Lost Voice Guy reveals he's found fitting Geordie accent

Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy, has announced that he's found the new Geordie voice he's been looking for.

The comedian, 40, uses a speech app to communicate as his cerebral palsy means he cannot speak but he revealed earlier this year he was on the hunt for a new voice with an accent that sounded more like his family members from Consett in County Durham.

He shared on Friday that he had almost 500 people had got in touch as potential donors but he'd found the right fit in voice over artist Dan Pye, who's voice Ridley described as "upbeat and friendly".

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In a post to his website, Ridley explained the selection process as he said: "They were each asked to read a short extract from my book, I’m Only In It For The Parking. I then listened to each entry in turn in order to select the voice that I felt best suited myself.

"I was overwhelmed by the response from my fellow Geordies, and it made the job of choosing the right voice very difficult. And I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to send a recording of their voice."

He went on: "But, in the end, Dan’s voice was the one that I kept coming back too and listening to over and over again. I just thought it sounded quite upbeat and friendly. Which is definitely an advantage when you’re a comedian.

"But I also thought it sounded similar to my family as well. My family are from Consett in County Durham, so I’d like to sound as close as I can to that. And I think that Dan's voice fits the bill perfectly. Thankfully, my family agreed with my choice too."

The Britain's Got Talent winner had spoken about his search on This Morning in February, where he told hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield that he wanted to tell his parents how much he loved them in his own accent.

His new voice is set to be put together by speech synthesis company CereProc following recording sessions with Pye.

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Ridley shared a clip of his old voice, which he has previously described as "posh Robocop", transforming into his new one on Instagram.

"Hello, it's Lost Voice Guy here," it began in the familiar tone, before transforming into his new voice: "And I'm delighted to say I've found my Geordie accent."

Watch: Britain's Got Talent 2021 cancelled due to pandemic