Ex-Doncaster teacher goes viral with stunning Peaky Blinders and Morgan Freeman impressions

Charlie Hopkinson, who lives in West Yorkshire, has clocked up more than 100 million views on YouTube and Facebook for his stunningly accurate portrayals of some of the biggest names from stage and screen.

And he has become particularly renowned for his amazing recreation of the dulcet tones of Shawshank Redemeption actor Freeman, with videos of the impersonation going viral across social media.

It’s all a far cry from his days as a teacher in Doncaster, turning his attentions to the comedy circuit instead as what he describes as a “contemporary impressionist.

He has performed all over the UK, appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe and has picked up a number of comedy awards for his skills.

And he’s also starred on Channel 4 and Netflix show Lookalikes.

With more than 100 different impressions in his repertoire, the classic faces he takes off also include Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman, Tom Hanks and Johnny Depp.

Charlie, 30, who was born and bred in Ilkley, has been performing for more than 10 years, combining comedy work with a postgraduate teaching programme in Sheffield which saw him teach in Doncaster schools.

He says mastering a voice can be a long process and added: “I have to record it and play it back and then keep improving it. Your recorded voice sounds so different from what you hear yourself.

“Sometimes I’ve thought that I’ve got a voice perfected and then I play it back and it’s so far off.”

Watch his impressions on YouTube