Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Luke Kempner (Part One)

Episode Date: February 4, 2025

Today we’re in London’s Green Park with the impressionist, comedian and actor Luke Kempner! We joined Luke just before he took to the stage for a matinee of Les Miserables - where he is playing Monsieur Thenardier… but Luke isn’t the only theatrical member of his family - he tells us all about his showbiz pets and their iconic roles of stage and screen… Luke tells us about growing up in a creative household, how he honed his talent for impressions and we also hear from some very special guests… who knew that David Attenborough hangs out in Green Park?! Luke will be performing his show, ‘GRITTY POLICE DRAMA: A ONE MAN MUSICAL’, at Phoenix Arts Club on Sunday 16th and Sunday 23rd February – tickets on sale now at www.lukekempner.comFollow @lukekempner on Instagram Follow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like my cat was in the film, Aliens. I know, right? Why are you bothering working? I know, if only. It's quite gauling when your pets have had more iconic roles than you. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I took a stroll with comedian, impressionist and musical theatre star Luke Kempner in London's Green Park, rather excitingly, right before he was about to go on stage

for the matinee of Les Miserables in the West End. Luke has enjoyed a very successful career in musicals, also appearing in shows like Avenue Q and South Pacific. He's also a hugely talented comedian. I loved him in the BBC's Murder and Successful. And an impressionist who's had a lot of online viral success with his brilliant impersonations of everyone from Andy Murray to Tom Daly and the entire cast of Downton Abbey. And yes, I did make him do several of them whilst we were walking through the park. No spoilers, but stay tuned if you want to hear what David Attenborough would say

if he encountered Ray in the Wild. Luke and I had such a lovely chat talking about his career, his love story with his wife Alana and one half of the DJ duo The Matt Twins who, by the way, have now launched a very successful gut health business and Luke and I also chatted about

how he dealt with losing his own dog who'd been such a big part of his life for so long. Luke obviously adored Ray and to be honest, we both adored him right He's an absolute gem of a human being and utterly hilarious. So do catch his show, Gritty Police Drama, a one-man musical at London's Phoenix Arts Club on February the 16th and 23rd. And having already heard a burst of his Ted Hastings from Line of Duty, frankly, I'm sold. You can book your tickets now at Luke Kempner.com.

I really hope you enjoy our chat. I'll stop talking now and hand over to the man himself. Here's Luke and Ray, Ray. Come on, Ray. Hey, buddy. How are you? Oh, you're lovely. You're so lovely.

Oh, thanks, Luke. I made an effort today with my clothing and stuff. Oh, listen. Now, I'm going to take, he's got a leaf in his paw already. You will find this, Luke, on our walk. Oh. He picks up a lot of... Does he say, how often do you have to go to the groomers?

Very regularly. Really? And I'm behind. Oh, really? And in fact, he was given a bath by a well-meaning friend recently. Okay, yes. Who I don't think has a great deal of experience. with long-haired dogs.

Right. And they dumped him in a bath after a walk and it's basically like his fur is glue now. Oh, okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, Raymond. We've got to go. Luke's got to be at the theatre soon. Yes, darling.

We've got things to sing. There's 1,300 people to entertain. Oh, bless him. My dog's groomers were very sad when I rang them to tell them that he'd passed. And because he was quite, because he was very old and very grumpy old men. and a very grumpy old man by the end. He was quite vicious with the groomers, but they really persevered with him,

and it was always so sort of like picking your child up when you used to go there. And I used to go, oh, you know, how was he to tell? She went, oh, well, you know, I've got most of my fingers left, you know, but she tried so hard. And eventually, like, he was so good with them. And then when I phoned her to say, oh, you know, I'm really sorry to say that he's gone.

