ACTIVE

YOU COULD CALL BEARDYMAN A ONE-MAN BAND, BUT THE ONLY INSTRUMENT HE REALLY NEEDS IS HIS VOICE. MEET THE REIGNING UK BEATBOX CHAMPION. TAKE A DEEP BREATH…

In just four years, Beardyman has gone from beatbox beginner to UK champion. But this may say more about his formidable talent than about how easy beatboxing (the art of replicating a percussion soundtrack using only the human voice) is. 'I know I've got a natural ability and I'm quite militant about making sure that I practise. I managed to win last year without being of a world-class skill level. Now I'm at that level. Basically, if someone beats me, they are going to have to be good.'

This year, the winner walks off with a brand new Vauxhall Corsa SXi - a major added incentive for entrants in the '8 Mile' style beat-offs. And Beardyman (in real life 25-year-old Brighton resident Darren Foreman) compares this tournament to another hip-hop offshoot, the DMC DJ Championships. 'There's a bit more of the crowd-hyping element', he says. 'It's judged by the audience. 'And you have to come across as confident, even if you're not. If the crowd picks up on it. He pauses. 'Half of the battle is the confidence', he says.

Already a YouTube sensation (see his 'Kitchen Diaries'), he's also stumbled onto mainstream TV, coming second on the BBC's When Will I Be Famous. 'I came from this comedy background. I keep on getting hired to do things because I'm slightly more diverse than the average beatboxer', he says. 'I'm not bad on the drums, I'm pretty competent on the bass, I'm pretty good on guitar, I'm not bad on piano', he says.