A SCHOOLBOY pop group have scooped a musical jackpot rock idols can only dream of - a TV debut with Madonna.

The four youngsters, three of whom are still studying for GCSEs at Bury Grammar School, call themselves Al!ve and will share a peak time slot with the singing superstar on Saturday's National Lottery Live draw.

They were picked by Lottery chiefs after officials studied tapes of the band, who are being hailed as "the next Oasis".

The show, which will be watched by an estimated 15 million viewers, is not only the teenagers' big break, but Madonna's first live TV appearance for two years.

The group will have to be filmed outside the BBC studios because gambling rules mean they are too young to appear on the Lottery draw stage. Instead, their performance of a lifetime will be shot on a school stage.

Lead singer Andy Ross, 15, who lives with parents Peter and Elaine in Unsworth, near Bury, said: "It's fantastic, we're on the same show as Madonna. We want to break into the charts. Perhaps in a few years she will be knocking on our dressing room door asking for autographs."

The teenagers are already mobbed by hundreds of girls every time they play at local schools. Now, thanks to their Lottery gig, they are set to become national sex symbols and even a single is tipped for the autumn, despite the lads having to buckle down for exams.

Lead guitar Andy, keyboard player and rhythm guitarist Darren "Daz" Kane, 16, and drummer Martin Whyment, 15, have just finished their mock GCSEs and will do 10 exams in June. Bassist Craig Stelnicki, 16, is studying at the Manchester School of Sound Recording.

Andy's mum, Elaine, said: "We all hope the boys will reach the stars, but they will be keeping their feet firmly on the ground."

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