Don't expect any Eamonn Holmes jokes in this series.

Last year the BBC had to issue a formal apology after sketches showed him eating the studio furniture and he took the view that imitation wasn't the sincerest form of flattery at all.

But Eamonn would be old news anyway, in impression terms. The key here is topicality, and Hilary Devey and Tulisa are just two of the new faces as Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson return for a third series.

The pair are superb mimics and it's a pleasant half-hour ticking off all the celebs you recognise.

Culshaw completely nails the way former MP Ann Widdecombe's voice keeps wandering off into that strange falsetto and Stephenson's Alex Jones is spot on.

It's just a pity the writers aren't keeping up their end of the bargain by giving them funnier material to get their teeth into.

Jon Culshaw might not be the best mimic to have graced the small screen, but he still knows how to serve up an enjoyable half hour of comedy as his Impressions Show returns for a new series. The real star here though is Culshaw's altogether more impressive co-star Debra Stephenson, whose take on Claudia Winkleman is worth tuning in for alone.

A welcome new addition to the Friday night schedules - some real comedy in among the chat shows masquerading as such. Pitched at the post-pub crowd it's an archive show in which some of today's comics celebrate the great TV moments that inspired them to pursue a career in stand-up, or simply left them doubled over helpless with laughter and admiration.

Jack Dee is up first, recalling the impact that Billy Connolly's debut appearance on Parkinson - when the Big Yin told the infamous bum joke that turned him into a comedy superstar overnight - had on his teenage self back in 1975. Among those piling in to concur, and recall what an enormous influence Connolly was, are Jon Culshaw, Dara O'Briain, Alan Carr and Jo Brand. Then, before it all gets too indulgent, Brand recalls her own favourite - a groundbreaking 1988 sketch from French and Saunders in which the duo play dirty old men watching a beauty pageant. Again, there's praise from the likes of Alan Carr, Joan Rivers, Andi Osho and - a touch bizarrely - Paddy McGuinness, before moving on to the next (Rhod Gilbert on Eddie Izzard's surreal "learning French" routine), and finishing with hymns to Max Miller and Les Dawson. In truth, the old doesn't always mix with the new, and the insights aren't always scintillating, but it's a chance to enjoy again some hilarious moments, and to discover some past flights of genius that may have passed you by.

Jon Culshaw and Rory Bremner dread 'Ed Nose Day'

Ed Miliband's nose operation could prove disastrous for the nation's impressionists.

Video: Culshaw plays Gervais on Richard Bacon's show

Impressionist Jon Culshaw performs live for Richard Bacon and comedian Ricky Gervais.

Video - Five Minutes With: Jon Culshaw

Impressionist Jon Culshaw talks to Matthew Stadlen about how he discovered his talent for mimicking voices, the rich pickings in the world of politics, how he studies his "victims" and what other careers he might have pursued.

Impressionists Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson are accomplished performers but their material struggles to match their talent. There's fun to be had in the unlikely relationship between chirpy John Craven and Stephenson's deadpan Lady Gaga, but yet another send-up of Simon Cowell's taste in trousers is just lazy.

The Now Show Preview - Eurozone Eurovision

Hugh's voice has recovered and Jon Culshaw is a guest on tonight's Now Show, which promises to be a corker. Just listen to this preview clip!

Any sketch show is bound to be a hit or miss affair, but the celebrity parodies done by Jon Culshaw and Debra Stephenson are so amazingly accomplished, you can forgive the odd item that doesn't quite work. There's an ongoing gag threading through the show about how Katie Price is marrying Michael Winner, while Culshaw's take on Harry Hill as a UN peace negotiator ("I like North Korea with its Communist-style dictatorship ... but then I like South Korea with its democratic republic...") is inspired. Also right on the money is the impression of EastEnders' Pat Evans meeting Coronation Street's Ken Barlow in a motorway caff and BBC business editor Robert Peston's curious inflections as he presents a doom-laden weather forecast.

The Impressions Show Review: Fame Shamed

Jon Culshaw has always lived in the shadow of more popular impressionists such as Alistair McGowan and the superb Rory Bremner, but greater recognition could await him yet. Even though Bremner may be a better impressionist and shows a greater ability to contextualise his sketches, the quality of Culshaw's jokes has improved.