Lost Voice Guy

Lee Ridley, born on December 31, 1980, in Consett, County Durham, England, developed cerebral palsy at six months old after a brain infection. This condition affected his movement and rendered him unable to speak. For years, he faced communication challenges until he received his first communication device at the age of eight. Ridley pursued higher education at the University of Central Lancashire between 1999 and 2002, earning an undergraduate degree in journalism and a master’s degree in online journalism. His early career included working as a journalist for the BBC and local newspapers in 2006, followed by a role as an online content manager for the city of Sunderland in 2007. By 2011, he was an online journalist for Sunderland City Council and freelanced for various dance and entertainment publications.

Ridley’s journey into comedy began in 2012, inspired by a challenge to comedian Ross Noble regarding Stephen Hawking impressions. He adopted an iPad text-to-speech app, Speak It!, to deliver his routines, which he meticulously pre-programmed and refined based on audience reactions, occasionally improvising live. His debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 was cut short due to pneumonia, but he persevered. In 2014, he achieved significant recognition by winning the BBC Radio New Comedy Awards. This success propelled him to pursue comedy professionally in 2015, leading to well-received Edinburgh Fringe shows like ‘Disability for Dunces’ and ‘Inspiration Porn,’ which humorously critiqued societal views on disability. His career continued to expand with an acting role in the 2018 Radio 4 sitcom ‘Ability,’ which he co-wrote.

The year 2018 marked a major turning point for Ridley when he won the 12th series of ‘Britain’s Got Talent,’ becoming the first comedian and communication aid user to achieve this. Following his victory, he competed in ‘America’s Got Talent: The Champions’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions’ in 2019. That same year, he released his first book, ‘I’m Only In It For The Parking.’ Ridley also champions disability awareness, serving as a patron for The Sequal Trust, a communication disability charity, since 2018. In March 2021, he announced a collaboration with CereProc and voice artist Dan Pye to create a Consett-accented voice for his communication aid, reflecting his personal heritage.