An Interview with John Culshaw

After 30 years in comedy, master impressionist Jon Culshaw is tuning up for ‘Imposter Syndrome’, his first ever solo UK tour. Mark Wareham finds out about the dangers of impersonating King Charles, the unlikely links between Arctic Monkeys and George Formby, and why he won’t be taking to TikTok any time soon…

Hi Jon. Where do we find you today?
I’m at Belsize Park in London. I’m performing with Mike Lindup from Level 42 at the Union Chapel. I’m a special guest, walk on and do my bit.

It seems incredible that, after 30 years in showbiz, Imposter Syndrome is your first solo tour.
Well, I’ve done the show The Great British Takeoff, which was with Bill Dare. But, yeah, I suppose this is the first solo one.

I guess you’ll be updating it from its Edinburgh run.
The new characters always come along. Older characters drift away. So, there’ll be Keir Starmer. The Donald is very much back. Joe Biden might not be in so much. And Wes Streeting, David Lammy… all of these new characters come in.

And presumably it will be a longer show?
Yes, that’s one of the lovely things, I can add to it. You’ve got to trim so much out for an hour-long Edinburgh show. So, there’ll be new stuff. It’s about 40 minutes in the first and 40 in the second.

The musical content in ‘Imposter Syndrome’ was quite a surprise. I’m not being patronising when I say you’re singing is surprisingly good. It’s almost like a hidden talent you’ve kept from the public.
Well, yes, I never really thought about it. I always say I’m not so bad if I stay within my bandwidth. But because it was a solo show, I thought I’ll try some of the songs we’ve done over the years. I always loved it in Dead Ringers when we could veer into pop song parodies. So to add that to the show felt quite comfy.

I love one of the musical sections when you start off with Arctic Monkeys and end up as George Formby. That’s pure genius.
It’s so interesting when you see how close these vocal neighbours are. Arctic Monkeys could be George Formby’s great grandkids. There’s a certain energy between them. It’s something about their velocity and attack. Even though one is ‘Mardy Bum’ and the other is ‘My Little Stick Of Blackpool Rock’. It’s surprising how similar things can be. In this next show, I’m going to do a version of the Libertines’ ‘Run, Run, Run’, but in the style of Andy Williams’ ‘Music To Watch Girls By’.

They’re real leaps, aren’t they? I think only you would hear that, to be honest.
Yes, I think so. I was being interviewed by Lorraine Kelly and she said, ‘You’ve got a very strange mind.’ I’m also going to do a medley, as Liam Gallagher and David Bowie, of TV themes. Liam Gallagher singing the Shake n’ Vac advert and David Bowie singing the theme to Record Breakers. Surprisingly, it works.

And you’ve got some great anecdotes as well. Have you got a favourite?
Well, I do like the King Charles one. The story of when he was at the Business In The Community Awards as a guest of honour. And I was asked to impersonate him by one of his people. And I thought, really? Are you sure? And then I got into a bit of a state wondering whether this person really was part of his team or not, or somebody was being mischievous. So I tell that tale. I won’t give spoilers.

The other thing you do is show the mechanics of an impression. When you work your voice from Jacob Rees-Mogg to Margaret Thatcher. That’s fascinating for an audience to get a glimpse inside your head.
For Michael Gove, you take Ronnie Corbett, let all the charm and warmth drain away, slightly speed it up and make it more malevolent. And you get Gove. They’re characters that are poles apart, but vocally they’re right next door to each other. You get a lovely element of surprise.

There’s a bit of Kenny Williams in there too, I think.
I might work that in. In fact, that’s actually very funny. You start off with Ronnie Corbett, and then you find yourself in Michael Gove’s zone. And then, oh God, you’re panicking, it’s Kenny Williams. That works, doesn’t it? Thank you. I owe you royalties. I love it.

Everyone always focuses on the voices, but you’ve got to work on the physical aspect of an impression as well. Is that something you pay particular attention to?
Yes. You find they blend together. One of the things with Trump, for example, the physicality of him in all the hand gestures, all the pouting, all the finger pointing. Some of the biggest laughs come when you’re not saying a word, from the petulant little gestures.

