I’M talking to a very distressed Ellen MacArthur… then suddenly the smooth-talking Cadbury’s Caramel bunny … followed in a flash by national treasure Moira Stewart.

“With Moira, the lips are stiff, with a very slight smile, and you have to talk through your nose,” explains Jan Ravens, one of the country’s foremost impressionists, and the woman behind the voices.

Jan is bringing her show, A Funny Look at Impressions, to the Forest Arts Centre in New Milton next week (Saturday October 3) where she takes the experience from her long and distinguished career and distils it into an evening of entertainment.

“It will be sort of a behind the scenes look at expressions,” she says.

“I’ll be covering everything from what influenced me to how you go about creating a character to teaching people how to do impressions themselves.

“I know how hard it can be to prise yourself from the sofa these days, but trust me, it’s a good, fun evening.”

The list of people who have been targeted by her highly perceptive imitative powers is long … Nigella Lawson, Ann Widdecombe, the Queen, Sharon Osbourne, Pat Butcher and Gillian McKeith have all been given their own particular Ravens treatment.

Jan’s career in topical comedy started with Carrott’s Lib (after she was spotted by Jasper Carrott at the Edinburgh Festival) which in turn led to Spitting Image and Alistair McGowan’s Big Impression.

Today, she is probably best known for her long stint on the BBC series, Dead Ringers.

“I loved working on that because I was able to have more creative input into the characters. I didn’t just want to be the token bint.

“In political sketches, often the only female role was the newsreader, such as Kirsty Wark and Fiona Bruce, so I thought I might as well have some fun with those characters.”

With her solo show comes an even freer rein, but the writing aspect has challenged her confidence.

“When impersonating someone, you get the laughs, the instant feedback. When I’m writing there’s not that audience reaction, so I only have my gut to guide me.”

Jan, 51, believes that a good impressionist needs perfect pitch and sensitivity, but most importantly a good ear to be able to de-literate a voice. “A bad impression gives me a bad feeling in my bottom,” she confides.

“It’s painful to hear.”

“It helps that I have a rubber face, too,” she admits.

“After I appeared on Strictly Come Dancing (where she was partnered by Anton Du Beke) we were in a café together and people would come up to him to ask him for his autograph but completely ignore me.

(She laughs.) “Mind you, it does help that I’m not recognised sometimes.

I don’t want to be approached in the supermarket looking like a complete munter.”

•Jan Ravens’ show A Funny Look at Impressions comes to Forest Arts Centre, New Milton, on Saturday October 3