And she just started crying on the phone. And I was like, and she was like, oh we tried so hard with him and we really persevered and it was worth it oh it was very sweet I'm so sorry that you lost your god, it's absolutely heartbreaking yeah it was I mean

I couldn't believe how upset I got yeah and this was when was this this Luke? This was November 2023 and it was a little chihuahua called Pongo who was

he was a stagey dog so he was in the musical called Legally Blonde. Are you thinking? Bruiser. Yeah, man. I know. Are you joking?

Yeah. No, I'm not. How did Pongo get the role? So Pongo, basically like there was a woman who lived down my road called Cindy who's to provide animals for film and TV. I think she still does it. Do you know, I'm not surprised she's called Cindy. Yeah, yeah. That's a very I provide animals for film and TV.

Yeah, exactly. I don't know what comes first. She probably go, I'll call Cindy. What shall I do? I know, breathe some animals for whiskers, advert. In the way that a costume designer has to be a sandy or a pat. Yeah, they do, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, throughout the years, we've had, like, my cat was in the film, Aliens.

I know, right? Why are you bothering working? I know, if only. It's quite gawling when your pets have had more iconic roles than you. But so she, so little Boris, my cat, when I was only about three when he was in aliens. but she'd always sort of provided animals for film and theatre. And so when my wife and I'd only been together about a couple of years and my sister said, oh, you know, Cindy's rehoming a load of these chihuahuas

because the show's finished on tour. And I said, oh yeah, let's go and meet him. So we went and met him and we're like, yeah, we're totally ready to get a dog whilst living on a top floor flat in Finsbury Park. And we took him home that day. And he took about a month to warm to her. He was a bit sort of used to, you know, being a lovey in the West End. Yeah, he was a bit...

And then he was just wonderful. So, and then we had him for another 10 years. Oh, wow. Yeah. So bless him. But, I mean, he had a long life. He was 17 and it was... My daughter was only just turning two at the time,

and it was quite difficult with them both. Yeah. Because he was... He loved her, but didn't want to be touched. So it was sort of quite tricky by the end. He wanted to be next to her, but not to be touched by her. You can't really tell her two-year-old. not to touch this cute furry thing.

In some ways I always think that's really lovely. I think dogs know when you need them. Yeah. And I think it's really lovely that, you know, you had your daughter and you were creating a family. Yeah, you know what? I've done my service now. Yeah, you're right.

You're so right. Yeah. It's actually making me cry. Oh, no, he was great. Well, we'll do this in honour of Pongo, Lou. Okay, good, good. And I'm so thrilled to have you on this podcast. I think you're fabulous.

Oh, well, thank you. I've been, not stalking you, but watching your work for a long time. And I want to do it. to ask, we're going to talk all about your new show, which I love the sound of. Okay, great. And I'm going to come to this. Oh, amazing. It's gritty police drama. Yeah, the one-man

musical, now with extra grit. Because it's the producer said to me, I think you need to have had some more if we're going to do it again. So there's now got some new material into it. Well, we're going to talk all about that because I'm specifically I have an obsession, which is

police drama tropes. Oh, amazing. Oh, well, I was absolutely the right show for you. So, Luke Kempner. Yes. I want to go back to your childhood and your experience of dogs. You grew up in Surrey, didn't you, with your sister, Suez, who was also a fabulous singer and comedian.

Yeah, yeah, she's amazing. And your parents. Yes. I'm imagining, maybe just because of you and Sue's, that it's quite a sort of artistic creative household. Yeah, well, so my dad's an actor called Mark Kempner. No. So my mum's a horse riding instructor. Shut up.

