Jan Ravens: Good impressions and bad behaviour

The star of BBC Radio 4’s Dead Ringers, Jan Ravens, made her Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut this year and completely sold out, including the extra shows added on due to overwhelming public demand.

Her critically acclaimed show, ‘Difficult Woman’ sees her perform impressions of Theresa May, Nicola Sturgeon, Diane Abbott, Lyse Doucet and Fiona Bruce as she puts her political stamp on the world.

For many women in their fifties, like Jan, this is the age of the powerful woman.

Does a powerful woman have to be a difficult woman, as Ken Clarke famously called Theresa May? Difficult as in a quadratic equation, or difficult as in not agreeing with him? Or difficult in that she wasn’t keen on having a few beers in the bar? 

While little boys are praised for strength and courage, little girls still have a tougher time growing up to be women who are tenacious and ambitious, without having those qualities held against them.

Jan explores how an experienced stateswoman like Hillary Clinton could not beat Donald Trump to President and comments on how it is no surprise people voted Leave when even sensible newspapers spent years portraying Europe as some kind of ‘loony’ who tried to foist its pedantic policies on Britain.

Health and safety are two of Jan’s favourite things.

Jan also reflects on her own life as her and her friends approach another milestone birthday.

Who will go for the fluorescent reading glasses and waterfall cardigan?

Who will get a man’s haircut, take up golf, and say that’s enough sex for me thanks?

The great thing is that there are so many choices for the ‘mature lady’ these days, one of them being to stay immature.