Lee Ridley, a 37-year-old comedian from Consett, UK, recently made television history as the first comedian to ever win Britain’s Got Talent.
Alongside this win, Ridley, who was born with cerebral palsy, is also being praised for helping to shatter the stigma surrounding disabilities.
Ridley was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was only 6 months old. Later, complications with the disease put him in a coma. “It means I can’t speak and my right side is weaker than my left. So, I walk funny too,” he told The Guardian. “I also developed epilepsy as a teenager. Obviously, I didn’t have enough to cope with,” he quipped.
Because of his muteness, Ridley didn’t have many friends and felt isolated as a child. “Thankfully getting a communication device when I was eight changed all that and gave me much more self-confidence,” he said.
Ridley had always loved making people laugh but never thought stand-up comedy was possible until he had a run-in with comedian Ross Noble.
The comedian had spent a large chunk of his routine imitating Stephen Hawking and was taken by surprise when Ridley approached him with his speaking device, to ask: “Do you want to see who can do the best Stephen Hawking impersonation?”
Ross later began using the anecdote in his set. You can hear him tell the story below:
Later, when Ridley was offered the chance to do comedy locally, he immediately jumped on the offer.
“I was lucky in that I knew the first guy who put me on. So, he knew my situation and it wasn’t a problem,” he said.
“Since then, the fact that I can’t talk hasn’t really been a problem for other gigs, either.”
Considering the comedian’s recent big win, that may be the understatement of the year! When Ridley walked on to the stage with his iPad, Britain’s Got Talent judges weren’t too sure what to expect— but Ridley’s self-deprecating, witty humor immediately won them over.
Interestingly, Ridley wasn’t the only comedian with a disability who made it to the finals.
Robert White, a stand-up comedian with Asperger’s Syndrome, came in right behind Ridley, winning second place. “For those who don’t know what Asperger’s Syndrome is, it basically means I’m better than you,” White joked during one of his routines.
This season of Britain’s Got Talent increasingly encouraged media representation of disability, with 40 of its semi-finalists having a disability of some kind. If you’re interested, you can read more about them here.
In the end, however, Ridley’s amazing sense of humor and ability to joke about himself won the nation’s heart, making him the very first comedian to ever win the series.
“I have been blown away by the support of the judges and the general public,” He told UK Evening Standard.
“I have gotten so much love from everyone and I am really grateful for it all.”
“I am very excited to perform for The Queen. I have loved her since she sang Bohemian Rhapsody,” he joked.
“I’d like to think I’ve opened people’s eyes and made them realize that being disabled isn’t all bad,” he told talk show host Lorraine Kelly.
“I hope that seeing disabled people on television like myself— some of the stigma will be taken away from disability.”
When asked what he will do with the prize money, in true Ridley fashion, he jokes: “I’m definitely going to get a Geordie accent for my iPad because I’m sick of sounding like a posh version of RoboCop.”
See his hilarious, award-winning performance below!
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