And so it sounds like we're all very posh and well to do, but we were sort of lower middle class living in Surrey in a place called Smallfield. And we grew up with dogs, a dog called Callan, who was a rescue dog, an Alsatian. And he was gorgeous, just the calmest, most beautiful, you know very energetic but wonderful dog who I adored and we had cats as well

we had two cats Boris who I mentioned was in aliens and weasel who wasn't very good actor so he didn't get much work and also I love Boris because that was the days when you could name an animal Boris it was quite clearly purely benign connotations yeah no completely it was more Boris Becker I think so yeah but we had lovely Callan and then we inherited my grandmother's dog, Bess, who never quite recovered from my grandma dying. So she was great. I mean, I mean, I'm such a dog lover, so I tried so hard with her, but she was always quite scared of men. So she's, even though I was only about, I feel

you better. Yeah, certainly. She's not the only one. And even as, well, I must have only been about sort of 14, but he's desperately sort of goes so slowly to her, but she just always run past me all the time and did she like sus more yeah oh yeah sus and my mum great me and my dad not so much she didn't mind my dad because she'd known because it was his mother who passed so she she was i feel like she sensed a bit of grandma and my dad what was your family energy like luke was it sort of quite noisy and lots of ideas and opinions being expressed yeah i mean me and my sister have always been you know show-offs making up shows and always trying you know anyone that would watch us make up something

even if we were just lip-syncing to the Spice Girls, we would always be doing silly voices or we would get out. We used to be quite, not even as a religious family, but we were quite part of the local church. And me and my sister at the Harvest Festival would always get up and we would do our French and Saunders set or just tell a really long joke that my dad had sought out for us and stuff. So we were always very keen.

And because my dad was a performer as well, we just sort of saw this world that, That's what we wanted to do. And we never, we never sort of really veered away from that. But that's interesting because my parents were sort of in the business. And I think you go one of two ways, don't you? Because I think what happened to me was that I was so used to actors coming around saying, you know, darling, are you working? And it was this whole thing about, well, I've got to do a bloody doctor who.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think there was a part of me that my parents instilled a bit of fear in me. I used to hear this all the time. Remember, darling, 90% are out of the business and my dad was like 95. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's interesting that I think that obviously didn't happen with you then, that your parents would have encouraged.

Like my mum was very encouraging, but my dad, and it's funny now because now I've got a three-year-old myself who is a wonderful attention-seeking, precious little girl, but is loves performing. So, and now I have this sort of not fear for her to do it because it's wonderful, but it's 95% like, and I had that. Me and my sister both had it from my dad because he struggled a lot as a, and he's got, he's kind of got more roles as he's got into his later years. Yeah. But he struggled a lot to get work.

And I think there was a jobbing actor. He was a jobbing actor. Yeah. And I think sometimes I took it as, oh, he just, he thinks I'm rubbish, he doesn't want me. me to do it but actually now I've got a three-year-old I can understand where you would have this fear of just like it's such a hard industry why do you want to do it you know well you know my dad's and I think your parents probably the same my parents my dad always said never encourage a child to be a performer because it's a tough life and if you need

encouragement and pushing not the job for you well like there's a good way of looking at it. It's like, well, it's something you have to want to do so badly that you wouldn't need any encouragement. That was what I was going to say because I think there's this great, I can't remember his Ian McKellen or Patrick Stewart, but this great sort of quote which was don't act if you want to act, but act if you have to act. And I do think it is like that. Do you know what I like, Luke? Yeah. We're sounding like too old acts. Oh, I know. I love it. Oh, it's what I've always dream to be. Darling. Darling, yes. I had to act. My mom once told me. about, she went, when I went to Rada, she used to Rada, she used to Rada. When I went to Rada, and my teacher,

the first day, he gave me some wonderful advice, usually with a glass of wine, she said, let's he said, acting, he said, acting, is acting. And my sister went, that was a fucking waste of money. Yeah, totally that. So, Luke, when you were growing up, you were, presumably like a lot of people who become performers and specifically comedians I'm assuming were you the sort of doing impressions of the teachers and making your peers laugh yes so I did a lot of that at school

a lot of being the funny one in class got me into a lot of trouble because I didn't want to do the schoolwork like I was never sort of rude but would stop other kids from working you were a little bit disruptive in a kind of benign way. It was just that sort of thing.

