Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British TV series): Difference between revisions

Whose Line is it Anyway

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Whose Line Is It Anyway? is an improvised and largely unscripted comedy game show. It was originally on British radio and moved to British and American television.

The show consisted of a panel of four improvisational performers and comedians. They would make up characters, scenes, and songs on the spot, sometimes based on audience suggestions or with pre-written prompts from the host. The show is formatted roughly as a mock competition, with the host arbitrarily assigning points and choosing a "winner" at the end of each episode who would undertake a improvisational act based on the closing credits. In a typical taping, each 'game' is played between one and three times, always with different prompts and suggestions. Then the show is edited and only those scenes deemed the best are actually broadcast.

The show was created by Dan Patterson and was first produced in the UK as a radio show for BBC Radio 4. It was hosted by Clive Anderson, with four contestants consisting of Stephen Fry, John Sessions and two guests.

It was later moved to the television station Channel 4, with little change in format but a more varied guest rotation. Regular comedians from the British version included Ryan Stiles, Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, Paul Merton, Josie Lawrence, Mike McShane, Sandi Toksvig, Tony Slattery and John Sessions. Sessions was ever-present in the early days of the British television version, with Stiles becoming a staple in later episodes and having some influence on the creation and success of the American incarnation. Many of the performers, including Merton, Lawrence and Toksvig were regulars with the Comedy Store Players, an improvisational group based at The Comedy Store, London. The theme tune for the British television incarnation of the show was composed by Philip Pope.

The reruns of the UK TV series were aired for many years on the US Comedy Central TV channel and were brought to the attention of American comedian Drew Carey (who had a working relationship with regular Whose Line performer Stiles). Carey convinced ABC to air test episodes in the United States. The show was an inexpensive hit, and ABC kept Carey on as the host of a successful American version. The American version is almost identical to the UK series, though it has a less diverse rotation of games and performers, and features occasional celebrity guest appearances. Regular comedians on the American incarnation of the show include Colin Mochrie, Greg Proops, Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady, Chip Esten, and Brad Sherwood.

External links

• Official website of US version
• Dean's Whose Line is it Anyway Website - Detailed season guide for both the UK and US incarnation, as well as very detailed statistics.