Lee Ridley
Comedian
Lee Ridley (also known as ‘Lost Voice Guy’) is a stand-up comedian who uses a communication aid. Lee shot to fame last year on Britain’s Got Talent where he became the first comedian to win the competition. He has since performed at The Royal Variety Performance, Live At The Apollo and America’s Got Talent: The Champions.
Many of Lee’s jokes focus on disability, such as his communication aid sounding “like a posh Robocop” – so that while he’s from Newcastle, he says he has “never picked up the accent!” Lee’s brand of comedy makes people think and gives them a deeper perspective on disability. By riffing on people’s attitudes and thoughtless comments he fights overt and covert ableism, while also landing every joke.
Lee says: “I’m really glad I won Britain’s Got Talent because success breeds success. It would be nice for every disabled child to realise they have the opportunity to do whatever they like when they grow up. But they’ll only believe this if they see other people in a similar situation achieving their goals. This is why this list is so important.”
Lee has been performing stand-up comedy for seven years. His first solo Edinburgh Fringe show was in 2013 and he won the BBC New Comedy Award in 2014. Lee has been nominated for numerous writing awards with Katherine Jakeways who he co-writes the Radio 4 sitcom Ability with.
This year Lee completed his first UK tour, published his debut book, I’m Only In It for the Parking: Life and Laughter from the Priority Seats (Penguin), performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, and is touring again in the Autumn.
Lee is a patron of The Sequal Trust, (SEQUAL: Special Equipment and Aids for Living), Smile For Life, Find a Voice and Communication Matters, and an ambassador for Scope.
I’m really glad I won Britain’s Got Talent because success breeds success. It would be nice for every disabled child to realise they have the opportunity to do whatever they like when they grow up. But they’ll only believe this if they see other people in a similar situation achieving their goals. This is why this list is so important.