Britain’s Got Talent 2018 winner is disabled comedian Lee Ridley, the Lost Voice Guy!

There was no doubt as to who would win the Britain’s Got Talent 2018 title. 37-year-old Lee Ridley, who has cerebral palsy and is unable to speak, was the clear favourite this year. Ridley, who is also known as the Lost Voice Guy, was clearly the favourite from the start to the finish.

Ridley uses a Lightwriter, which is a voice synthesiser and ‘walks with a limp.’ He makes up for this with a razor-sharp wit and with T-shirts that carry slogans showing samples of his inclusive humour.

Apart from Ridley, there were many people with disabilities on the high-profile primetime TV talent show this year. Many of the 40 semi-finalists were disabled in some way. Of these, three made it through to the final.

Among them was Andrew Lancaster, who dyslexia and dyspraxia. This is formally classed as a learning difficulty as opposed to disability, but it can be disabling for some people. Dyslexia causes issues with reading and writing, while dyspraxia makes co-ordination and movement difficult. Lancaster won over audiences with his portrayals of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and David Attenborough.

Then there was the choir, B-Positive, which has 60 singers, all of whom suffer from, or are affected by sickle cell disease. They aim is to raise awareness about the urgent need for blood donation. They sang a powerful song which showed the importance of diversity.

The inclusion of so many disabled acts in this year’s line-up is bound to have a positive impact on the disabled community. It will inspire open discussion about diversity in all its forms. It will also encourage society to focus on ability as opposed to inability.

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