Allan Finnegan's stint on Britain's Got Talent in 2020 made him known to millions. The Baptist minister turned stand up comedian, who wears his dog collar in stage and draws on his experience as a minster, impressed all the judges, including Simon Cowell who gave him a standing ovation.

Finnegan made it to the semi-finals but his journey there was unorthodox. He grew up in Bootle in the 70s, a poor area of Liverpool where 'he knew no different' and went into work in construction. It was only when he began dating a girl that he was encouraged to go to church, realised people there really did believe what they were saying, and got the bug.

He became a Baptist minister himself, then feeling a similar call to comedy began doing gigs in the Liverpool circuit, eventually having his talent acknowledged by the judges audiences of BGT.

More recently Finnegan's been diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer which ultimately has spread to liver. In his new book I Didn't Ask for Any of This he draws on his unique faith journey amid the realisation that the tumour is now incurable.

In this episode of The Profile he speaks to Premier Next Gen's Gareth Crispin about what led him to Christ, how 'bad' he felt he was at his first role as a minister, why one-person-one-mic is still as relevant as it's ever been and how cancer helped him re-evaluate his faith.

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Released on 18 Dec 2025