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The Improverts
The Improverts is a improvisational comedy troupe from the Edinburgh University Theatre Company, which primarily performs at the Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh. They perform weekly during Edinburgh University's term time and every night during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. History The Edinburgh University Theatre Company's improvised comedy troupe now known as The Improverts was founded in Edinburgh in 1989 by Canadian-born Toph Marshall. He named it Theatresports after the form of competitive improvisation developed by director Keith Johnstone in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1976. As the show grew in popularity the name was changed, during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, (for copyright reasons) to Impro-Vegetables and then finally, in the 90s, to The Improverts. The Improverts was adopted as a permanent, year-round name from September 1997 onwards. Since the show's inception it has kept the Bedlam Theatre as its primary performance space, running weekly during Edinburgh Univer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mitch Benn
Mitchell John Benn (born 20 January 1970) is an English comedian, author and musician known for his comedy rock songs performed on BBC radio. He was, until 2016, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4's satirical programme ''The Now Show'', and has hosted other radio shows. Benn has performed at several music festivals, and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has also released seven studio albums. His first science fiction novel, entitled ''Terra'', was published in July 2013 by Gollancz. Early life Mitch Benn was born in Liverpool. He was educated at Dovedale Primary School, the then all boys voluntary aided Liverpool Blue Coat School, followed by the University of Edinburgh, where he was a prominent member of the Edinburgh University Theatre Company at the Bedlam Theatre and performed in the Improverts improvised comedy troupe. He began his comedy career in Edinburgh in 1994, moved to London in 1996 and quickly established himself as a comedy club headliner as well as a favour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Office (UK TV Series)
''The Office'' is a British television mockumentary sitcom first broadcast in the UK on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme follows the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. Gervais also starred in the series, playing the central character David Brent. Two six-episode series were made, followed by a two-part Christmas special. When it was first shown on BBC Two, ratings were relatively low, but it has since become one of the most successful of all British comedy exports. As well as being shown internationally on BBC Worldwide, channels such as BBC Prime, BBC America, and BBC Canada, the series has been sold to broadcasters in over 80 countries, including ABC1 in Australia, The Comedy Network in Canada, TVNZ in New Zealand, and the pan-Asian satellite channel Star World, based in Hong Kong. The show was shown in the United States on BBC America ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ewen MacIntosh
Ewen Douglas MacIntosh (born 25 December 1973) is a British actor and comedian known for his role as Keith Bishop in ''The Office'' (2001–2003). Early life MacIntosh was born in Merionethshire. He was educated at Repton School in Derbyshire, and studied linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. While at university, he was actively involved in the Edinburgh University Theatre Company and The Improverts. Career MacIntosh's big break in television came when he was cast as the deadpan accountant Keith Bishop in ''The Office''. MacIntosh has also appeared on various shows such as '' Miranda'' and ''Little Britain''. He formed a double act with Tim FitzHigham and they performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2007. In 2009, MacIntosh appeared alongside several other celebrities in a charity music video for the Chris Rea song "Driving Home for Christmas". In early 2013, he prepared to play at a new West End show ''Geek! A New Musical'' at the Tristan Bates Theatre, which open ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chimerica (play)
''Chimerica'' is a 2013 play by the British dramatist Lucy Kirkwood. It draws its title from the term Chimerica, referring to the predominance of China and America in modern geopolitics. The play premiered in London at the Almeida Theatre and was directed by Lyndsey Turner. Turner's production received several awards and was well-reviewed. A Channel 4 four-part drama of the same name based on the play was released in 2019. Development Playwright Lucy Kirkwood was commissioned to write the play that would become ''Chimerica'' in 2006, seven years before it eventually premiered. Kirkwood estimated that she spent about 100,000 hours working on the play, some of which time was spent shortening its initially four-and-a-half hour run time. The title of the play comes from the portmanteau Chimerica, coined by Niall Ferguson and Moritz Schularick, referring to the significance of the sociopolitical relationship between China and America, especially in the global economy. Kirkwood has a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lucy Kirkwood
Lucy Ann Kirkwood (born October 1983) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is writer in residence at Clean Break. In June 2018 Kirkwood was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative. Early life Kirkwood was born in Leytonstone and raised in east London. She has a degree in English literature from the University of Edinburgh where she performed as part of improvisational comedy troupe, the Improverts and wrote for the Edinburgh University Theatre Company. In 2005, she wrote and starred in her first play, ''Grady Hot Potato'', at the Bedlam Theatre. It was also selected for the National Student Drama Festival. Career Plays The following year she took two productions of her second play, ''Geronimo'' to the Edinburgh Fringe, under the title ''The Umbilical Project''. The two productions, ''Cut'' and ''Uncut'', were an experiment in cutting the cord between writer and production. ''Uncut'' was directed by Kirkwood herself and ''Cut' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fast And Loose (2011 TV Series)
