Draft:George Kavanagh

George Patrick Kavanagh (born September 6, 2004) is an English comedian, disc jockey and charity fundraiser from Grimsby, North-East Lincolnshire. George is best known for his appearance on ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2016, where he performed a stand-up routine that impressed the judges and earned him four 'yeses'.

George lost his father, Greg, to lung cancer in March 2013. After losing his father, George began fundraising for St Andrew's Hospice, a charity local to Grimsby which cared for his father in the weeks before his passing. Since 2013, George has been an ambassador for the cause and won awards for his fundraising efforts, most notably the 2021 ITV Regional Pride of Britain Award for Fundraiser of the Year.

George made appearances on VIKING FM and VIKING 2 from 2014-2016, co-hosting a weekly radio skit titled "Curious George" alongside presenter Sean Goldsmith. George has also made multiple appearances on British television, most notably on ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2016, where he called David Walliams "sunshine" in an audition that has been rewatched millions of times on YouTube. George also went viral in 2015 after an interview for ITV News Calendar, where George stated that people who speak negatively of Grimsby "need a slap round the face with a wet fish".

George resurfaced in the media in 2023 when he challenged Top Gear's "The Stig" to a televised race in his Ford Sierra, to pay homage to his father. While the story was published by the Daily Express, plans failed to materialise with BBC's Top Gear being cancelled later in the year.

Early Life

George was born at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby on 6th September 2004. George attended Old Clee Primary Academy from 2009 to 2016, before moving to Havelock Academy.

Stand-Up Comedy

George began performing a short stand-up comedy routine while making appearances at events for St Andrew's Hospice in 2015. In summer 2015, George was booked to perform at Coastfield's Holiday Village, Ingoldmells, as his first booking as a stand-up comedian. A few weeks later, George entered a talent competition at Pontin's in Camber Sands, winning the competition and being invited to the national finals in December 2015. In December, George competed against winners from other Pontin's holiday parks, and came runner-up in his age category.

In late 2015, George auditioned for ITV's Britain's Got Talent (BGT) as a stand-up comedian. His audition was successful, and George was invited to perform for the television in front of the judges at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. In January 2016, George successfully auditioned on the show, earning four 'yeses' from the judges and his audition was shown on television in March 2016.

George's BGT audition has been reposted multiple times on the Britain's Got Talent YouTube channel, with George being heralded as David Walliams' "ray of sunshine", and one of the "kids that made us laugh out loud".

George's last stand-up gig to date was at Sydfest 2016, in Sydney Park, Grimsby.

TV & Radio

George has made numerous appearances on television. In 2015, George was interviewed for ITV News Calendar to defend his hometown of Grimsby. In the interview, George said the people who speak negatively of Grimsby "need a slap round the face with a wet fish", and a clip from the interview went viral, with the hashtag #GrimsbyGeorge trending on Twitter. Following the interview, Grimsby's former Labour MP Melanie Onn spoke to the media, and said she would "gladly hand over the reins" to George.

George auditioned to be a radio DJ for VIKING FM during their "Summer to Stardom" campaign in 2014. While auditioning, George met radio DJ Sean Goldsmith, who was hosting the Breakfast Show every morning on VIKING FM. Despite George's young age (he was nine years-old at the time) Goldsmith saw potential to incorporate George into his breakfast show, and the two began to host a weekly skit titled "Curious George", which aired live on the Breakfast Show every Monday and Friday from 2014 to 2016. On a Monday, a listener of the show would phone in to ask George a question, and George would provide an answer for the question on the Friday. Celebrities such as Sherrie Hewson and Tommy Coyle phoned into the show across its time on-air.

In 2015, George exclusively interviewed Olly Murs for VIKING FM alongside presenter Sean Goldsmith, however there was a technical fault during the recording of the interview and it was never aired on radio.

In December 2022, George released his own Christmas song titled "Under The Tree (With Me)". George was subsequently interviewed on VIKING FM and BBC Radio Humberside, with both stations playing the song to raise awareness of St Andrew's Hospice in Grimsby.

In 2022 and 2023, George was featured regularly on BBC Radio Humberside as a guest of presenter Kim Harrison.

Charity Fundraising

George began raising funds for St Andrew's Hospice in Grimsby after they cared for his father prior to his death in March 2013. At his father's wake, George hosted a collection for St Andrew's Hospice, raising over £140 and donating it to the cause. George continued to support the hospice by attending their events, and in late 2013 he became an official ambassador for the charity, with his story being published on various leaflets, flyers and online.

George recorded several radio adverts for St Andrew's Hospice, with the slogan "be a brick and buy a brick" which helped to raise awareness of the charity's "Building On Care Campaign" in the mid-2010s. George met actor Jim Broadbent when he visited the hospice in 2015, and George claims that Jim even purchased a copy of his autograph for a donation of £1.50. George continued to represent the hospice at charity events until he stepped down as an ambassador for the cause in 2023.

Since 2013, George has organised and hosted his own charity events. George's events have ranged from music gigs to organised walks, and have raised thousands of pounds for various causes.

In 2022, George adopted a new hairstyle for charity. A co-worker at George's weekend job had dared him to cut his hair into a mullet in exchange for £50 to charity. George posted a video and photos of his new hairstyle on social media, and was met with praise for raising funds for a good cause, while reviving a hairstyle synonymous with the 1980s. The £50 given to George was donated to St Andrew's Hospice, Grimsby.

Awards

In 2014, George won the Compass FM Community Award for Young Fundraiser of the Year. This would be George's first award for charity fundraising, and was awarded for his courageous efforts in fundraising after losing his father at a tender age.

In 2015, George was honoured with the Grimsby Telegraph's Inspiring Youngster Award for his charity fundraising and charisma, with the Telegraph deeming George "an exemplary role-model".

In 2021, George won the ITV Calendar-South Regional Pride of Britain Award for Fundraiser of the Year. George was shortlisted from hundreds of nominees, and presented the award on the set of Emmerdale in October 2021. At the end of the month, George attended the televised Pride of Britain Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, along with the other nominees from across the UK. George's fellow nominee Mark Ormrod would win the final Fundraiser of the Year Award at the ceremony.

In 2022, George won the Mayor of Grimsby Borough's Civic Award for Young Achiever, which celebrated his fundraising efforts during and shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic. After the ceremony, George suffered with COVID-19 himself, and was inspired to organise his own awards ceremony later in the year, to celebrate other youngsters in Grimsby. George hosted the "GPK Youth Acknowledgement Awards" in November 2022, and the event raised over £800 for St Andrew's Hospice.

In October 2023, George was presented with the Special Recognition Award by St Andrew's Hospice, for his service to the charity as an ambassador and fundraiser.

Career

George worked at Big Red, a discount store in Grimsby from 2017 to 2022. George had been making appearances at the store since 2016 as a radio personality and stand-up comedian.

In February 2022, George was asked to work with Now Entertain Me, a Lincolnshire-based company providing family entertainers. George subsequently trained as a disc jockey and has been booked for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and children's parties as a DJ and entertainer.

George began working for St Andrew's Hospice in July 2023 as a charity fundraiser and event coordinator. George worked at the hospice until January 2024, covering a staff member's maternity. When George began work for the cause, he stepped down as their ambassador, leaving only Lloyd Griffith and Joanne Clifton as the charity's ambassadors.

In January 2024, George became a Bluecoat at Sand Bay Holiday Village (formerly Pontin's Sand Bay). George's tenure as a Bluecoat ended in March 2024.

References

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• 2004 births
• British comedians