Michael Hogan reports for The Telegraph:
Comedian Lee Ridley, a 37-year-old from Newcastle upon Tyne (cue blatant favouritism from Geordie host Declan Donnelly), took to the stage in a T-shirt proudly proclaiming he was “Disabled before it was popular.” His cerebral palsy has left him unable to speak but he performs self-mocking, PC-baiting stand-up with the aid of a speech synthesiser.
Ridley went into this final as the bookies’ favourite and true to form, was crowned the winner after an uproarious routine that poked fun at the judges but mainly himself — especially the fact that his face was patched up after he tripped up celebrating his semi-final win. “Lost Voice Guy became Lost Balance Guy,” he quipped.
… The show also got a pre-recorded blessing from Bishop Michael Curry, the charismatically rambling American preacher who stole the show at Windsor Castle a fortnight ago. As host Declan Donnelly noted, Curry’s message of love was “quite a short one by his standards.” Shame. We’d rather hear Curry holding court than [talent judge] Amanda Holden.
Matthew Townsend is a Halifax-based freelance journalist and volunteer advocate for survivors of sexual misconduct in Anglican settings. He served as editor of the Anglican Journal from 2019 to 2021 and communications missioner for the Anglican Diocese of Quebec from 2019 to 2022. He and his wife recently entered catechism class in the Orthodox Church in America.