It was like, you know, and we had teachers like, Miss West, who was the science teacher, and she said, you know, she had this kind of voice that was like this, and I would always be doing it. And I remember her shouting and me said, I don't like being mimicked. But of course, it would make everyone laugh, which encouraged me.

Yeah. But would make her furious, which I completely understand. But I would get sent out a lot, sent home a bit, and eventually was sort of threatened with, expulsion. How did your parents take that? Yeah, not good, not good.

My dad was furious and my mum... It was my mum's reaction which got me to change really because she just said to me, I just don't know what to do with you anymore and I remember just breaking down and just couldn't believe how much I'd let them down and I just was like, I'm going to do whatever I can

to not let my mum down. And so I worked really, really hard post that and for the last two years of school and got good grades and just sort of realized that if I wanted to sort of get anywhere in life I would have to stop annoying other people or distracting other people sort of thing. You're obviously a very successful impressionist as well

because you have this, I think it is kind of an innate ability and you've got a good ear, you know. Did that start when you were young? When you're sort of doing impressions, like I often find how it starts is that someone's telling a story and it's unthinkable to them that they wouldn't at least attempt

to do an impression of the person they're talking about? Yeah, I mean, I sort of could always do impressions of the teachers and do silly voices that would make people laugh even as an eight-year-old and then it was sort of as I got a bit older and I could start doing specific teachers like, you know, I had a singing teacher called

Ross Campbell, you know, that would speak like this and he would say, oh, you're reaching up for the note like you're a giraffe, you need to relax like you're a hippo and I used to do this for the other people who would also be taught by him and and I and then like you say it I'd still tell stories and put the people's voices into it and I was oh I can I can do this and then it only took you know it was when I stopped got to about sort of you know sort of into my early 20s when someone was like oh you should do impressions of celebrities and put them on YouTube and then I then I realized that you had to do

a lot more than just the voice you had to find jokes around it and and then that's when the sort of work started of just like oh how do I craft this into a thing that can hold people's attention who don't know me or know that specific person sort of thing I was really worried about this I thought I can't just keep asking Luke to do impressions because I know that's awful when people do that it's like saying to a doctor could you just I've got a skin tag yeah yeah exactly if you could rip it up but I just love your impressions so much so I'm afraid I am going to ask you do it do it we're good okay well while we're here Luke Kempner we have Raymond here yeah I'm wondering

What would Sir David Attenborough say about? Well, Sir David Attenborough would look at Raymond and he really is, though rarely spotted, beautiful dog, around Green Park, most of the dogs are pretty mangy and pretty poorly treated, but Raymond is one of the most perfect dogs I've ever seen. Hello, Raymond. That all right?

At least you said David Attenborough and it wasn't Boris Johnson, going, oh, he's a lovely dog, you've got his wonderful fur, oh you know you're fantastic looking about you and you look like you care about people unlike me ah you know fantastic little doggy yeah oh my god these are you know what i would love to get one of luke on video doing this so i could you mind yeah of course for the purpose of the podcast i'm actually making luke do this again for social media yeah that's how cynical and awful i am no go for it's too good on show of the world you hold oh yeah i can hold him and then we'll film you okay right are we ready you started out when you started out when you

you had decided you wanted to be a performer. Yeah. And you also could sing, which is a little bit annoying. Yeah, because your sister's a brilliant singer as well. Yeah, she is, yeah. You started out as a musical theatre performer. You worked in a hairdresser's ratio, didn't you? Yeah, I did.

Oh, this is good research, it's good, I'm impressed here. Yeah, headmasters, hairdresser, sweeping up hair. Yeah. Did you answer the phone as well? Oh, yeah. Okay, so I'm calling. school. Okay, yeah, yeah. Hello, Headmasters League speaking. How can I help you? Would you like to book in for a full head of highlights? Foyles? That'll be 45 minutes with a

break in between, just to let it set. Yeah, I quite liked the job, though. But what was bad about it was it was post-drama school. So like, but I was living in Chiswick really near arts education. And all the arts head students come in to get their hair done. And I'll be sitting and just wanted to say, like, I went to drama school. And then they'd be like, oh, did you? And I'll be like, it's going better than it looks. Because I'm just auditioning lots. I'm going to get some work soon. I'm going to get some work soon.

