Britain’s Got Talent runner-up Jamie Leahey, accompanied by his chicken puppet Chuck, has revealed his audition was only his second ventriloquism performance ever.
‘Jamie and Chuck’ reached the Britain’s Got Talent final on Sunday, June 5, and came in second place. The 13-year-old from Rainford in St Helens received a standing ovation from the judges after a hilarious and clever routine.
Jamie said he started learning ventriloquism during lockdown, teaching himself by watching YouTube videos and practising in the mirror. He performed for the first time in October last year – and his BGT audition was only his second.
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The young star, who goes to Rainford High School, said: “I was so happy to finish second in the final. I couldn't believe it. I feel like it hasn't really sunk in yet.
“All of the judges were lovely and so were Ant and Dec. I can honestly say I've had the time of my life doing BGT. I have met some lovely people and all of the people working on the show are really nice. I've had the best experience.”
Jamie has always loved being on stage. He joined a local drama group, the Royal Theatre Drama Academy (RTDA) at St Helens Theatre Royal when he was six and has since played Michael and John in Peter Pan, Baby Face in Bugsy Malone, and the lead role in Oliver.
Jamie’s drama teacher, Lewis Devine, saw him doing ventriloquism and helped him develop his act. Jamie performed in the drama club’s annual show, which gave him the confidence to audition for Britain’s Got Talent.
Lewis supported Jamie throughout BGT, writing the songs for his semi-final and final performances. Jamie only had two days at home to prepare before going back to London for the final and Lewis came round to his house, armed with a keyboard and recording equipment.
Jamie said: “To get to the final was a dream, I never imagined I'd do so well. Chuck is really happy – he loves all of the attention!
“I was just so happy to be able to perform on stage at the London Palladium and then the Hammersmith Apollo. I would have loved to perform at the Royal Variety Performance.”
Jamie’s parents, Pete and Marie Leahey, said: “We are extremely proud of what Jamie has achieved. From the age of three he has always said he wants to be on stage and TV.
“We are a close family and we do everything as a team. It has been lovely for us all to share Jamie's wonderful experience.”
The teenager said he had received “brilliant” support from St Helens. People put up posters and showed their support on social media. Jamie was “made-up” to even receive a message from St Helens comedian Johnny Vegas.
Jamie is hoping to get a couple of friends for Chuck and do more shows in the future.
Jamie and Chuck opened BGT’s live final on Sunday with a performance filled with jokes and songs. Highlights included a remark at Dec’s expense, when the mischievous chicken revealed he almost didn’t make it to the final as he was staying at Ant and Dec’s house – where he slept on the sofa and Dec slept in the cutlery drawer.
Jamie continued to perform with incredible stage presence and confidence with Chuck ‘interrupting’ with cheeky comments every so often. The pair mimicked a ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ episode, which made for more jokes.
The pair were asked: “Where would you find a legless tortoise?”, to which Chuck responded: “Exactly where you left it!”
The performance received rapturous applause from the audience on Sunday night, as well as a standing ovation from the judges. Amanda Holden said she was reduced to tears and said Jamie was “such a professional, despite being a young lad.”
Simon Cowell also heaped praise on the young star, saying his brilliant material showed he should stick with his ventriloquism for a career, while David Walliams called on the other acts to go home after Jamie’s stellar performance and Alesha Dixon said he had outdone himself from the semi-final.
The St Helens teenager narrowly missed out on the £250,000 prize money and performance at the Royal Variety to winner comedian Axel Blake. Jamie received 14.7% of the public vote, behind Axel’s 19.7%, according to ITV.
