Demo Factor

• Andrew Carter from Nerve Radio off to a strong start! But after 49 seconds all of the judges decided to buzz out as it was decided that this wasn’t Andrew’s best and that he’s got a better one in him!
• Jodi Adams from Queen’s Radio up next! Paul noted that Jodi needs to make a connection between herself and the listener. Pandora was asking ‘why do you really love musicals?’ and wanted to hear that come through the demo. However ended telling Jodi that she has great potential!
• Up next we have Alice Patterson from Spark. She inserted some iconic soundbites from Irish legends for her St Patrick Day’s Special! Kate led with Alice’s fabulous sense of humour and Chris reflected on her on links saying to use more creative ones.
• Tom Turner from Shock Radio got picked out next. Calum noted his passion for music and Kate agreed with his passion but noted his pace and suggested to vary. Paul suggested that Tom relaxes more so that the pace varies. Overall Tom’s passion for music shone through!
• Next up…Kiera Ford from Leeds Student Radio! Kiera spoke about the Shrek lore and her loving devotion towards Chappell Roan. Paul had been the only judge to buzz out but said it had been the best link so far. Pandora regrets not pressing the golden buzzer! Chris notes that Kiera got to the funny faster which is essential!
• Lewis Eyre from Nerve Radio up next. Chris noted good marks for Kylie Minogue but thought the demo had too much going on. Kate was the last judge to buzz out and said she was trying to see what path the demo was taking.
• Next up we have Margot Howell from University Radio Nottingham. Chris thought there were some great links in Margot’s demo. Pandora really enjoyed the demo and wished she could go back in time!
• From Spark we’ve got Dom Aberdeen. Julie really enjoyed Dom’s voice and had her wondering what song was number 1 when she was born. Pandora noted Dom’s storytelling abilities and how Dom turned around something quite dated into something quite fascinating.
• TUXTRA’s Ella Wilson was up next. Chris noted that Ella needs to work on lifting her voice and to give it a bit more ‘omph’! Paul said that Ella is clearly warm and funny but needs to relax into in.
• Up next is Issy Brand from Shock Radio. The judges noted how brilliant this demo was and credited her for using clickbait as a way to intrigue audiences. Chris said ‘this was the closest thing to the night’s best demo’ and Julie said ‘I wish I was closer to the golden buzzer’! Well done Issy.
• Leeds Student Radio’s Charles James Philpott was up next with a combo of his podcast and radio clips. Julie was really interested in the Boris Johnson story and wanted to hear the rest…Charles replied with ‘you can hear the rest over a coffee’. Charles got a great reaction from the audience after that response! Paul noted the demo as one of the best demos yet!
• Up next is Charlotte Currey from Purple Radio. Kate noted the different textures from Charlotte’s combination of podcast and radio clips. Charlotte’s link on Mongolia had been positively received by all judges.
• Thomas Mccallum from Scratch radio. The judges loved his Kermit the frog impression but Paul noted that it didn’t sound like he was having a lot of fun. However, the judges liked his first demo submission for Demo Factor!
• Next up Maisie Mackay Smith from AIR3RADIO! Kate said Maisie sounded calm and self-assured but at times it sounded scripted. However Julie, Kate, and Chris all noted that Maisie could be on Radio 6 and Radio 3 unwind.
• In the second half, Katie-Louise Buxton from Shock Radio had been chosen to kick it all off! After listening to half the demo Paul ran over to the golden buzzer and smashed it! He spoke about how natural and versatile her voice is. Paul said ‘It was brilliant, it was perfect, no notes!’. Congratulations to Katie-Louise!
• Next up Charlie Moir from Scratch Radio. Kate thought Charlie should present a bit more and to add more tension when doing a reveal. Overall a positive reaction.
• Now we have Naomi Kelly from Newcastle Student Radio. Naomi got noted as a very good interviewer but it is hard to portray that in a demo said Chris. Naomi is relatively new to interviewing but Julie thought Naomi sounded very natural.
• Leeds Student Radio’s Amy Heeley up next! Amy included an iconic clip with Radio 1’s Greg James and shortly after that Chris firmed the golden buzzer! The second golden buzzer of the night! All the judges agreed that Amy had a very strong demo that was simply just herself.
• Following Amy, it’s Ben Cunningham from RAW 1251. The judges thought that the laughing segment needed to be set up instead of no context.
• From Spark Sunderland we have Chris Carroll. A very funny demo from Chris unanimously decided by the judges. Julie was going to go for the golden buzzer at the end but just narrowly missed out at the end.
• From Queen’s Radio we have Rachel Moorhead! The crowd very much enjoyed Rachel’s thoughts on Greggs and was positively received by the judges.
• From RadioLab, it’s Emma Stigter. Paul thought the demo was too meta and decided to be the only judge to buzz out. However, he acknowledges that radio is subjective and that he could see the potential.
• Next up, Hamza Ali Hussain from Scratch Radio. Hamza used his demo to reflect on the outrageous cost of living prices and specifically the price of a Dubai chocolate! Pandora noted that it was a great topic of conversation and found the demo very funny but thought it could be condensed.
• Next up, Lili Phillips from LSR. Lili had a very insightful take on spiking. Julie enjoyed it but didn’t see the connection when Lili had been a caller on another show.
• Last up for the night is Fiona Macintyre from Queen’s Radio. Chris thought the second link was better than the first link and wasn’t sure on the mosh-pit clip. However, Paul really enjoyed the demo and loved Fiona’s voice. Kate thought Fiona should lead off her strongest content first but overall enjoyed listening.

 

After the judges had time to think about the winner of Demo Factor 2025, they decided Katie-Louise from Shock Radio triumphed this year’s Demo Factor. The judges said Katie-Louise was a very deserving winner and that her personality shone through her demo. Congratulations to Shock’s very own Katie-Louise!