But I quite liked working in the hairdress because you could just chat to people. And I've always enjoyed any job when I used to work at TGI Fridays or any of those jobs that you could just chat to people. I've always enjoyed that. I think it should be compulsory.

Forget national service. I think everyone should have to do some sort of service job where they deal with the general public. Yeah, agreed. How can you have empathy for the? them otherwise when you're next dealing with someone and you know well it's interesting because you know I'm now in in Les Miserables in London and I work with

a lot of sort of 21 22 year olds which I find horrendous but having also been a 21 year old in musical theatre it's sort of it's really interesting sort of looking back on your life and some of them they're worried about leaving the job they're like oh I need to stay I'm worried I'm not going to work and I'm sort of I keep saying to them I'm like you know it's really good for you to go and do those other jobs that don't pay very much and they're not paying what you're to here but you learn so much and resilience and and it's it's always good to know that you can do that sort of thing yeah so like I totally agree I think I think

everyone should have to do it you were sort of getting jobs weren't you because you were in Les Mies oh okay don't want my little dog over yeah I'm sorry he's only got little legs we're just gonna get out the way of the truck it's a very big truck oh it's a very big truck and the sort of truck driver who means business. Oh, I immediately, my heart started to race when he tells to tell us off. We should say where we are, Luke. Yes, well, we are in, this is Green Parts, St James's Park.

Yeah. We're now looking at Buckingham Palace. We're crossing the road by Buckingham Palace. It's all gone a bit Paddington Bear. A little cliche. Yeah. I thought that was, I just saw some motorcycles and I thought, oh, I wonder if they're outriders. And then I saw they were a bit hell's angel in.

Okay, just taking in the sights of Buckingham Palace. Which way, Faye, this way? This feels a bit quieter, but okay. I just don't know if we can get through the gap unless we go under the fence. Could we go under? Yeah. I'm all right with it. It's Luke's the one to ask because he's a big boy compared to us.

Oh, I'm really proud of myself doing that. I went under. Right, come on Raymond, for in St James's Park. to do your stuff so yes so I so I started I went to drama school and then auditioned for lots and lots of things you went to Guildford Guildford School of Acting that's all right and I got I used to get so close to getting things and then not get them and constantly be waiting to hear and I think about nine auditions for Jersey Boys and Spring Awakening and all these things that how did

you deal with that rejection because it's a big part of the job and I would really struggle with that yeah I'd really I hated it I because I saw lots of my friends getting jobs and me not and I really started to think, oh, I thought I was good and maybe I'm not. And then I remember I was also like I'd been my first job, I left drama school early to do a play called Newboy, which I did in Chiswick, and it got a West End transfer. But they recast me with Nick Holt and they rehearsed it in my kitchen because I lived with the director and the other guy that was in it

a guy called Greg Lowe who's still my very best mate but they needed a big name and so they recast it with Nick Hull and they were rehearsing it in my kitchen and then I was there like making a cup of tea like trying to prepare for an audition and stuff and Nick said to me he was like

oh I didn't realise you were in it as well were you the brother and I was like no no it's your part mate it's your part mate but good luck with it sounds great from what I can hear so you know and I remember my agent who's not my agent now but my agent at the time

got me an audition for something and she said she went your conversion rate's really bad like we really need to start you know looking at this and so I would have said your agenting's really bad so that but that was like another dagger

and I just was like oh and then I got this little play in Hampstead and Noel Coward play where it was like profit share and it was called I'll leave it to you and it was an autobiographical play that Noel Coward wrote and I played the part

of Noel Coward in it and it was brilliant play but I mean like no money but my mum said to me she went look I'll give you 150 quid a week and my mum didn't have any money either but she went I'll give you 150 quid a week

for you to do it because I think you need to do it and actually like within the first week of rehearsing it I got Le Miz so I sort of did the play and then went straight into Le Miz after that and really I've never really looked back so it was important for me to do it because I just think sometimes you just need to be exercising the thing that's inside you to do

and it gave me the confidence into auditions. I did eventually, yeah. I'm glad. Yeah, I changed agents quite a few times. I've been with my current management for four or five years. Yeah. Your agent has got to think you're better than you think you are. Yeah, yeah.

