Dead Ringers on BBC Two
Dead Ringers was back on BBC Two in 2005 - with the series starting just as the polls closed for the general election. Jon had been out campaigning for the Nice Party.
The 2004 series featured Jon as C Fu with more than a touch of Dale Winton teaching confused Kung Fu students, Jan Ravens singing Dido and Michael Parkinson learning about his fate at ITV.
The Impressionable Jon Culshaw
Jon Culshaw was on ITV1 in The Impressionable Jon Culshaw. In the series Jon played a variety of characters including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Billy Connolly, Des Lynam and Robbie Williams.
Dead Ringers on Radio 4
Dead Ringers with Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Kevin Connelly, Phil Cornwell and Mark Perry has now completed its several series on Radio 4.
The scriptwriting is still as sharp as ever despite the distractions of Dead Ringers on BBC Two and from 2DTV and The Impressionable Jon Culshaw on ITV1.
In previous series of Dead Ringers US president George Dubya Bush called the White House, Tony Blair called the plumber (to stop all the leaks) and Jerry Springer called the Hilton Hotel to book rooms for all his crazy guests. It is understood that the people with the misfortune to be on the end of a Jon Culshaw spoof phone call have given permission for the recording to be broadcast.
In April 2001 Dead Ringers won the Broadcasting Press Guild award for radio programme of the year. It has on six awards in all.
Dead Ringers on BBC7
Dead Ringers is broadcast on BBC7 on Fridays at 8.30am and 10pm.
2DTV
Jon's voice featured in the earlier series of 2DTV on ITV1.
2DTV introduced animations along with the impersonations. The show won the Montreux prize for best comedy in 2002.
Jon's voice is not included in the 2004 series of 2DTV.
Alter Ego
Jon Culshaw has also starred in two ITV1 shows called Alter Ego. In the shows Jon Culshaw the impersonator meets the real live personality and they both talk to 'themselves'.
Shoot the Dog
The same team at 2DTV have produced the video for George Michael's single Shoot the Dog. The video released on 2nd July 2002 is an animation featuring George Michael in various outfits and guises, as well as Tony and Cherie Blair, George Bush, the General and Professor Liebstrom.
Billy Sparkle's Showbiz Circus
Jon can also be heard sounding rather like a William Hague with a new job in Billy Sparkle's Showbiz Circus on several UBC Media radio stations.
Jon Culshaw
Jon was the winner of Radio 1's Talent '93 competition. A year later he was providing the voices to over 40 characters on Spitting Image. He hit the headlines after making a hoax call to British prime minister Tony Blair, while pretending to be William Hague, the leader of the Conservative Party. Jon told the prime minister he had bought him a Cher fitness video at a car-boot sale. His impersonation of Michael Buerk on a mobile phone commercial was a bit too realistic - people kept approaching the newsreader thinking he had done the advert himself.
It is not known quite what the TV presenter Graham Norton thinks of the Jon Culshaw impression. But Jon says of the people he has impersonated: "All of the people that I've met have reacted very positively I'm happy to say. I understand that Michael Buerk and John Humphrys both like their interpretations and Brian Perkins (the BBC newsreader) was very complimentary. He was flattered at being impersonated, which was really nice, even though we make him an absolute thug! You always wonder what they're going to think."
Jon Culshaw once went to St James's Palace and performed in front of the Prince of Wales to celebrate The Archers' 50th anniversary. Jon did an impression of the Prince of Wales: “This wonderful soap opera, with its myriad rich and colourful characters. But that’s enough about my family.” The Prince said afterwards how hard it was to follow Jon’s faultless imitation.
Jon Culshaw said afterwards: "That was amazing. He was right at the front row. The Prince Charles impression came right at the end. Everybody knew what was going to happen and the whole audience looked at Prince Charles and looked at me as all these TV camera lights swooped on. I fluffed the line at the beginning, but everybody thought it was part of it. But he was laughing heartily, so I'm pleased about that."
A call to the prime minister
In 1998 a prankster from Capital Radio rang 10 Downing Street pretending to be William Hague, then the leader of the Conservative Party. He was put through by the switchboard to Tony Blair himself.
He told the prime minister that he and Ffion had bought Mr Blair a fitness video at a car boot sale and he would drop it round to him.
Mr Blair replied: "Why don't you give it to me at Question Time? It would be a better exchange than normal."
The publicists at Capital immediately rang the newspapers. Capital Radio gave the impression that the prankster had been Steve Penk, a DJ famous for his impersonations and who had been on the air at the time. Capital were keen to promote him.
The Sun had no doubt at all. "Millions of listeners heard a receptionist put Steve through to Mr Blair," it reported the next day. "As the PM came on the line, Steve said, 'Hello, Tony,' and added that he'd rung 'to see how you're getting on'." The Mirror also had no doubt: "Veteran hoaxer Steve found himself talking to the prime minister." Both papers carried transcripts.
They even printed a telephone number and invited their readers to "Call this number now to hear Steve Penk's hilarious call to the PM. Calls cost 50p a minute at all times." But it was not Steve Penk who spoke to Tony Blair at all, but Jon Culshaw. At that time he was merely a contributor to Penk's show.
More recently, Jon met Euan Blair, Tony Blair's son. Euan asked him: "Are you the guy who did the impression when you called up my father?"
Jon admitted it was.
Euan said: "That was great. We were teasing him for ages afterwards!"
Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain, two scriptwriters for Jon in several of his shows, have their own website with some great audio clips