Jon Culshaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jon Culshaw
Culshaw at the premiere of Miss Potter in 2006
Birth name	Jonathan Peter Culshaw
Born	(1968-06-02) 2 June 1968 (age 57) Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Nationality	British
Years active	1980s–present
Genres	Impressions, sketch comedy
Notable works and roles	Dead Ringers (2000–2007, 2014—present) 2DTV (2001–04) The Impressionable Jon Culshaw (2004) Headcases (2008) The Impressions Show (2009–2011) Newzoids (2015–2016)

Jonathan Peter Culshaw (born 2 June 1968) is an English actor and comedian. He is famous for being an impressionist. This means he can perfectly copy the voices and mannerisms of many different people.

Jon Culshaw is best known for his work on the radio comedy show Dead Ringers. He has been part of this show since the year 2000. He has also lent his voice to many characters on ITV shows. These include 2DTV, Spitting Image, and Newzoids. From 2009 to 2011, he also appeared in The Impressions Show with Debra Stephenson.

Jon Culshaw: Master of Voices

Early Life and First Steps in Radio

Jon Culshaw was born on June 2, 1968, in Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. He went to St Bede's RC High School. Later, he studied at St John Rigby College in Wigan.

Jon started his radio journey in hospital radio in Ormskirk. His first professional job was at Red Rose Radio in Preston in 1987. Even back then, he would sometimes read the weather. He did this using the voice of famous boxer Frank Bruno.

Becoming a Voice Actor

Jon Culshaw did a lot of voice-over work early in his career. He became very well known because of the TV show Spitting Image. On this show, he voiced about forty different characters. One of his most famous impressions was John Major. John Major was the Prime Minister in the 1990s.

For about four years in the late 1980s, Jon was a DJ. He worked at a radio station called Viking FM in Hull. He also hosted a breakfast show on Pennine Radio and Radio Wave in Blackpool. A receptionist at Viking FM encouraged him to perform his impressions on stage. She thought he could make a living from it.

Jon later appeared on BBC Radio 2's It's Been a Bad Week. He was also a guest on the BBC Two Star Trek Night quiz in 1996. From 1998 to 2002, he was a regular guest on the Chris Moyles show on BBC Radio 1. On this show, he would call businesses. He would use the voice of Patrick Moore or Obi-Wan Kenobi. He would politely ask if they could service his X-wing fighter.

Rising to Fame: The Tony Blair Call

Jon Culshaw became famous in January 1998. He was working with Steve Penk on Capital Radio. He pretended to be William Hague, a well-known politician. He managed to call Number 10 Downing Street, which is where the Prime Minister lives.

He was put through to Tony Blair, who was the Prime Minister at the time. Tony Blair quickly realized it was a trick. But he still had a long conversation with Jon. Eventually, someone from Blair's staff ended the call. This prank helped Jon become widely recognized.

Radio Career Highlights

Jon was one of the main stars of the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Dead Ringers. This show ran from 2000 to 2007. It also had a TV version on BBC Two from 2002 to 2007. The radio version of Dead Ringers returned to BBC Radio 4 in 2014.

In 2018, Jon showed his acting skills in a BBC radio play. He played David Bowie in "The Final Take: Bowie in the Studio." This play imagined Bowie working on his last album.

Television Appearances

From 2001 to 2002, Jon hosted a show on ITV called Alter Ego. On this show, he interviewed male celebrities. He would speak in their own style, almost like a live translation. Jon also appeared on 2DTV, which was a cartoon version of Dead Ringers. In 2004, he got his own show on ITV called The Impressionable Jon Culshaw.

In 2005, Jon was a contestant on Comic Relief Does Fame Academy. He also appeared in the BBC's General Election coverage. He did impressions of Tony Blair and George W. Bush. In 2006, Jon presented a series called Jon Culshaw's Commercial Breakdown.

Jon is a big fan of astronomy. In 2007 and 2008, he appeared on The Sky at Night. He did an impression of a young Sir Patrick Moore, a famous astronomer. In 2011, he appeared again on the 700th episode of The Sky at Night. He read questions from viewers to the experts. He also reported on the Northern Lights.

In 2008, he was on Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack. He was part of a pub-quiz team with Chris Moyles. Since 2009, Jon has starred in The Impressions Show on BBC One. He performs alongside Debra Stephenson.

In 2010, Jon was a guest judge on Let's Dance for Comic Relief. In 2013, he was a contestant on the show. He danced to "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim.

Jon also appeared in the TV series Missing in 2010. In 2013, he was in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, a special comedy for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. From 2015 to 2016, he voiced many characters for the ITV sketch show Newzoids. He worked with Debra Stephenson again on this show.

In 2017, Jon was a co-presenter for the Channel 5 documentary series Secrets of the National Trust. In 2021, Jon appeared on Celebrity Mastermind. His specialist subject was "Doctor Who – the Jon Pertwee Years." Also in 2021, he was a guest on "Celebrity Yorkshire Auction House." He donated all the money from his sold items to charity. Until 2023, Jon narrated the Channel 4 property show 'Sun, Sea, and Selling Houses'.

Film Roles

In movies, Jon Culshaw played Tony Blair in the 2004 film Churchill: The Hollywood Years. He also voiced a character named Piston Pete in the 2008 film Agent Crush. In 2019, he voiced President Donald Trump and Bernard St. Bernard in The Queen's Corgi.

Famous Impressions

Jon Culshaw is known for his amazing impressions. Some of his most famous ones include:

• Former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Boris Johnson
• Obi-Wan Kenobi (as played by Alec Guinness)
• Actor Russell Crowe
• Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump
• Musician Ozzy Osbourne
• Comedian Michael McIntyre
• Presenter Dale Winton
• Newsreader Brian Perkins
• Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore
• Actors Tom Baker and Les Dawson

Jon Culshaw and Doctor Who

Jon Culshaw has been involved in many Doctor Who related projects. He first did an impression of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor for Dead Ringers.

He also appeared in the online story "Death Comes to Time" and the audio drama The Kingmaker. In The Kingmaker, he got to use his Tom Baker impression for real. He voiced tape recordings of the Fourth Doctor. In 2019, he appeared in three Doctor Who audio dramas. He played the shape-shifting android Kamelion alongside Peter Davison, who played the Fifth Doctor. Later, he started playing Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart. He performed alongside Tim Treloar, who played the Third Doctor.

Awards and Honours

In 2006, Jon Culshaw received an honorary fellowship from the University of Central Lancashire. In 2010, he was given an honorary doctorate by Edge Hill University. In 2013, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Leicester. In 2019, a portrait of Jon was painted by artist Sherree Valentine-Daines. This was to celebrate the opening of a new art gallery.

Charity Work

Jon Culshaw is a celebrity ambassador for the charity Trekstock. He also supports the Starlight Children's Foundation. This charity helps seriously ill children.

Jon often presents Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Awards. This is part of his support for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award charity. In 2016, he took part in the Great North Run. This was to raise money for the Jon Egging Trust. This charity was set up in memory of a Red Arrows pilot who died during an air show.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles