Over the last ten years, a lot of comedy has shifted to the internet, and that’s actually a good thing. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram allow short, funny videos to thrive. Comedians can try out new material without the pressure of worrying about staying relevant on television or pleasing network executives.
Podcasts have given comedians a new platform to work on their craft. It’s like a jam session for funny people – they can bounce ideas off each other freely. That’s different from creating a TV comedy, where there’s a lot of focus on who wrote what and who owns the rights to the material.
My new podcast, Hal & Ronni in Pieces, is a funny look at two comedians – me and Hal Cruttenden – trying to navigate the world of podcasting, even though we’re a bit behind the times! We also chat with other comedians like Jo Brand, Omid Djalili, and Sally Phillips to get their tips on dealing with stress.
There’s so much great stuff to look back on, but as a huge cinema and TV fan, I’ve noticed the digital age has actually made comedy impressions tougher. Back in the day, from 1999 to 2003, I worked with Alistair McGowan on ‘The Big Impression,’ where we had a blast doing impressions and parodies of celebrities like David and Victoria Beckham, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, Jerry Hall, Nigella Lawson, Gary Lineker, and even the Royal Family!
Back when there were only a few TV channels and no streaming services, our show attracted millions of viewers on BBC One. Because the lives of the people we portrayed were private, we created a realistic feel by showing their everyday routines. Before social media existed, audiences had no insight into what these stars were like outside of their public personas – we didn’t know about their habits, their food preferences, or even where they went on vacation.
I always thought it was funny how everyone saw Sven-Göran Eriksson as the football expert in his relationship with Nancy Dell’Olio. It’s hilarious to picture a world where she was the one who really understood the game and he was the one scrambling to learn the basics – like, seriously, imagine him trying to figure out the offside rule or what a holding midfielder even does! It just flips everything you assumed on its head.
Nowadays, celebrities who are well-known enough to make fun of are already constantly sharing their lives on Instagram – everything from their meals and exercise routines to how they’ve decorated their homes. This makes it harder to create funny, made-up scenarios about them, as so much of their real lives are already public.
When “The Big Impression” first aired 25 years ago, it tapped into the growing trend of celebrities building personal brands. We reflected this in a sketch where we portrayed Posh and Becks as royalty, sitting at opposite ends of a table and discussing their investments. It was telling that we initially received complaints from the celebrities we imitated. Later, we started getting calls from agents wondering why we weren’t poking fun at their clients!
We don’t see as much playful imitation on TV these days. It’s not just because of social media, either. I used to perform live with Lewis MacLeod, doing impressions of Trump and Melania, but even that’s become harder. So many public figures now seem like caricatures already, constantly trying to shock people and stay in the headlines.
The world of comedy has changed both on and off screen. Early in my career, I faced blatant sexism. Ideas I and other female writers came up with were often dismissed, only to be credited to male colleagues if a man repeated the same joke. Even in comedies, female characters were typically portrayed as the voice of reason – constantly nagging the men – and existed mainly to support their male counterparts. I even had a commissioner reject a strong script simply because they already had a show with a female lead.
We still have progress to make. While there’s a dedicated TV audience, especially women over a certain age, they’re often underestimated. It’s likely young people have moved away from traditional television. What’s needed is more representation of middle-aged women on screen – characters who are witty, intelligent, and relatable.
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2025-10-21 03:06