Jess Robinson is an English up and coming comedy actress and impressionist

Impressionist (entertainment)

An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...

.

Jess started out in theatre and trained at The Arts Educational School, Tring Park

The Arts Educational School, Tring Park

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts is an independent co-educational school specialising in dance and performing arts. The school was renamed in January 2009 and was previously known as the Arts Educational School, Tring Park.-Overview:...

 as a singer. She played Little Voice in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is a 1992 play written by English dramatist Jim Cartwright. Sam Mendes directed stars Jane Horrocks and Alison Steadman at the Royal National Theatre before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End....

, by Jim Cartwright

Jim Cartwright

Jim Cartwright is an English dramatist, born at Farnworth, Lancashire, England. Cartwright's first play, Road, won a number of awards before being adapted for TV and broadcast by the BBC....

, at the Courtyard Theatre

Courtyard Theatre

The Courtyard Theatre is a temporary 1,048 seat thrust stage theatre building in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Designed by Ian Ritchie Architects and built in 11 months, it opened in August 2006 to host performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company while its Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres...

. Her role included imitating the voices of Judy Garland

Judy Garland

Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...

, Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...

, Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...

, Edith Piaf

Édith Piaf

Édith Piaf , born Édith Giovanna Gassion, was a French singer and cultural icon who became widely regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Her singing reflected her life, with her specialty being ballads...

 and Julie Andrews

Julie Andrews

Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...

. Geraldine McNulty

Geraldine McNulty

Geraldine McNulty is a British stage and television actress.She has played the character of Mrs Raven in My Hero, and had guest appearances in Neverwhere, Gimme Gimme Gimme, The Vicar of Dibley, The Smoking Room and The Catherine Tate Show...

 appeared as her mother, Marie Hoff.

Jess then went on to perform in the last two series of Dead Ringers

Dead Ringers (comedy)

Dead Ringers is a UK radio and television comedy impressions broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and later BBC Two. The programme was devised by producer Bill Dare and developed with Jon Holmes, Andy Hurst and Simon Blackwell. It starred Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Phil Cornwell, Kevin Connelly and Mark Perry...

on BBC2. She appeared as an impressionist and played characters in various sketches, alongside the likes of Jan Ravens

Jan Ravens

Janet "Jan" Ravens is an English actress and impressionist, famous for her voices on Spitting Image and Dead Ringers.-Early life:...

, Jon Culshaw

Jon Culshaw

Jonathan Peter Culshaw is an English impressionist and comedian. He was educated at St Bede's RC High School, Ormskirk and St John Rigby College, in Orrell, Wigan....

, Mark Perry

Mark Perry (impressionist)

Mark Perry is a British impressionist and his notable impressions include; David Dickinson, John Prescott and the late Robin Cook. Perry is known for playing various public figures in Dead Ringers and 2DTV. In 2007 he appeared in the radio comedy Bleak Expectations...

, Kevin Connelly

Kevin Connelly

Kevin Connelly was born in Middlesbrough, England. He is an impressionist comedian, and after dinner speaker and is probably most famous for his role on the popular BBC television programme 'Dead Ringers'....

, and Phil Cornwell

Phil Cornwell

Phil Cornwell is an English comedian, actor, impressionist and writer. He is probably best known as being part of the Dead Ringers television and radio series...

.

In the Dead Ringers CBBC

CBBC

CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...

 spin off 'Spoof!' (part of the Gina's Laughing Gear

Gina's Laughing Gear

Gina's Laughing Gear was a special programming slot which was presented by Gina Yashere. It was shown on Friday afternoons on BBC One and repeated on Saturday on the CBBC Channel. The purpose was to showcase new CBBC comedy at the time....

 comedy pilot season), Jess also appeared as Supernanny

Supernanny

Supernanny is a reality TV programme which originated in the United Kingdom about parents struggling with their children's behaviour. The UK version has aired on Channel 4 with E4 showing repeats since 2004. The program returned in 2010...

, Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church

Charlotte Maria Church is a Welsh singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter. She rose to fame in childhood as a classical singer before branching into pop music in 2005. By 2007, she had sold more than 10 million records worldwide including over 5 million in the United States...

, Konnie Huq

Konnie Huq

Kanak Asha "Konnie" Huq is a British television presenter, who is best known for being the longest-serving female presenter of Blue Peter, having presented it from 1 December 1997 until 23 January 2008...

 and Billie Piper

Billie Piper

Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...

 among others. Other appearances include the CBBC show The Slammer

The Slammer

The Slammer is a Children's Talent show that has been broadcasting on BBC One since 22 September 2006.Set in a fictional prison called HM Slammer, this programme follows a variety show format where “prisoners” compete, by performing to an audience, who decide which act should be released.The show...

as part of an impressions double act and as a special guest on Blue Peter

Blue Peter

Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...

.

Jess provided female impressions on Headcases

Headcases

Headcases was an ITV satirical animation show based on current affairs. It employed the same satirical style as Spitting Image, 2DTV and Bo' Selecta! but using 3D animation created by UK Visual Effects and animation house Red Vision...

, an animated satirical show similar to Spitting Image

Spitting Image

Spitting Image is a British satirical puppet show that aired on the ITV network from 1984 to 1996. It was produced by Spitting Image Productions for Central Television. The series was nominated for 10 BAFTA Awards, winning one for editing in 1989....

, which appeared on ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 from April to June 2008 on Sunday evenings.

Jess Robinson appears as a show regular and impressionist in The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson

The Impressions Show with Culshaw and Stephenson is a British comedy sketch show which stars impressionists Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson. A second series was broadcast between 14 November 2010 - 23 December 2010 and a third series started on the 26 October 2011 at 8.30pm on BBC One...

. Robinson has also recorded episodes of The Secret World, and Newsjack

Newsjack

Newsjack is a satirical sketch show hosted by Justin Edwards. Until September 2011, it was presented by Miles Jupp, and first broadcast on BBC Radio 7 on 4 June 2009. The series is notable for having an "Open door" policy on writing, meaning that unsolicited writers without contract to the BBC can...

 for BBC Radio 7.

External links

• ITV: Headcases