Probably the same doing Boris Johnson?
Oh yeah, that great Neanderthal stoop. A bit like when Freddie Starr bounded onto the stage at the Royal Variety doing Mick Jagger. There’s parts of Boris which are a slowed down version of that.

When you were growing up as a kid, were there impressionists you loved?
Oh, absolutely. Definitely Mike Yarwood, the first big-time TV impressionist. The one who showed the way for everybody. He was the first to get access to multi-cameras and split screens. He really knew how to do that beautifully.

Is there anyone you just can’t do, or you give up on because you struggle with the voice and think, I haven’t quite got this?
Sometimes you give up because they’re just a bit anodyne and they don’t really earn their comedic keep. David Cameron was a bit like that. Wes Streeting is one I’m working on at the moment. Because of the energy of his voice, you can go across to a Birmingham accent. You’ve got to keep it in the line of Stepney, where he’s from. These are the things that can happen when a voice is in the workshop.

You were talking about having to do King Charles in front of him. Do you try and avoid doing that as a rule, doing impressions of people in front of them?
Oh no, I rather like that. Most people find that fascinating. It’s such a lovely little threesome moment where they’re thinking, okay, what’s going to happen here? What have you got? Go on then. There’s a lovely sense of a Mexican standoff. And then, once it gets going, the person feels like they’ve got this sibling they never knew they had, a little partner-in-crime sibling. That’s always a lovely thing to do.

How do you think things are right now for impressionists in comedy?
Well, it’s the way these things are delivered. It always changes. There’s a lot on YouTube and TikTok. You get people who say, ‘Today I’m going to be doing some Harry Potter impressions for you. If you appreciate this content, don’t forget to smash that like button and click on subscribe.’ And then all the characters follow, usually in very short bursts. Often, very ingeniously.

You’re not going down the TikTok road then?
I think I’ve outgrown doing impressions that way. What I’m more interested in now is where I’ve played David Bowie in a full-length drama, or Alan Whicker, or John Lydon… playing specific people like that over a full narrative in that sort of Steve Coogan and Michael Sheen way. That’s the next step for me. Long form.

Pretty much the opposite of TikTok then.
Exactly. But you know, when my shows need promoting, maybe a few TikToks here and there for the publicity.

What are you like on the road when you’re touring? Are you a rock ’n’ roll animal?
I haven’t been nightclubbing since I was about 21. I wouldn’t go on to a club and a casino and get back at half past five in the morning. I would sit back with a contemplative glass of red. I like to reflect. Very sensible.

I think I know the answer to this, but do you have a favourite impression? Anyone, of all time. Please say what I’m thinking…
Oh my God, I’m trying to telepathically get it.

I think he must be one of your heroes.
Well, it might be Les Dawson.

Yes, correct answer!
I just love how Les wrote and thought, and the way he delivered everything.

You did that fantastic one-man show about him so you’re doing your bit to keep his spirit alive.
I’m going to give it another run. It’s always good to remind people just what real talent, real craft, real quality of writing, and real comic attitude is like. Things shouldn’t be quick and disposable and just for a quick hit, a click or a like. It’s always worth reminding people about the greats like Les Dawson, like Bob Monkhouse.

It seems unbelievable that you’ve done 25 series of Dead Ringers. Presumably that’s coming back again in 2025?
Yes, June. Everything will be fine by then, won’t it? The world will all be harmonious and lovely by then. So yes, we’ll see what palette we’re playing with. Things change fast, that’s for sure.

You appear to easily avoid the Mike Yarwood cliché of not being comfortable in your own skin. You seem to find it easy just being yourself. Or is that just an impression you give?
No, I do, I do. I find myself being fairly relaxed and unassuming. It’s nice to have a bit of a contrast between your regular self and the characters.

Is there anywhere in particular, you’re looking forward to visiting on the tour?
Leeds: I have loved watching many performances of Les Dawson at the City Varieties. There’s such a sense of history there. Proper theatrical heritage. That’s a place I look forward to going to with great warmth. And you think, oh, we’re going to be all right here. It’s very special, walking out there. Those are the reasons why you do it.

John Culshaw will be playing Leeds, Whitby, Hull and York as part of his ‘Imposter Syndrome’ tour
For full tour details visit: fieryentertainment.com
All images: Andy Hollingworth