Debra Stephenson: 'Davina is exhausting'

Debra Stephenson: 'Davina is exhausting' (Image credit: Doug Peters/EMPICS Entertainment)

We chat to The Impressions Show star Debra Stephenson It must be tough being made up for all your impressions. Who is the hardest? “Davina is exhausting! That woman's got so much energy – I don’t know where she gets it from! But the most difficult are the impressions with prosthetics. Davina’s prosthetic nose is probably bigger than hers. It’s not that we wanted to exaggerate it or say she’s got a big nose, we’re just trying to make it the right shape and you can only add on to your own face, not take away." Are you worried what Davina, or indeed any of the other stars will think of their impersonations? "This is what worries me most! We’re not going out to offend people, but my worst fear is that we would. I know Amanda Holden but I didn’t find her that easy to impersonate – there’s nothing outlandish or weird about her! I don't want her to do her any disservice because she’s so nice.” So, which do you prefer acting or doing impressions? “This is my dream job because I've been doing impressions since I was six! I used to do little sketches with my dad – I was Margaret Thatcher to his Denis Healey! I thought my dad was the funniest man in the world. He's thrilled about this because he was my mentor!" Do you do impressions at home (Debra is married to builder James Duffield, and has two children, Max, 6, and 2-year-old Zoe). "I do impressions a little bit at home but Max only recognises my Marge Simpson!"

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.