''Fast and Loose'' is a British television series which was broadcast on BBC Two in 2011. Conceived by Dan Patterson, one of the creators of the TV series ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', it mirrors the series in format and style with the addition of some new games. Guests take part in improvised sketches in which each comedian inhabits a certain character or film genre. The only series was eight episodes long and hosted by comedian Hugh Dennis. ''Fast and Loose'' is the inspiration for the 2012 American show '' Trust Us with Your Life'' on ABC, hosted by Fred Willard and featuring a celebrity guest on each episode. Format The style and format was similar to Channel 4's ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' and ''Mock the Week'' both of which are also produced by Dan Patterson. Each episode had six performers, with an additional guest performer for one of the sketches. Games *Forward/Rewind: Participants are given a scenario to act out and the host may call out "forward" or "rewind" as he pl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Penny Dreadfuls Present
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with pronouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of pronoun ''thee'') when followed by a v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Humphrey Ker
David Humphrey Rivers Ker (; born 11 October 1982) is a British actor, writer and comedian who is a member of the sketch comedy troupe The Penny Dreadfuls. Early life and education Ker was born to David Peter James Ker, a fine art dealer, and Alexandra Mary, daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir Dymock Watson. He is also a descendant on his father's side of the politician Henry Howard, 18th Earl of Suffolk. Ker is 6'7" (2.01 m) tall. He was educated at Eton College, and read history at the University of Edinburgh. During his time at the University of Edinburgh, Ker performed in Edinburgh University Theatre Company pantomime productions. Ker performed with fellow students David Reed and Thom Tuck as a member of this comedy troupe. Career In 2006, Ker, together with Reed and Tuck, formed The Penny Dreadfuls, who have performed their Victorian sketch shows across Britain, including at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe with ''Aeneas Faversham'' in 2006 and ''Aeneas Faversham Returns' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miles Jupp
Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp (born 8 September 1979) is an English actor, singer, and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series ''Balamory''. He also played John Duggan in ''The Thick of It,'' Nigel in the sitcom '' Rev,'' and appeared on many comedy panel shows. In September 2015, Jupp replaced Sandi Toksvig as the host of ''The News Quiz'' on BBC Radio 4. Early life Jupp was born in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne and spent most of his childhood in London. He is the son of a minister in the United Reformed Church. For much of his life, Jupp believed he was of Belgian stock, descended from 16th-century Huguenot immigrants. However, while creating a programme for BBC Radio 4 in 2015, he discovered his roots are actually in Sussex. He attended three independent schools: The Hall School in Hampstead, North London; St George's School in Windsor; and Oakham School in Rutland. He studied Divinity at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balls Of Steel (TV)
''Balls of Steel'' is a British television comedy game show hosted by Mark Dolan. Dolan's special guests perform stunts and hold their nerve during hidden camera set-ups in the presence of celebrities or the British public. ''Massive Balls of Steel'', the spin-off series to ''Balls of Steel'' was broadcast on E4, showing highlights of the show. Format There were a total of 12 acts. In each episode, six acts competed with one of them being the winner from the previous episode. At the end of each episode the studio audience had to decide which act had the biggest 'Balls of Steel' by voting on a keypad. The Balls of Steel format is distributed internationally by DRG. Acts There were various acts seen frequently on the show, presented by the regular performers. Transmissions ''Balls of Steel'' internationally UK version broadcasts It aired on The Comedy Channel in Australia in 2011 and 2013 and in the past, has also been shown on the Nine Network. In Latin America, it is b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mark Dolan
Mark Dolan (born 17 March 1974) is an English comedian, writer, and presenter. He currently hosts ''Mark Dolan Tonight'' on GB News. He was the host of '' Balls of Steel'' from 2005 until 2008 on Channel 4. Early life Dolan attended University College School and the University of Edinburgh, where he received an MA in politics. Whilst an undergraduate at Edinburgh, he performed in the improvisational comedy troupe The Improverts. Career Stand-up comedy Dolan started as a stand-up comedian in 2000, reaching the final of Channel 4's ''So You Think You're Funny'' competition in his first year of performing.. He has toured the world as a live comic and has performed 11 runs at the Edinburgh Fringe. He won an award at the 2018 Leicester Mercury Comedy Festival for best joke of the festival and later performed online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Radio Dolan's career in media began as a radio producer, working for the female-only Viva Radio, 963 Liberty and the original incarnation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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