Phil Cool (born Philip Martin) made his reputation as a wacky if eerily menacing rubbery-faced individual who turned himself uncannily into various celebrities by simply using facial contortions.
It wasn’t a pretty sight, but it was an amusing variation on the more commonplace act of the impressionist.
Having made his name with the BBC with Cool It (1985 – 1988), he now switched channels and signed with Central for this series.
Throughout the six episodes, he presented his versions of Prince Charles, Bob Dylan, Billy Connolly, Mick Jagger, Sean Connery, Paul McCartney, David Frost, Clive James, Alan Whicker, Jonathan Ross, Arthur Scargill, Roy Walker and more.
His Billy Connolly, Clive James, David Frost and McCartney were spot on. Mick Jagger and David Attenborough were less successful, although a Zoo Quest sketch discovering the dreaded lager louts was amusing.
A year later, he made another series for Central entitled Phil Cool, recorded at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. This turned out to be Cool’s last series for television.
