Impressionist (entertainment)

:Go to Impressionism to read about Impressionist artists.

Impressionists in Britain

During the 1970s British television was awash with impressions of Frank Spencer, a character from a hugely popular British sitcom called Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. This may have been because Frank had such distinctive mannerisms and dress sense which gave performers a number of visual shortcuts to cover for failings in their abilities. At any rate it seemed that, for about a decade, no British impressionist's act was complete without a dose of Frank.

Related Topics:
1970s - British television - British sitcom - Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em

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From the mid 1960s to the early 1980s Mike Yarwood dominated the impressionist scene, with his own TV shows regularly attracting more than 10 million viewers.

Related Topics:
1960s - 1980s - Mike Yarwood

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Impressionists were very popular on the televised talent shows of the 1970s; Lenny Henry is a notable example of an act that developed from these roots.

Related Topics:
Talent show - 1970s - Lenny Henry

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In the 1990s there was a certain absence of impressionists on television, with the demise of Spitting Image and Rory Bremner mainly concentrating on political figures (notably John Major, Tony Blair Gordon Brown and also members of The Royal Family). Then in 1999 came Alistair McGowan's Big Impression with Alistair McGowan and Ronni Ancona, and in 2002 came Dead Ringers. Both these shows featured impressions of celebrities and television personalities, and also sporting figures on the former and politicians on the latter.

Related Topics:
1990s - Spitting Image - Rory Bremner - John Major - Tony Blair - Gordon Brown - The Royal Family - 1999 - Alistair McGowan's Big Impression - Alistair McGowan - Ronni Ancona - 2002 - Dead Ringers

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