“Britain’s Got Talent” revealed its winner on Sunday and the lucky guy was Lee Ridley, a.k.a. Lost Voice Guy. After the disabled standup comedian won first place, he revealed that he wants to spend the £250,000 win on a Geordie accent for his iPad. Ridley has cerebral palsy and has literally lost his voice. His iPad is used as a communication device, but it currently has what Lee terms a “posh Robocop” voice. His win might also be considered to be a watershed moment for disabled people everywhere.

Lee Ridley wins the finals on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’

As reported by the Sun, Lost Voice Guy explained that he wishes to replace the accent on his iPad with his home Geordie accent. He also said he would like to use the "Britain's Got Talent" win to help people who got him to where he is right now.

He explained that he has a number of support workers who help him to get to all his gigs. He wants to reward them properly for their hard work. He also plans on buying something nice for his family, who have also been of great support to him in his standup comedy acts. Another of Lee’s wishes is to cement a friendship with the “Britain’s Got Talent” hosts, Ant and Dec.

Royal Variety Performance by Lee Ridley

Besides the hefty earnings from his win on “Britain’s Got Talent,” Ridley will also have the honour of appearing in the annual Royal Variety Performance. Traditionally this would mean performing before Queen Elizabeth herself, but her majesty hasn’t been to a performance since 2012. Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the event in 2017 and are expected to be there again this year, possibly accompanied by Prince Harry and his new wife, Meghan Markle.

According to a report by the Daily Star, Simon Cowell has been planning to take the winner of the finale with him to America. There Lee would have the chance of performing in the U.S. version of the contest, which could lead to the standup comic gaining worldwide fame.

Lee’s win is a watershed moment for the disabled?

As noted by the BBC, the fact that Ridley won the finals is possibly a watershed moment for anyone who is disabled.

In fact, the other semi-finalist, Robert White, is also disabled and has Asperger syndrome. This didn't stop him from giving a hilarious comedy performance on "BGT."

The two finalists attracted the largest audience at “BGT” since 2015. The BBC quotes an average figure of 8.7 million viewers sitting glued to the final on their TVs. While it does appear to be a watershed moment for the disabled, the BBC quotes Mik Scarlet, a broadcaster and equality trainer, as saying it was simply another of those moments that happen in the media. He said while the media has always been of the notion that the public cannot cope with disability in general, it has never been like that in his experience.
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