A Coach Load of Lesley is a situation comedy set aboard the notoriously slow Megabus journey from Carlisle from London. The audience are the passengers on the top deck of an improvised double decker bus and are in for a long journey. Fortunately for the passengers though, the company provide some on-board entertainment for the passengers.
As part of the on-board entertainment the beginning of the journey sees actress Lesley impersonate four different characters who interact with the audience throughout.
The first impersonation is of a sexually frustrated tour leader while the second is a 67 year old ex-lover of Bruce Forsythe whose career has also seen a steady decline.
The third character is a female exercise fanatic and teacher with an Australian accent. She wears her insecurities on her sleeve, whilst mixing up revelations about her love life - or lack off - with serious frustration at the lack of participation in her on board aerobics class. The fourth sees her take on the personality of a male dutch ‘fertility doctor’ who is simply a pervert.
Lesley Evans comes across as an experienced actor and her impersonation of the Australian gym buff is particularly strong. She changes character well and maintains a sense of fiction. However, as an idea for a show it isn’t pushing the boat out. Whilst it may be fun to rant about your Megabus journey on your facebook page or in a comedy sketch show, turning it into a an hour long sketch draws too much out of an already clichéd topic.