Review by Steve Bennett

Cool is clearly a seasoned performer, with an obvious aptitude for characterisation - if not for comedy.

His stock in trade is a string of adequate impersonations of old-school personalities such as Michael Caine and Clive James, alongside the almost obligatory 'hip' names such as Ali G and Johnny Vegas.

The show was also peppered with decidedly mediocre visual interludes based on how dismal things such as the British weather and Delia Smith are. A pot-kettle situation?

Phil went on to impersonate Eddie Izzard, and quite appallingly, too. Any similarity went no further than the lipstick and red satin jacket, and certainly didn't extend to the comedy. Similarly, his attempt at Jo Brand was but a merely butch-sounding Julian Clary in a bad wig.

Cool clearly has a talent for studying nuances and his Tony Blair facial expressions were delightful, but in a one-hour show, ten minutes of up-to-date observations just isn't enough, proving only that he remains well and truly stuck in the past. We've yet to witness the rebirth of Cool.

Review date: 1 Jan 2010
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett