Lost Voice Guy wins BBC New Comedy Award 2014

Lost Voice Guy has won the BBC New Comedy Award 2014.

The Newcastle comedian, real name Lee Ridley, takes home a £1000 cash prize, as well as a development deal with the BBC to produce his own radio pilot.

The winner was announced at the end of a live show broadcast on Radio 2 this afternoon, hosted by Patrick Kielty, and was decided by a public vote.

The other finalists were Tom Little, Brennan Reece, Thomas Ward, Hari Sriskantha and Amir Khoshsokhan.

Speaking to Giggle Beats earlier this week, Ridley said he’d plough the £1000 prize money back into covering travel costs for gigs.

He said: “I entered the competition to gain experience and contacts mostly. The money is just a bonus.”

And collecting his award, Ridley said he was “speechless in every sense of the word”.

He added: “You’ve made a disabled man very happy, so Santa should be good to you all.”

The BBC New Comedy Awards initially ran from 1995 to 2005 with the likes of Alan Carr, Peter Kay, Sarah Millican and Marcus Brigstocke amongst the finalists. It was revived by Radio 2 in 2011, with Angela Barnes, Lucy Beaumont and Steve Bugeja winning the last three competitions.

Beaumont’s sitcom pilot, To Hull And Back, has recently been commissioned for a full series on Radio 4, while Bugeja’s show is currently in development.

Read our full interview with Lost Voice Guy here.