Offstage, Ridley speaks with the aid of a Lightwriter, a small typewriter-like device on which he types with one finger. His words appear on two small screens as he types — one for him, and one for the listener — and are spoken aloud when he presses a button.

He describes his voice as “posh RoboCop,” with the soothing cadence of a children’s television narrator. In a perfect world, it would speak with a Geordie accent, the nickname given to people from Newcastle, where he lives.