1646 - Issue 1

Impressionism is more a condition than a choice. Who was your first non-tennis player impression? Besides Johnny Vegas, I think it was Tom Daley when I was in Sixth Form. I’d watched Tom a lot during the Olympics and, because we’re a similar age, our voices sit at a similar pitch so it worked well. Have you met any of your subjects? I’ve met all the tennis players, and – with the exception of McEnroe who is a bit salty – all of them were very nice, especially Andy Murray. I met him in 2017 and we shot a video talking to each other in his voice. He’s a good sport and willing to laugh at himself. Has any of it come back to bite you? Not yet. I think it’s quite flattering to have someone take the time to learn to do an impression of you so I don’t see why someone would have an issue with it. My style of comedy is not edgy or offensive so I’d be surprised if people took issue with it. When did you first get noticed, and by whom? I was noticed after putting a YouTube clip of me doing impressions of Murray, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic online in 2013. The clip went pretty viral and was retweeted by Djokovic and lots of others. Off the back of this, ESPN and Five Live invited me onto their coverage of Wimbledon – which was pretty surreal at the time. What gigs did you have while you were at school? I’ve only really started properly gigging in the last year. The one gig I had while I was still at school was when I was flown out to Dubai to entertain at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships players’ party in 2014 which was absolutely incredible. I did a stint on stage with Novak Djokovic and had a very fun evening. I haven’t had a gig that glamorous since; perhaps my career has peaked… What made you decide not to look for a ‘proper job’ after graduating from Oxford? A few weeks after graduating and shooting the aforementioned clip with Andy Murray, Union Jack Radio offered to pay me a wage to have my own show on their station. This allowed me to become a professional impressionist/comedian. It wasn’t difficult to choose this over an office job. Does the fact that you’ve become a professional comedian make you feel – in any way – that your degree was a waste of time? Not at all. My degree taught me how to work hard, think quickly under pressure and write well. Particularly when writing satire, it’s essential to critically assess society and its structures as a whole; had it not been for the intellectual foundation my degree gave me, I wouldn’t be able to do this as well now. What was the experience like of working on Tracey Ullman’s Show ? It was brief. I had about six lines to read; I came in, did my bit and left. Sadly not quite as glamorous as one might expect. What did you learn from being on Dead Ringers ? Dead Ringers was the highlight of my career to date. I’d grown up watching and listening to the show; to be on it at 22 was beyond humbling. The biggest thing I took away from the experience was the importance of caricaturing a voice rather than worrying about being completely accurate all the time. A vocal caricature is more amusing than a dead-on impression. Would you like to do more television? Definitely! It’s the best place to advance your career. It’s crazy how many people will come to see your show just because they vaguely recognise you from TV. Television helps build the ridiculous (but lucrative) illusion of fame. How do you get to play the Edinburgh Fringe? I got an agent and she put me forward for it. I started doing stand-up and writing the show in March so I definitely had my work cut out. The process of writing and performing a show every day is exhausting but I’m very pleased I did it. It undoubtedly made me a better writer and performer. How did it go? I was in quite a small venue but was pleased that, nonetheless, I managed to sell out most days as a debut act. On the whole, all went well. Judy Murray coming to watch my show was definitely a highlight; she is a gem of a human being with a wonderful sense of humour. Would you do it again? Absolutely. The Fringe is an excellent learning experience – the best place to work out my comedic identity so that as I (hopefully) become more successful, I have the skill level to match. I think it’s important to work your way up and develop a varied skill set as a performer so when you reach the top you can stay there. How did Reading Blue Coat help you with the development of your career as an impressionist? I remember writing and performing a few sketches at the Christmas Cracker with my friend Matt Bell – all organised and facilitated by the wonderful Mrs Bennett. In that sense I think I unwittingly began my journey into comedy there. A lot of the development of my career, though, occurred when no one else was listening, when I’d sit on my sofa at home and do stupid voices and impressions until my long-suffering mum would eventually ask me to stop at 2am. Comedy and performing are often very solitary and reflective disciplines so, although Reading Blue Coat didn’t do masses to advance my career, that’s not to its discredit; the only one who can really advance your skill level in comedy is you. Do you have anything lined up that we should know about? I have a weekly satirical impressions show ( Josh Berry’s Fake News – the whole series is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts). I also performed at Wallingford Corn Exchange on 1 March. The best place to see what’s coming up is on my social media platforms (Josh Berry Impressions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) and my website joshberrycomedy.com 1 3