Comedian Lost Voice Guy has won Britain’s Got Talent, pocketing £250,000 and winning a spot at The Royal Variety Performance.
The funnyman, who has cerebral palsy and uses pre-recorded sentences on a computer for his stand-up act, dazzled the audience and judges with his hilarious routine in the grand final, which saw him poke fun at his disability.
He said as his win was announced: “I have been blown away by the support of the judges and the general public.”
The comic, whose name is Lee Ridley, said he was “really grateful” for all the love he had received.
He joked: “I’m very excited to perform in front of the Queen.
“I’ve loved her since she sang Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Your winner of #BGT 2018 is… @LostVoiceGuy!!! ✨🎉🎊✨🎉🎊✨ pic.twitter.com/Dr5U7qB17X
— Britain's Got Talent (@BGT) June 3, 2018
The panel had been full of praise for the performer, who is from Newcastle, with Alesha Dixon saying he would “inspire so many people” and David Walliams saying he had turned a negative (losing his voice) into something positive.
Judge Simon Cowell said after the results that he was thrilled to see him win.
“You so deserved this,” he said.
Comic Robert White was runner up of the ITV show and singer Donchez Dacres was third.
A total of 11 acts competed in the final.
Ten made it through during this week’s live semi-finals and one act, the B-Positive Choir, were picked as the judges’ wildcard.
The show opened with a hilarious song and dance routine that saw presenter Declan Donnelly showing off his own acrobatic trick – a handstand.
Highlights of the evening included a moving performance from The D-Day Darlings, who sing tracks from the Second World War era.
They brought down the house with a moving rendition of (There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover, which ended with them being joined on stage by a group of veterans. Cowell called it “amazing”.
Comedian Micky P Kerr had a bit of a shock when the judges told him that tennis player Andy Murray’s mum Judy – the butt of one of his jokes during his semi-final performance – was in the audience.
Awkward. @JudyMurray @MickyPKerr 🙈🙈🙈 #BGT pic.twitter.com/ZxyNdgI9Wt
— Britain's Got Talent (@BGT) June 3, 2018
The Giang Brothers wowed the audience with a daring leap that they had never completed without a safety harness before the final.
The brothers, from Vietnam, made it through to the final with their acrobatic show, which sees one carry the other on his head as he walks up stairs.
During the final the pair stepped it up a notch and the acrobat jumped from a step on to a platform with his brother on his head.
Walliams said it was “beyond beyond”, while Amanda Holden said they were “utterly extraordinary”.
The final also included performances from the West End cast of Tina: The Musical and the cast of Vegas show Magic Mike, which was introduced by Magic Mike Channing Tatum.
Anyone else feeling a little hot under the collar? @DavidWalliams is!
Thanks for performing in our Final @channingtatum and The Magic Mike Musical! #BGT 🙃🙃🙃 pic.twitter.com/y6wB9lajOj
— Britain's Got Talent (@BGT) June 3, 2018
Tatum first appeared in a video message, then made a surprise appearance on stage after the Magic Mike Live performance to announce that the production was coming to London.
The final wrapped up a week of live shows presented by Donnelly, who was without his presenting partner Ant McPartlin for the first time in the programme’s history.
The TV duo appeared together in the audition episodes as they were recorded before McPartlin stepped back from his presenting commitments when he was charged with drink-driving earlier this year.
He was banned from the road for 20 months and fined £86,000 after pleading guilty to driving while more than twice the legal limit.
Cowell praised Donnelly for the way he had handled the live shows alone.
“You have done an outstanding job this week,” he said.