James O'Brien meets Jan Ravens | Full Disclosure

Chapters 00:00 –Early life on The Wirral 04:19 – A face like a fried shoe / Alan Bennet Talking Heads 07:41 – Childhood bullies 08:44 – Discovering impressions 10:08 – Grammar school 13:22 – Dad’s condition 17:30 – Leap to performing 23:13 -Plays at school 26:09 – Acting school or Cambridge? 29:00 – No thought of being an impressionist 30:46 – Footlights, Emma Thompson’s audition & being the president 37:52 – Leaving producing to perform / starting in impressions 40:41 – So you’re on the telly 44:59 – Royal Shakespear Company 47:06 – Dead Ringers Description Jan Ravens, the acclaimed impressionist at the heart of Dead Ringers, grew up learning to change the mood of a room long before she ever changed her voice on stage. In this conversation with James O Brien, she reflects on a childhood shaped by humour, instability and her father’s illness, and how those early pressures sharpened the instincts that later defined her career. She traces the journey from school impressions to Cambridge Footlights, becoming the first woman to direct its revue, and the leap from Carrott’s Lib to Spitting Image and beyond. Jan talks candidly about ambition, class, resilience and the unexpected power of comedy to steady you when life feels uncertain. It is an honest, warm and often very funny look at how she found her place in British satire. Find out more about Dead Ringers 25th Anniversary tour https://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/... #JamesOBrien #FullDisclosure #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup