Whose Line is it Anyway?

Whose Line is it Anyway? was a British television series starring Clive Anderson that ran from 1988 to 1998. An American version of the series was also created, starring Drew Carey, running from 1999 to 2005. The series was based on improvisation: the four contestants each week arrived with no script or notes at all and had to ad-lib on the spot to scenarios and scenes they'd not been forewarned about. Often they were chosen by members of the studio audience. Some of the games played in the series were of a musical nature, and for this reason the series had its own resident musician (Richard Vranch from series 1 to 9, Laura Hall from series 10 and throughout the American version).

Regular contestants

Early years: John Sessions, Josie Lawrence, Paul Merton, Tony Slattery, Stephen Fry, Mike McShane.

Later years: Ryan Styles, Colin Mochrie, Josie Lawrence, Tony Slattery, Steve Frost, Greg Proops, Mike McShane.

American version: Ryan Styles, Colin Mochrie, Wayne Brady, Greg Proops.