'm nearly 48, currently unemployed but still looking…"

But not likely unemployed for much longer, reports CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips. By Wednesday morning, a video clip of Boyle's performance on YouTube had been viewed more than 5 million times.

The unemployed Scot who said she'd "never been kissed" drew titters when she told the judges her ambition was to be a professional singer.

But her soaring rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables" astonished the show's hard-to-please judges.

They were captivated by the singer from Blackburn in western Scotland. Usually acerbic judge Simon Cowell dubbed her singing "extraordinary." Fellow judge Piers Morgan said her "stunning" performance was "the biggest surprise I've had in three years of this show."

The show, the first in a new series of "Britain's Got Talent," was watched by 11.4 million of Britain's 60 million people on Saturday night.

Boyle is what these shows love, reports Phillips, "not just a talent, but an unlikely talent - and one with a touching back story."

Learning difficulties as a child led to bullying at school, and Boyle promised her recently deceased mother she'd honor her memory by auditioning for the show.

British bookmakers made Boyle the early favorite to win the series.

"They may as well cancel the rest of the competition now," quipped Phillips on The Early Show, "But of course, they won't."

She is the latest in a proud tradition of underdogs who win the heart of the British public.

"Britain's Got Talent" made a star of its first winner, an unassuming mobile phone salesman named Paul Potts. He wowed audiences with his rendition of the aria "Nessun Dorma" and has become a global recording star since winning the series - and signing to Cowell's record label - in 2007.

Phillips reports that Boyle is already talking to a record company about a possible contract.