Anyone see the BBC Young Musician of the Year final at the weekend? Bits of it? None of it? If that’s been the overriding reaction among friends of mine in the classical music world, goodness knows how general members of the public would respond. Young Musician what? Never heard of it…

Since its formation in 1978, the biennial competition for British musicians aged 18 and under has produced such winners as oboist Nicholas Daniel, clarinettist Emma Johnson, pianist Freddy Kempf, cellist Natalie Clein and violinist Nicola Benedetti, who this year became the competition’s Ambassador, exactly a decade after triumphing in the competition. It’s long been regarded in the industry as a hotbed for nurturing major young talent, with most winners going on to forge hugely successful careers. So why don’t the British public get more excited about it?

Britain’s Got Talent scored its highest rating episode launch ever last month when it attracted 11.1 million viewers. Last Sunday – at roughly the same broadcast time as the Young Musician semi-final – the show brought in a still-impressive 8.8 million viewers. And yet the Young Musician final only managed 344,000. The public, it seems, can’t get enough of roller-skating cabaret artists, cute boy bands and salsa-dancing grannies. And don’t get me wrong – there’s something strangely comforting about settling down with a group of friends on a Saturday night with a glass of wine, some nibbles, and a TV show like Britain’s Got Talent playing in the background. We love to laugh at people’s misfortunes, we love to cheer on the underdogs and we love to feel proud of what people from this country can achieve. But the talent on display at this year’s Young Musician of the Year competition blew all those wannabe stars on ITV out of the water. So why weren’t we shouting it from the rooftops?

The main problem has always been the policy of broadcasting the various stages of the competition at unsociable times on niche channels. I remember catching it on BBC Two at 11pm one year – far too late for most of us – and then, this year, it was on BBC Four, which, to many viewers, is (wrongly) out of bounds unless you’re a culture snob. But in fact, the format of this year’s competition was perfect for mainstream-channel viewing. Some hardcore followers may have baulked at the glamorous, if undynamic, pairing of trumpeter Alison Balsom and guitarist Miloš Karadaglić as presenters. Or ‘The Verdict’ slogan being emblazoned across the screen after each performance in the category finals. Or the backstories of the contestants, which sometimes took us away from music and into the realms of soap opera. But surely this is exactly why it would work so well for mainstream audiences? When you get to know a person by hearing from their family and friends and trailing them as they go to auditions or bake cakes (as recorder-playing finalist Sophie Westbrooke likes to do in her spare time), you find yourself connected to them and rooting for them, even if you don’t know much about the music they’re playing or the instrument they’re playing it on.

And then there were the performances themselves. Surely no one could fail to be awestruck by the technical capabilities on display, the rapport between performer and orchestra (the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kirill Karabits who seemed to relish working with these young people) and the rowdy, unrestrained enthusiasm from the audience. On the whole, the music performed in the final was pretty easy on the ear (Rachmaninov, Gordon Jacob), and for those wanting something visually exciting, there was always the awesome improvisation from Elliott Gaston-Ross on industrial percussion (including dustbins and wheelbarrow) in Dave Heath’s African Sunrise.  As for the performers, they all seemed pretty likeable and relatively ‘normal’ (albeit prodigiously talented). And Jess Gillam, a saxophonist from Ulverston who received a special commendation prize at the finals, was surely a girl every viewer – with or without classical music knowledge – would take to their hearts? Down to earth, funny and cool, the 15-year-old busks and waits tables at her parents’ tea room to earn money to fund her music lessons, and teaches a lad with Down’s syndrome in her spare time. What was not to like?

On my way to work the day after the finals, I scanned the Metro in vain for a mention – anywhere – of the winner (pianist Martin James Bartlett). Had it been Britain’s Got Talent or The X Factor, you can bet your life it would have been plastered on the front page. As it was, nada. So spread the word people – BBC Young Musician of the Year is one of the most exciting competitions on the planet. Let’s see if, in 2016, we can treat it as such.