And if they don't, and if they're ever saying to you, well, do you really think you're big enough for that? And do you think you're good enough? I just think, how are they going to have those? Imagine them then, then, fighting for you. Oh, complete, yeah, or not, I told it. And there was two people who were there, and the main guy who ran it

was always been very supportive. He was the one that first sort of sign me on. And then he came to see, because then I did this Downton Abbey show called The Only Way is Downton, which was my first sort of impression show back in 2013. And he came along to see it, and I think he'd just lost his partner,

and he sort of said to me, oh, it was just so wonderful, and I'm so proud of you. And this was post me leaving them and stuff like that. So like, it all. was full circle in the end. It works out well. And I was going to say it's interesting because obviously you've had this you know there are so many prongs to your career and you're a stand up you're also an impressionist and you're a musical theatre star and you're seriously talented

you don't just have some like club vibrato. Do you know what I mean? Like a lot of comics you know you properly can sing and I wonder that must have been interesting because I suppose it does present you sometimes with that you know which road do I go down and yeah has that been a big thing for you constantly yeah and even you know it's funny I was sort of like I was listening to a couple of your episodes with people I know who have been on your show like Josh and um Ed Gamble and sometimes like I listen to these guys when interviewed and I'm just like you've just your path is so essentially quite clear as in you do what you do I mean it isn't as simple as that but I But I've always found myself just going, oh, I'll do that.

And then this opportunities come, so I'll do that. And instead of just being the one thing. But some people would look at that. Oh, it's great. It's been really varied and how exciting you get to it. But then sometimes I feel like it stunts you from like really becoming elite in one thing. But I don't know. Oh, you could argue it makes you better at both.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I love getting to do lots and lots. of different things and experiencing lots and lots of different things and and do you look at these guys husband and wife it feels it doesn't it keith keith keith keith what do you think he's cheated on her well these are two geese and keith as you've called one yeah i think keith's on the right and i think keith really let her down and he knows it look at his face Bye-bye geese.

Good luck, guys. Remember talking is the best way, okay? You can solve anything. It's worth salvaging, all right? Come on, Keith, mate. Look after your bird. Yeah, Keith. Just say sorry, man.

Time. Just give it time. So, you were sort of juggling both these talents of yours, really, and you were doing Edinburgh shows, weren't you? then a thing happened where you were one of those people that really gained a lot of traction on social media through your work weren't you you did these sort of downton abbey skits which were hugely popular and that was that sort of what was that like did that suddenly feel like oh okay this is a whole new area for me it's been all really really weird because it was a mate at the time you know a friend of

mine leo star and there's so you know you meet so many people ago i i was the one that broke you I was the one but Leo my mate at the time was the one that I was like no we're filming this and we're going to put it on YouTube and we film this Were you a bit shy Luke to do it? I was always and still am

very nervous about someone saying Oh why did you do that Oh that's not good Oh I'm embarrassing And I like I've never quite been able to stop that Because I always You know I look You know to put your stuff out there on social media

