In a time gone by an impressionist was an impressionist. An actor was an actor. Shows like Copy Cats and Who Do You Do were rigidly stuck in the land of mimicry. Even in the past decade, The Impressions Show and Star Stories have not strayed from the flock. But star of axed impressions show Very Important People (another sheep of the flock) Terry Mynott has taken his talents out of the frying pan and into the fiery depths of sitcom.
Mynott plays Martin Hurdle, a middle-aged man in a dead-end job, living in the basement flat of best friend Jean, with no desire to change the way he is living. The only escape he gets from the tedious routine is to mimic the voices of other people and celebrities. In one scene, he is stuck in traffic on the way to work and you hear Terry Wogan's voice coming out of the radio. Only problem is there is no radio in the car. Martin is imitating Wogan.
Martin's world is turned upside down however when he receives a call from an old flame saying he might be the father of her 18 year old son, Steven. Steven is the antithesis of Martin, working in IT, he is both ambitious and confident, and knows what he wants in life.. Steven is played by Jacob Anderson, best known for his role in British film Adulthood. The relationship between Martin and Steven develops when they realise they aren't so different, despite their age and varying levels of success.
As the show progresses Martin tries to escape his personal and work life more and more by flicking to 'mimic mode', an alter-ego which is most entertaining. Mynott is one of the most talented mimics of the 21st Century and well worth watching for that. Alongside him are a talented cast of British actors and actresses, including Jo Hartley (This Is England) who plays Jean, ditzy but loyal best friend and landlord. Jean notices Martin's potential and encourages him to do something about it.
Sadly these pros are outweighed by the more numerous and far more crucial cons. The plot is far too mundane and 'samesy' to be followed avidly. Coupled with a depressing soundtrack this creates a sort of double-life of the show that mirrors Martin's life.
On one hand, the sitcom. Martin's personal life. Yes, heart-warming that he has a son who he bonds with over the first two episodes. But otherwise frankly quite dull and mundane compared to other modern sitcoms such as Outnumbered. On the other hand, his dual personality. The mimic. Highly entertaining and enthralling. A childlike joy can be gleaned out of trying to guess who Martin is mimicking. Trying to be both sitcom and impression show is like trying to mix bacon and custard. Puzzling.
The verdict? A funny show, but only because of Mynott's mimicry talent. The clunky join between the main character's personal life and his mimic life sort of works, but you feel like you're watching two separate shows. If you're a fan of Impressionism it's worth watching the rest of the series, Wednesdays at 10pm on Channel 4. It is a bit of a break from the ridiculous fancy-dress Impressionism of Star Stories. To the non-interested in mimicry, just another sitcom.
