Jake Pratt

Pratt was born on 25 September 1996 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. He has been attending the Sylvia Young Theatre School since his appearance on Britain's Got Talent.{{cite news|url=http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Jake39s-busy-with-film-and.4670675.jp|title=Jake's busy with film and TV roles|last=Stephenson|first=Susan|date=7 November 2008|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=8 April 2009|archive-date=21 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521221645/http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Jake39s-busy-with-film-and.4670675.jp|url-status=dead}} He previously attended YMCA Scarborough, and the Scarborough Dance Centre.{{cite web|url=http://www.scarborough.ymca.org.uk/index_files/Page920.htm |title=YMCA Leisure Centre News: Jake Pratt |publisher=YMCA Leisure Centre |access-date=8 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101153049/http://www.scarborough.ymca.org.uk/index_files/Page920.htm |archive-date=1 November 2008 }}{{cite news|url=http://www.ymca.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_289120|title=Scarborough's got talent|date=12 June 2007|work=ymca.org.uk|publisher=Scarborough YMCA|access-date=8 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522035553/http://www.ymca.org.uk/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_289120|archive-date=22 May 2009|url-status=dead}}

Pratt won the Park Resorts National Finals for the 11 & Under Section for three years in a row.

Before Britain's Got Talent, Pratt appeared at BBC Radio York's stand-up comedy event, More Front Than Scarborough, on 11 March 2007. He impressed the judges with his jokes, coming in at second place to Karen Tite.{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/content/articles/2007/03/08/mfts_jake_p_video_feature.shtml|title=Jakey P steals the spotlight|last=Seymour|first=Matthew|date=11 March 2007|publisher=BBC Yorkshire|access-date=29 July 2009}}

Pratt has also appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show.

Pratt, at the age of 10, was a contestant on the first series of the ITV television talent show Britain's Got Talent.{{cite news|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-184356848.html|title=Jake Pratt, 10, auditions on TV talent show|date=9 June 2007|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=28 July 2009}} In his audition, which took place at the Manchester auditions at the Apollo Theatre in March 2007, and was televised on 9 June 2007,{{cite news|url=http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/britains-got-talent/britain%E2%80%99s-got-talent-starts-tomorrow/|title=Britain's Got Talent starts tomorrow!|last=McGarry|first=Lisa|date=9 June 2007|publisher=Unreality TV|access-date=2 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225111256/http://www.unrealitytv.co.uk/britains-got-talent/britain%E2%80%99s-got-talent-starts-tomorrow/|archive-date=25 February 2009|url-status=dead}} he performed a stand-up comedy routine and at the end sang a part of the song "Life is a Cabaret" by Liza Minnelli. His performance received positive comments from all three judges, from Piers Morgan's "You've got brilliant, distinctive comic timing", to Amanda Holden's "You're a real star in the making, real showman, great confidence, you were fantastic", with the exception of Simon Cowell, saying "I think you're funnier than Peter Kay", but said that the singing was terrible but the comedy was fantastic.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/tm_method=full&objectid=19269778&siteid=66633-name_page.html|title=Check out the talent!|last=Fulton|first=Rick|date=9 June 2007|work=Daily Record|access-date=4 August 2009}} He was placed into the next round, after receiving three yeses from the judges. However, on the day the judges were to choose the 24 semi-finalists for the live semi-finals, on 10 May 2007, at first the judges decided not to put Pratt through. The following day, the judges changed their minds after they realised they made a mistake, and decided to put Pratt and a beatboxing group called Crew 82, the two acts they previously rejected, through to the live semi-finals.

In the live semi-final, on 15 June 2007, he performed again a stand-up comedy routine, and sang the chorus of "There's No Business Like Show Business", where this time Cowell buzzed. He told Pratt he should have stuck to telling jokes, so did Holden, who said he should "ditch" the singing at the end, but Morgan decided that he should carry on singing. Cowell asked him why he sang, and he replied "'Cos the producers said I should'". Cowell considered firing the producer, but instead gave him a "done" to finish off. He also said that if he made it to the final, he would improve the singing. He failed to get through to the final and was eliminated from the competition.