I find it so different to in a in a comedy club because in a comedy club it's like oh well this is us tonight even if it's a thousand people or 50 people it's like it's sort of it's a thing in itself but where with social media like you don't know who's watching it you don't know how long they're watching it yeah so i always have had found that quite nerve wracking but we just got drunk one night and he interviewed me and i was been andy murray and it was just after he'd cried at wimbledon and i'd we just sort of wrote this thing was if and he'd been to a drama teacher to learn how to and so he had this whole interview

and I was like oh I wasn't actually crying it was the I actually called it the cry-emosh which is where you like you break your voice a little bit because it really draws the crowd in like that

so I did all of I did this can I just say the producer is absolutely awesome at this point but we just did this this was what the interview we did and we had about three bottles of wine

and then put it out and I was like oh look if it gets 100 views happy days and then it got like 10,000 views and this is like YouTube 11, 12 years ago

and then I did another one which was Tom Daly who was talking about it was when Tom Daly had won the bronze medal in 2012

and I was Tom Daly was going oh you know like I'm actually totally happy with the bronze like it's really great actually if anything it's a nice colour

and so it was all that and then and then I just said look I want to do a video where I do 10 characters in one video because I'd always sort of done that even at drama school doing impressions of all the teachers so then I just did this Downson Abbey video where I was everyone from you know Mr Carson down there and Mrs Patma and Jane Peggy

Smith of course was there as well the Dowager um I think Ray is the canine equivalent oh she's very Dowager Countess I mean even that's a he I should say yes but he's got her energy don't you think it's you know with a whip of the tongue could cut you down so and then it was that video that basically Stephen Frye when he was if he was like the biggest guy on Twitter before Elon Musk came and ruined it but he he tweeted my video the human growth hormone and testosterone pros seemed to have taken it and then he yeah he tweeted my video and just said a fine impressionist a splendid display of downturnary

That must have been so lovely. It's one of the best moments of my life. It came through and I couldn't believe it and I sort of and it was just that thing of like Stephen Fryers tweeted you and I was like and I showed it's my you know she's my girlfriend inside and I'm my wife

and I was like oh is that real is that real? Just like yeah and then my phone just like ran out of battery because it just went ding ding ding ding ding ding like that and the YouTube like because in those days if your YouTube got over like 300 views really quickly it would just freeze yeah so the views would freeze and then like

but I was getting all these like emails of subscribers and and yeah my phone just like ran out battery I just couldn't believe it and then after that it was I got all these meetings with people I wasn't ready for BBC and all this sort of stuff and I just sort of go in I was I just made three YouTube videos and then it was when a producer came to me James Seabry said oh you should do an Edinburgh show of your downtown Abbey stuff And you did, didn't you? And I did, and toured it in America and Canada. But that kickstarted a lot of your work.

You know, you worked for the Now show regularly, don't you? And I imagine that kickstarted a lot of your more broadcast and TV-based work. It was all of that. It was great because I was doing something different. But also I also needed to learn how to be myself funny. So then I went into clubs three years after that in 2016 to learn. how to be a stand-up so I could weave in stand-up in amongst impressions. I think the way you do impressions, you know, I'm obviously from a different generation to you and I like the

way that you do impressions because there's a sort of, I don't know, there's like a gentleness about them which I think in my day they could be quite poisonous. Do you know what I mean? Oh interesting. Whereas I'm really aware I think this is kind of like a nice tribute to someone. It's It's funny and it's making me laugh like just now about the Andy Murray, but they don't seem snidey. Not at all. And I don't know if that's just because you're more Gen Z, millennial, you know, you're slightly nicer generation if I'm really frank. It might. Do you know what?

It might be that. Yeah. Thanks a lot. I know I can't believe we said you're a different generation. I'm so shocked at that. But I just, I've always found... What I mean is this culture of... It's less of a cynical snide.

