Britain's Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy finds humour from unlikely places

Lee Ridley was already a popular figure on the comedy circuit last summer but when he won Britain’s Got Talent last June, Lost Voice Guy suddenly became a name everyone was shouting about.

Winning a TV talent contest can take an act onto a whole new level of fame with doors opening more readily than they might have done before.

Helicopter ER show to reveal Ripon motorcyclist's Yorkshire Air Ambulance rescue and leg amputationAs he takes to the nation’s stages with a touring show entitled I’m Only In It For The Parking, County Durham-born Lee found that this was no more true than in his case.

'The look on my face said it all'

“The main reason I decided to audition for Britain’s Got Talent was obviously to meet Ant and Dec,” he half-jests. “But I also did it because I thought it would help me develop as a performer. Of course, I never expected to win it. In fact, I had to cancel my summer holiday because it clashed with the final. It was definitely worth it though.

Yorkshire Airport viewers both 'loving' and 'cringing' at ITV show on Leeds Bradford“I think the look on my face when I won said it all. Winning the show has changed my life in so many ways. As a comedian, I’m busier than I ever was before. One of the best things to happen since I won is that people are engaging with me a lot more than they would have in the past. For the first time they seem comfortable talking to a disabled person. I’m used to being stared at for negative reasons so it’s nice to be stared at for positive reasons for a change.”

Making the most of opportunities

While Lee has plenty to say about those who have bigoted opinions about disabled people, he’s just as tough on those who are either patronising or overly keen to elevate the disabled into saints simply for being able to achieve something.

Brian Blessed backs Afghan war veteran fundraising to become first double amputee to climb KilimanjaroHaving started performing comedy in 2012, Lee won the BBC Radio New Comedy Award in 2014 and has created hour-long shows for the Edinburgh Fringe such as Disability For Dunces, Inspiration Porn and Laughter Is The Worst Medicine. He’s also co-written and starred in Ability, a Radio 4 sitcom about a man with cerebral palsy who moves out of his parents’ home, and penned a book which shares the title of this new touring show.

Being on tour is something of a ride for any comedian, but for Lee, that adventure has extra obstacles and barriers inherently built into it. However, he is determined to make the most of these opportunities. “I think the best thing about being on tour is getting to see some really lovely places that maybe I wouldn’t have ever visited otherwise, and then getting to meet people from all different walks of life.

“You would be surprised at how many people come up to me after gigs and ask if I really can’t speak. Because, of course, it would totally be acceptable to pretend to be disabled for a laugh. I can safely say that I have never been able to talk. I have lived in Newcastle all my life, but for some reason I still haven’t picked up the accent. However, if you are trying to place my accent, it’s from PC World.”

Real-life experiences

Truth plays a major part in Lee’s comedy and he is often calling out politicians as well as the general public for their negative or dishonest approach to disability. The upside is that he’s rarely short of stories and anecdotes. One instance where he was ordered by a train inspector to give up his disabled seat for someone else inspired his episode on the Sky Arts Comedy Shorts series last year.

“I think most of my comedy comes from my real-life experiences. On the one hand, that’s quite frightening because some of it is unbelievably ridiculous. But on the other hand, it gives me some great material. I’d be silly not to use these experiences, and if I didn’t laugh about it then I’d most definitely cry!”

Lost Voice Guy is appearing at Hull City Hall on Friday, July 19 as part of the LOL Comedy Club. His tour visits Princess Alexandra Theatre in Yarm on October 30.