Whose Line Is It Anyway?, London Palladium review

Anderson is an astute judge of when to buzz the end of a game.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? live show returns

Influential improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? is to return to London's West End for 14 performances only. It will run at the London Palladium from 9-19 June 2016.

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Live review

Clive Anderson, Josie Lawrence and Greg Proops bring their Channel 4 hit to the West End - and the laughs are even bigger and better this time round.

Whose Line is It Anyway? Live, Adelphi Theatre, review

Clive Anderson and old timers Greg Proops, Josie Lawrence, Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie have been sorely missed, says Claire Allfree.

How we made Whose Line Is It Anyway?

An interview with Josie Lawrence and Greg Proops about making the improvisational comedy.

The Stephen Frost extended interview

What Does The Title Matter Anyway? will feature improv favourites such as Greg Proops, Josie Lawrence, Mike McShane, Richard Vranch, Stephen Frost and Colin Mochrie, plus other special guest performers yet to be announced. Martin Walker talks to Stephen Frost and starts by asking the obvious question...

Jonathan Creek's mind meets its match in the problem-solving brilliance of a kidnap victim, held chained in a locked room. Strands of what appear to be separate storylines weave into a neat reveal as we follow the fortunes of a horny cleaner, a corpse in a nice hot bath, visiting twin sisters and party balloons. Josie Lawrence joins Alan Davies and Sarah Alexander for this final jaunt, along with June Whitfield - who puts in a delightful double appearance as the bickering twins.

Radio Times review

Yes, the good news is that June Whitfield appears in this final episode, not once but twice, playing twins Heidi and Laurel (note the names - they prove significant). Unfortunately, their storyline turns out to be something of a sideshow, in an episode that offers another rattle-bag of curiosities.

Writer David Renwick has reached the point (if he didn't years ago) where all connection to reality has been severed and we're left with tales driven purely by puzzles, puns and misunderstandings.

So Jonathan's wife Polly, for instance, does something rash that you feel sure she would never do. The point of her character is that she's sensible and sane, if inclined to overreact to things, as she does when Jonathan greets an old acquaintance - an attractive weather presenter - a little too warmly.

The main mystery involves the wife of a government minister who is kidnapped, then forgotten about for half the episode as we detour into the world of the Creeks' eccentric cleaner (Josie Lawrence). A priceless watch, a heron, lousewort, tights and an Aladdin's lamp are also involved.

The hit-and-miss nature of this series of short films is epitomised by tonight's double bill. First up is Johnny Vegas and Tony Pitts's tale of the begrudging Rupert (Vegas), who takes over his late father's tattoo business. He has to contend with the feelings of his dad's girlfriend, tattooist Fiona (Josie Lawrence), and a visit from a debt-collector, the cross-dressing Spinks (Paul Kaye). It's grimly amusing. Less successful is Tom Palmer and Tom Stourton's Fergus and Crispin, which follows two hapless posh-boy entrepreneurs as they try to come up with ideas to make money.

"Talk about the Euro and do it with some level of insight!" demands David Mitchell of Lee Mack, in that pretend-outraged voice he uses a lot on this show. Mack gets his own back by demanding that Mitchell talk about last year's Carling Cup final. Neither of them can oblige, of course, but that's not the point: they're putting to the test the idea that Huw Edwards has an "evil eye" expression he uses to cut colleagues short in a studio discussion if they're going on too long. Edwards scowls a lot to demonstrate.

Sarah Millican, Josie Lawrence and Bradley Walsh are the other guests, with Walsh enjoyably corpsing as he tries to pretend he once stole mashed potato from his teachers.