WITH a combined 40 years in the entertainment industry, two Basingstoke-born ventriloquists are set to return home for a special one-off show.

Back in 1987, Jimmy Tamley won the TV talent contest New Faces, and it sparked an interest in a young Steve Hewlett.

Fast forward a number of years and Hewlett was on the road with his idol and mentor learning the ropes of this unique skill.

Now, 30 years on since Tamley’s win, the pair will join together for the very first time sharing the same stage as performers on Saturday, 9 September at Oakridge Hall For All.

The idea for the show came after Hewlett and Tamley were discussing new material over a pint in the pub.

Hewlett said: “We are really good friends always swapping ideas and it is a bit strange that two ventriloquists can be this close, I mean we are godparents to each other’s children.

“Jimmy taught me everything I know, so this show was an opportunity to say thank you and pay tribute to him.”

Hewlett shot to fame after reaching the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2013 and has been working tirelessly on his routine since.

With Tamely winning the equivalent show back in the 80s, Hewlett believes his mentor should be more of a household name.

He added: “Jimmy is one of the busiest ventriloquists in the country and should be more widely known, so with both of us being born in Basingstoke I thought it would be a good idea to come back and perform this special show.”

Despite there being only a handful of professional ventriloquists left in the country, Hewlett believes there is still the need for variety performers such as himself and Tamley.

He added “Being a ventriloquist is like being a live cartoon. We have the puppets which have the child’s attention and the material entertains the parents. It keeps you toes and it means you have to be the master of multiple skills.

“If you take heckling for example, if someone shouts out I can use the puppet for a witty comeback and people will laugh, whereas if I said it I’d probably get punched in the mouth.”

Hewlett told The Gazette there will also be a few surprises in store for those in attendance at the special show.

The show will start at 8pm with tickets costing £10 and are available from ticketsource.co.uk/britiansgotnewfaces.