The Mr England grand final has been postponed for five weeks after judges failed to agree on a winner, with organisers blaming a national 'hunk shortage'. The event, held on Sunday at Melton Theatre, saw ten men compete for the title and a place at Mr World, but two contestants dropped out and others joined at the last minute, leaving the judging panel deadlocked.
Judges fail to reach a verdict
After hours of deliberation, Mr England director Angie Beasley announced that all ten finalists would be given a second chance to prove they deserve the title. The winner will now be crowned alongside the new Miss England on November 17 at Athena Leicester.
Beasley said: 'After a long deliberation, and the judges' votes divided, we decided it would be fair all round to give everyone another chance to prove why they want to win Mr England and represent their country internationally in 2027.'
Contestants get a second chance
She added: 'Some of the men had months to prepare, while others only joined the competition days before the event. We want to give everyone an equal opportunity to show their commitment, personality and potential. So they now have five weeks to prepare.'
The contestants were judged on their personalities, charity efforts and community work, as well as their appearances in sportswear and evening suits. The competition featured a diverse range of men, including accountants, fitness coaches, models, mechanics, students and business bosses, after organisers launched a public appeal for more entrants.
Judges call for rethink
Former Miss England Dr Bhasha Mukherjee, one of the judges, said: 'I'd like to give every one of the finalists the chance to showcase themselves. Let's see who really wants the title.'
The judging panel also included former Miss England 2008 Laura Mary Coleman, Dr Rani Gundhu QPM, a West Midlands Police officer, and event sponsor Envoy London.
The ten finalists are Bal Tattla, 28, an accountant from Greenford, London; Christian Hawkins, 26, a fitness coach from East Sussex; Joseph Littlewood, 19, a filmmaking student from Yorkshire; Luca Devine-Rushbrooke, 17, a college student and golfer from Great Yarmouth; Manbir Singh, 24, a model from Wolverhampton; Matthew Teal, 36, a restaurant manager from Bradford; Ryan Maguire, 27, a mechanic from Horsham; Samuel Briffa, 31, a caretaker from Hull; Shrirang Deshmukh, 29, a financial analyst from Canary Wharf, London; and Voltaire Taiwo De Campus, 32, a CEO and entrepreneur from East London.
