Polished players of the imitation game...
IT TAKES half an hour for impressionist Mike Osman to transform himself from a clean-shaven radio DJ into the Cornish comedian Jethro.
The 64-year-old former star of ITV’S Copy Cats spent more than £5,000 on the wig and false whiskers that help create the illusion, along with a Jethro-style stage waistcoat and one of the late star’s ties, donated by his widow.
But it’s the voice that clinches it.
Veteran comedian Micky Pugh says: “He doesn’t only look like Jethro – he sounds and moves exactly like him. It’s like a resurrection.”
Mike, who is trying out his show at live venues in the south of England before touring it, says: “Audiences absolutely love it, the reception has been amazing.”
West Country star Jethro, whose real name was Geoff Rowe, died in 2021.
He had worked his way up from a tin miner to a millionaire landowner.
“I enjoyed doing his voice so much I thought about doing a whole Jethro show,” says Mike. “So I approached Geoff’s old manager, John Miles, about the idea and he loved it.
“Then I spoke to Jethro’s widow, Jenny, who gave her blessing and sent me four of his old ties, so every time I appear as Geoff, something of him is there with me.”
The former Capital Gold DJ adds: “I’m doing Jethro’s classic jokes because that’s what the audiences want to hear, but I’m
‘I’m doing Jethro’s classic jokes because that’s what audiences want to hear’ MIKE OSMAN
also adding gags that I think he would have done had he still been with us.
“I’ll be doing dates in May and June and then doing a full tour in the autumn.
“We’ve seen a holographic Les Dawson, but that can’t relate to an audience like a flesh-and-blood performer can. I think we will see more acts like this.”
It may be the sincerest form of flattery but imitation can also be a fast track to success. Rock and pop tribute bands are now hugely popular all over the world.
The Australian Pink Floyd Show attracts audiences of up to 12,000 across Europe and is set to sell out Cardiff’s Utilita stadium in November.
From Counterfeit Kylie to No Way Sis, tribute acts are found playing to receptive crowds in every town and city.
Now promoters are asking if comedy copyists could prove as successful.
In recent years we have seen touring shows raise revered funny men like Morecambe & Wise, Les Dawson and Bob Monkhouse from the dead.
The Olivier-nominated Eric and Little Ern – written and performed by Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens – made an immediate impact on critics and audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2013.
After sell-out tours it went on to a West End run at the Vaudeville to rave reviews. The duo have since developed a concertstyle show as the muchmissed double act, performing at Warner holiday camps and on a P&O cruise.
Actor and magician Simon Cartwright played the late Bob Monkhouse in a Fringe production of A Man Called Monkhouse, written by comedian Alex Lowe. He channelled his voice and mannerisms perfectly.
Last year he toured as another late comedian, Frankie Howerd, in a stage play called Howerd’s End, and TV impressionist Jon Culshaw performed to packed theatres as Les Dawson throughout 2022.
Paul Hendry’s The Last Laugh has actors playing Bob Monkhouse, Tommy Cooper and Eric Morecambe as the three legends come together in a dressing room to talk about comedy.
In the clubs, northern comedian Ricky Lane recreates the controversial oeuvre of Bernard Manning and there are at least two comics doing Roy “Chubby” Brown.
But writer Colin Edmonds does not believe comedy tribute acts will have the same success as bands.
“It works with music
but it’s not the same with comedians,” says Colin, who worked as Bob Monkhouse’s gag writer until his death 20 years ago.
“At least with music they’ve got to get the chords right.a comedy impressionist is more limited.
“They might be able to memorise the jokes but what about the timing, the delivery, the ad-libs and dealing with hecklers?
“These are skills that come from decades of experience.
“One Chubby Brown impersonator used to put on the gear – the flying helmet, patchwork jacket and bow-tie – and mime to recordings of Chubby, which took chutzpah to new levels.”
Colin, renowned for his steampunk Steam Smoke & Mirrors novels, went on: “Musical tribute acts began with Bobby Ocha in the 1950s who took off Elvis Presley, and later befriended him, and there were Beatles copyists in the 60s.”
Veteran rock writer and broadcaster
Mick Wall adds: “The trend really took hold after Elvis died in 1977.
“Now if you can’t afford to see the Arctic Monkeys, you can go and see the Antarctic Monkeys who play more, cost less, and are more likely to play all the songs you want to hear. An American act called Bohemian Queen packs out theatres.”
Colin agrees: “The trend for secondhand music escalated when big bands like Led Zeppelin stopped touring.they filled a gap in the market and that’s why I believe we’ll see more second-hand comedians.
“Firstly, because people miss old school comics, their warmth and their joke rate, and secondly because they offer an immediate hit of nostalgia.
“It’s why Only Fools & Horses is a West End smash and why Fawlty Towers is being adapted for the stage.
“In these dark days, the public crave belly laughs which the BBC and ITV no longer supply.”