★ ★ ★ ★
Steff's impressions are faultless and speak directly to the Instagram generation. An impressive debut.
This summer, Yorkshire lass Steff Todd went viral with her Love Island impressions which was perfect timing for her debut Edinburgh hour Reality Check which is part impression show, part stand-up show.
With impressions ranging from daytime favourites Lorraine Kelly and Holly Willoughby to Geordie Shore's Charlotte Crosby, the cast of Love Island and The Kardashians and even Theresa May (because every comedian has to cover politics) there really is an impression for everyone - and the handful of people who watch The Real Housewives of Cheshire. Although Steff assures us that her Dawn Ward impression is spot on.
There's also the old favourites from her online videos including; Katie Price, Gemma Collins, Cheryl, Sharon Osbourne and those two lasses from Gogglebox, Ellie and Izzie.
Steff's impressions are faultless and speak to the Instagram generation. They're mainly of the people that generation watch and enjoy on telly which is why for an act like hers it's so important to have the right audience in the room. At the moment, it's only her debut so it's about getting numbers through the door - and she has been getting them - but as her profile grows it'll be wonderful to see how her material lands in front of an audience full of reality TV fans.
Her Love Island impressions of Amber, Molly-Mae, Lucie, Maura, Belle and Anna (which is UNCANNY) as well as 2018 favourites Megan, Laura and Dani Dyer were the impressions that landed the best in the room, so it's a shame that they come 45 minutes into the show.
Alongside all the impressions, Steff spends around half of the show questioning if she needs a reality check, something her mother reckons she does because she's "never going to find a boyfriend in a nightclub" - and when Steff's not out getting drunk (there's a lot of talk of alcohol and in particular wine in the show) she's watching TV.
It's rare for an impressionist to break out of character as often as Steff does, especially for a debut but it's clear that she wants audiences to buy into her as much as they do her impressions. But she has nothing to worry about, she comes across incredibly well, she's a natural talker, very likeable although I do wish some of her impressions lasted longer. I really wanted her as Maura to say "fanny flutters" but she did say "Are you joking?" so y'know, it's not all bad.
Soon-to be seen in BBC One's new sitcom Scarborough from Benidorm creator Derren Litten, I have no doubt that Steff has a bright future ahead of her and Reality Check is an impressive debut.
Steff Todd: Reality Check runs until 25th August at 2pm at Just the Tonic at the Caves (Just Out of the Box). Book tickets here.