VIP: The Masked Content

Series after series on “Britain’s Got Talent” I’ve been disappointed when the impersonators  are invariably sent packing. Remember that guy from 2011 that did a killer Kevin Webster? I was floored. But, as he undoubtedly now understands, for an impersonator to be a hit he or she has to do a little more than mimic the mannerisms of random targets (Webster has his place, yes, but one couldn’t help think he was picked up here because he fell within the act’s remit). Alistair McGowan’s and Ronni Ancona’s legendary Posh and Becks take sticks in my mind because it came at the time that brand Beckham was born; they were a part of huge shift in what we think of as iconic. Channel 4’s brand new “Very Important People”, opting smartly to mine the once more transformed and even higher charged celebrity infatuation of our times, still could have taken one of two paths as a sketch show: to satirise telly’s most notorious faces in a laugh-a-minute style that, after 23 of them are up, could be looked forward to being seen again but not ruminated on, or to use tongue-in-cheek as a veil for shame inducing observations not just of cultural figures but also of cultural tendencies and values. It doesn’t sound like it at first but it’s a paper-thin line for any sketch show to tread, and what I enjoyed about “VIP” is that it straddled both arenas with skill. It was akin to watching two parallel shows. One was brimming with skewed yet familiar faces/mannerisms and had me howling. The other? It provoked a shade more reflective thought, and cleverly prodded its own role in the reality-star infested culture of today. I’m biased, having already tumbled out of the impersonation show closet and whiled away a half-hour glued to one, but “VIP” has me hooked.

I feel like I have to assert the show’s intellect and style before commenting on the actual impersonation effort and parodied celebrities themselves (this is the aforementioned lighter element of the slot, so I promise if you bare with me I’ll get there). Friday’s offering opened with an on-point Gordon Ramsay in his "Hells Kitchen" set up, loaded with his customary effs, blinds and profane labels. I laughed; this impersonation show was on par with my honoured Kevin Webster-er within seconds. But the show’s stars Morgana Robinson and Terry Mynott, as soon became characteristic, went one further and ironically blended the brutality of Gordon with a celeb-fronted charity appeal (this one being to reduce bullying and name-calling). What was humorous about Ramsay still stood, but became tinged with unmistakable implications, if you wanted to see them, that some reality shows and magazine-faves contribute in a roundabout way to the business of bullying: a business we all recognise is fundamentally wrong when explicitly referred to it.

Such dexterous mashing of telly genres remained a welcome presence throughout (worry not: so did the laughs). Indeed, one of the slot’s most uncanny performances came from Amy Childs as a correspondent for “Very Important News”, as Robinson and Mynott managed to attack both the current Queen of Celebrity Culture and gossip shows in one fell swoop. The reports of Very Important News allowed the show to take aim on documentaries, reality shows and their digital channel counterparts and, maybe to stop it getting a bit heavy, sex tapes. Perhaps even more bravely, “VIP” paired up David Attenborough fronted nature shows with Frankie Boyle-esque stand up. Did it work? Seamlessly. Again, one could laugh at Attenborough’s marginally Joanna Lumley-looking mug parrot on about Boyle whilst perched daringly on the edge of his “habitat”, or could take the show’s hints to consider the barbarism of the Boyle-brigade (Jimmy Carr, given his recent interviews alongside this show’s contemporary style, was lucky to escape Attenborough’s net).

Radio 1 X2: Fearne Cotton met her double last week

I can’t let the hard-hitting side of the show pass by without shifting the spotlight brightly onto the “Fame Skillz” segment (nor can I mention this segment without saying how its Fearne Cotton was sublime, despite how much I’ve sworn to delay comment on impressions themselves). Based on a game show, the sketch saw Cotton guide three pre-teens through a variety of obstacles they might encounter as regular fixtures of today’s most papped nightclub-set. The writers really went to town here, and made it the part of “VIP” in which it was most hard to ignore the social messages of the writers. Suffice to say in one task, “The Cubicles”, Cotton’s cherubs were blasted with white powder. The next was simply called “Rehab”.

Clearly, I’m not as dexterous a writer as Robinson and Mynott. Make no mistake: in “VIP” the hard-hitting complements the slide splitting until the credits roll, but I’m done with the deep stuff for now. On to the much-awaited impressions themselves…

Someone just like you: Adele

After Gordon came Adele; kudos to the show for daring to taunt our most heralded export, both for her sewer motor mouth and her unfathomable articulacy when warbling. Special mention must also be given for picking on Dr Christian Jones of “Embarrassing Bodies” fame; the show can be forgiven for throwing such a random figure into its mix once or twice because of its sheer hilarity. Dr Christian’s Frakenstein-monotone and boorish posture were nailed, and his professional advice to a patient wanting to remedy his, ahem, misshapen package is off the howling-chart. Not content to limit themselves to national targets, Robinson and Mynott’s Katy Perry and Owen Wilson were sharp in concept and portrayal (their Katy sketch is founded on her discussing her upcoming documentary announced just last month- another telling indication that they put a lot of stock on being up to date with their victims).

Not all of the show’s takeoffs were as uncanny as Adele and Ferne. A bit featuring an enamoured Simon Cowell and Dannii Minogue (note again the attention to gossip hot off the press) struck more like a dalliance between Tom Cruise and Victoria Beckham, whilst the Jennifer Anniston to “VIP’s” Owen Wilson needed to lose a few stone, a few locks and more than a few facial creases. The most substandard impersonation, by a mile, aimed for Danny Dyer but instead struck Rhona Cameron (she’d been absent from my thoughts since the premiere series of “I’m a Celebrity…” too, which shows how much Robinson and Mynott erroneously got her bang on).

What the show succeeded on is that, despite its fundamentally sophisticated critique of celebrity culture, it was aware of its own part in such a culture. It would be impossible to create a show to simultaneously satiate and critique peoples’ interest in celebrities without being in-touch with tabloid tat, and “VIP” abandons any airs and graces in this respect. I’ve harped on about the cerebral factor enough, though, and I wouldn’t want to put people off. In a sentence? It’s a hoot.

One Line Wonder

David Attenborough (of sorts, talking about Frankie Boyle): This intriguing creature provides a sort of service for us. If there is something wrong in society such as a pop star who's put on weight, a politician with a funny shaped head or a public figure who's hogging the headlines, such as the parent of a missing child, Frankie will take them down with barbed quips.

The Fortune Telly-er

I hope the show doesn't sacrifice its more hard-hitting stuff for the sake of comedy (even though they can clearly handle that comedy with ease). In future episodes, perhaps the writers will leave reality television alone and widen their net; there have already been hints of this with the take off of a Wilson/Anniston film trailer.