Pratt has also performed at the fair in Braeburn House, an old people's home in Moor Lane, Eastfield, alongside Bessie Cursons, who reached the final of the talent show, but lost to Paul Potts.{{cite news|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-170020985.html|title=Jake and Bessie charm residents|date=25 August 2007|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=2 August 2009}} Pratt also entered a talent show called Beeon.tv at the end of 2007. He performed a variety of talents – poetry, singing, jokes etc.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} Pratt appeared on Lori Kellett's fundraising show Lori's One Night Only at the Spa Theatre on 24 June 2007.{{cite news|url=http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/theatre/Jake-stars-in-lineup-with.2965549.jp|title=Jake stars in line-up with Lori for One Night Only|last=Derrick|first=Paul|date=20 June 2007|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=19 August 2009}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Pratt's first major acting role was as nature reporter Jay in the CBeebies television series Green Balloon Club about the environment. Pratt presented segments about birds. The show began in June 2008 and finished in May 2009. Pratt also sang several songs for the show, along with the cast.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/apr/14/bbc.television|title=CBeebies to broadcast eco season|last=Conlan|first=Tara|date=14 April 2008|work=The Guardian|access-date=8 April 2009}}{{cite news|url=http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/cbeebies-goes-green-with-ecobabies/|title=CBeebies goes green with EcoBeebies|last=McGarry|first=Lisa|date=6 June 2008|publisher=Unreality Primetime|access-date=4 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090608021852/http://primetime.unrealitytv.co.uk/cbeebies-goes-green-with-ecobabies/|archive-date=8 June 2009|url-status=dead}}

In the summer of 2008, Pratt worked on a film called Nativity! alongside Martin Freeman and Ashley Jensen, playing the role of Alfie. It was released on 27 November 2009.

Pratt has also been commended by the Mayor of Scarborough, Janet Jefferson, for his success on Britain's Got Talent.{{cite news|url=http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news?articleid=3046246|title=TV talents get a mayoral greeting|last=Barley|first=Sophie|date=20 July 2007|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=28 July 2009}} He has also been appearing in cabaret shows organised by his theatre school. He has also opened the mayor of Scarborough's summer fair in 2007, with Sir Jimmy Savile. Money raised went towards local charities.{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-184357921.html|title=Sir Jimmy and Jake boost mayor's fair|date=9 August 2007|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=29 July 2009}}{{dead link|date=February 2019|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Pratt also provided the voices of several cartoon characters. He voices one of the main characters in a cartoon based on the Wibbly Pig books by Mick Inkpen on CBeebies where he is the narrator, which started on 7 September 2009. For the cartoon Fun with Claude, broadcast on the channel Playhouse Disney, he provided the voice for grizzly bear Boris. He was also the first voice of Darwin Watterson, from the Cartoon Network show The Amazing World of Gumball. He voiced the character in the 2008 early reel and was replaced in the main series by Kwesi Boakye and Terrell Ransom Jr.

The Scarborough Evening News on 5 June 2009 reported that Pratt had joined the cast of Billy Elliot the Musical. On 1 June 2009 he made his West End debut, taking the role of Billy's best friend, Michael. Pratt did a comic performance for his audition, which got him the role of Michael. He moved into the Billy Elliot house, along with the other youngsters who play the lead roles in the musical.

In 2011, Pratt was cast as Nigel in the Stratford production of Matilda the Musical, and rejoined the West End, where he played Tommy.

Jake attended Hurtwood House, a sixth form college in Surrey, from 2013 – 2015. He starred in several productions including Jesus Christ Superstar, Love & Money and several other showcases. His biggest success however was landing the role of 'Murdered Man' in Hurtwood's Christmas production of Chicago, for which he was awarded the 'Cyrano Award'.

Pratt currently lives in Ickenham, London (after previously living in Scarborough) with his mother Joanne, father Steve and sisters Ellie-Jo and Tilly, who also made an appearance on Green Balloon Club on 20 February 2009.{{cite news|url=http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Jake39s-sister-act.4995661.jp|title=Jake's sister act|last=Barley|first=Sophie|date=19 February 2009|work=Scarborough Evening News|access-date=28 July 2009|archive-date=22 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090222235235/http://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/Jake39s-sister-act.4995661.jp|url-status=dead}}

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{{Britain's Got Talent}}

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Category:1996 births

Category:Actors educated at Hurtwood House

Category:Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School

Category:Britain's Got Talent contestants

Category:English male child actors

Category:English male television actors

Category:English male voice actors

Category:Living people

Category:Male actors from Scarborough, North Yorkshire