So says Jon Culshaw

It’s not quite ‘Freddie Starr ate my hamster’ - but it the world of batshit newspaper headlines, it’s up there…

The splash headline on the front page of today’s Daily Star Sunday proclaims: ‘Les Dawson’s ghost ripped my trousers’.

The story explains how Dead Ringers star Jon Culshaw says he feels ‘possessed’ by the late comedian while impersonating him in his current show.

On stage he wears a bracelet that once belonged to Dawson given to him by the comic’s widow Tracy – and during one performance it  flew off his wrist.

‘I was wearing the big bracelet, which, during one gesticulation, flew off across the stage,’ Culshaw told the newspaper. ‘ I bent down to pick it up and ripped my trousers. Tracy said, "I bet that’s Les. That’ll be his way of having fun".

Culshaw is touring the show Les Dawson: Flying High after premiering it at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

‘It’s rather lovely,’ he said of taking up the role. ‘You feel almost possessed. It affects your body language and mood. You take on his style, motion and stance. Then, you start to talk to everybody as Les. You do little gurns and people just smile. The joyfulness in the room shoots up. It’s lovely.’

Dawson died in 1993 at the age of 62.

» Les Dawson: Flying High tour dates

Published: 2 Oct 2022