No. If my thing has always been, it's a celebration of someone's ism, you know, and even, you know, doing Donald Trump or something like that, and I know a lot of people, you know, there's a lot of problems. A lot of people don't like me. I don't care. You know, a lot of people love me. Everybody says it. But, you know, it's great. But there is something. I'm sorry. I'm going to have to do that with Ray. I'm sorry. What do you think of Ray? Listen, it's so great to be here with Ray. He's a fine looking dog. It's great to be here. It's going to be about 10,000 people. here fantastic. And Ray is celebrating the inauguration of the 47th president. That's me. You know, and a lot of people say I'm a great guy. Do you think I'm a great guy? So great. Did you hear that? Didn't he say I was a fantastic guy? Bigly great. That's great. But I think that the thing is even with Trump is I can watch Trump and be entertained by him. That doesn't mean I like him. That doesn't mean he's a good thing. But I find all of these things in people, Boris and etc., that

that there's something interesting and entertaining about their voice or what they do. And maybe entertainers the wrong word. Have you had any, well, compelling, I suppose. Compelling, yeah, yeah. Have you had any feedback from anyone you've done in Impression of? Yeah, like a lot of the Downton cast, because they sort of, a lot of them came to see my show in London.

And then I worked with a few of them on other audio projects and stuff. And they've always been really, really nice. And then Alexander Armstrong, who I once did a, Bob Mortimer wrote me a sketch for me and Alexander Armstrong, where we were both Alexander Armstrong. And it was called the pointless interview. And it was just me doing Alexander Armstrong and lots of, I just go, it's me Alexander Armstrong, and me Alexander Armstrong. And Xander's always been like, you give me this wonderful baritone voice. And he was like, I'm not sure you quite got it. And I was like, well, I think I have.

And of course, in Murder and Successful, which you were brilliant in, and that's for the wonderful Tom Davis, who I'm desperate to get on this podcast. Oh, my God, he's wonderful. Because I love him. And you were in that, and you played so many brilliant characters in that. You did one of the most famous. There's one with Jimmy Carr and his brother, Alan Carr. And you were Alan, if I'm right in that?

No, I was Alan in that. Yeah, no. And it was, do you know what? Interestingly, what you were saying about doing impressions in a different way, getting to be Alan Carr as this London gangster was amazing. You know, and you're approaching it as an acting role. Yeah. And not just as a, let's take the piss out of Alan's voice.

Yeah. Because it wasn't that. It was like, I love Alan Carr. And wouldn't it be amazing to put him in this scenario? What interests me about impressionists, Luke? And you're not sort of simply an impressionist. You're a bit of a, you're not even a triple threat. You're like a quadruple threat.

But I think you're interesting because I think it can be sometimes when you meet people who purely do that line of work. And I'm probably thinking more, again, my generation. You can see how it can be easy to lose your own sort of sense of identity when you're doing that all the time. And I think you're someone who seems like you're very much you. Oh, thank you. How have you managed that?

And do you think there is, that is something you've got to be mindful of when... I think I always, and this is of no criticism of that generation, because I've worked with them all and I look up to them and they're all been, you know, especially like Rory Bremner, you know, like his dear friend and he's always been wonderful to me. But I always didn't quite want to do it in the same way. And I always wanted to be able to be on stuff as myself. Right.

Because, like, in the same way that, like, I really love podcasting. I really love doing radio and being able to interview people. And, you know, I worked on Steph's Pat Lunch for three years and often wouldn't be doing impressions. And that's not because, oh, I hate doing impressions. But I just didn't want to, like you say, to sort of be my persona. And you don't want to be the guy at the party who's like, oh, he's fucking hilarious. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, do your Tom Jones, you know. Yeah, yeah. And the thing is, I don't. It's different in an interview like this where, you know, we're entertaining. But I like, in a normal conversation, I often won't do them because I get a bit embarrassed. Because also, like, it's such a weird, it's like a weird thing at a party with someone goes, oh, he does a best Andy Murray, do it, do it, like that. And you go, oh, hi, I'm Andy Murray.

And everyone goes, yeah, yeah. And he's sort of like, well, what was the point of that? That's awful. Yeah, anyway. Yeah, I know, exactly, yeah. And you're like, this is goal. I get paid for this. I really hope you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog.

If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday, so whatever you do, don't miss it. And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.