Alistair McGowan says perfecting his impressions is harder now he's no longer a spring chicken.

The star is making a TV comeback eight years after his Bafta-winning show The Big Impression, with You Cannot Be Serious!

The topical sports comedy show features a mixture of clips, sketches and impressions.

But Alistair admitted: "I feel like I'm 47 when I have to get up and work out so I can look like Jessica Ennis in case we have to do her and then I do a day's writing and at the end of the day I think, God, this was a lot easier when I was 26!"

Since trying his hand at drama in 2005's Bleak House, Alistair has been starring in and directing musicals and writing a play.

But he said of returning to his first love: "The short answer is that out of all the things I do, it's the thing I'm best at."

Photo: © Rex