The Mimic

It's strange how little the art of the impressionist has evolved since the heyday of Mike Yarwood. But this new sitcom written by Matt Morgan achieves the unusual feat of placing this variety club act in a fresh context. Terry Mynott is Martin Hurdle, a quiet, unremarkable middle-aged man with a hidden talent.

Hurdle's a freakishly good impressionist, prone to slipping into Terry Wogan in traffic jams or getting his own back on his boss over the intercom at work. So far, so ho-hum. But where "The Mimic" feels both promising and unusual is that Martin's mimicry is, at this point, a dead end. Martin has a rubbish job. He has a charming but, as far as we can tell, unfulfilled relationship with [p[Jo Hartley]'s Jean. And he has an 18-year-old son whom he's taking the first tentative steps towards getting to know. In other words, The Mimic is brave enough to be gently melancholy rather than uproarious - Martin's gift feels more like a product of confused identity and low self-esteem than any desire to entertain.

It will be interesting to see whether this ventures into more conventional sitcom realms as it progresses - on the evidence of this opener, it could be a subtle, understated treat.

'The Mimic' TV Review

Most impressive was Terry Mynott's ability to be convincing as a man destined to travel in what his manager admitted was a professional 'cul-de-sac', even when Mynott's talents must surely lead him much further afield.

The problem for impressionists, once you're past the original impact of their mimicry, is how to sustain the entertainment value. This five-part series takes the approach of fitting funny voices into a bittersweet comedy drama. Terry Mynott plays mild-mannered Martin Hurdle: a loyalty card-collecting maintenance man who happens to have a gift for aping the voices of celebrities and colleagues alike. It's clumsy at times, with impressions crowbarred into the script, but likeable enough with a certain gentle charm.

Terry Mynott: 'Charlie Brooker made me die inside'

It's never easy when impressionists meet their targets as Terry Mynott revealed at the launch of his new Channel 4 comedy The Mimic.

If, like us, you're of the opinion that impression shows got a bit stale the thousandth time Jon Culshaw declared "My fellow Americans" on Dead Ringers, then you might appreciate the new take on the comedy sub-genre offered up by The Mimic.

Terry Mynott is the star of this not-entirely uplifting sitcom, playing an unremarkable maintenance man with a hidden talent for celebrity impressions. From Terry Wogan to Morgan Freeman, he can be pretend to be pretty much anyone - but he's soon brought back to reality when he discovers that he may be the father of his ex's 18-year-old son.

After the grisly sentiment of Derek, the phrase "heartwarming Channel 4 sitcom" may induce shudders. But hurrah: The Mimic is both endearing and gently funny, Even though it features an impressionist - Terry Mynott, previously in Very Important People, who was discovered via a home-made YouTube clip of him imitating celebrities. Here, he plays Martin, a gormless, shy chap who amuses himself with his voices: Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn debate his problems; Morgan Freeman and James Earl Jones keep him company watching TV. The show takes a relaxing low-key approach: a scene where he tricks some teenagers is allowed to play out softly, without overdoing it, and his discovery of a potential grown-up son isn't milked for cheap sappiness (yet). Ironically, the whole thing's rather original.

Terry Mynott interview

Terry Mynott plays oddball Martin Hurdle, a maintenance man with a secret talent for impressions.

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