''Improv Heaven and Hell'' is a Canadian comedy television series, which aired on

The Comedy Network CTV Comedy Channel (often shortened to CTV Comedy and formerly known as The Comedy Network) is a Canadian English-language specialty channel owned by Bell Media which focuses primarily on comedy programming. The channel first launched on Octo ...

from 1998 to 2001. Hosted by Albert Howell and Andrew Currie, a comedy duo billed as The Devil's Advocates,"Heaven & Hell offers devilish fun". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', May 21, 2000. the series featured a rotating cast of Canadian comedians and actors performing in an

improvisational comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

competition similar to ''

Whose Line Is It Anyway? ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' is a short-form improvisational comedy show originating as a British radio programme, before moving to British television in 1988. Following the conclusion of the British run in 1999, ABC began airing an American ...

''"Improv ON THAT! Improv comedy is fast, it's cheap - and it's working". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 31, 1998. Howell and Currie, both veterans of

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre op ...

's Toronto company, first became prominent as regular contributors of video comedy segments to

Citytv Citytv is a Canadian television network owned by the Rogers Sports & Media subsidiary of Rogers Communications. The licence of the original Citytv station, granted the callsign of CITY-TV by the CRTC on November 25, 1971 to Cable Television Ass ...

's ''

Speakers' Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas design ...

''."Devilish duo score heavenly CTV deal". ''

'', October 19, 1998. The first season of the series was taped at the

Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history In ...

, and the second was taped at the

Bathurst Street Theatre The Randolph Theatre (formerly the Bathurst Street Theatre) is a 518 seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at the intersection with Lennox Street. The t ...

. Performers who appeared on the series as competitors included

Peter Oldring Peter James Edward Oldring (born August 25, 1971) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Early life Oldring was born on August 25, 1971, in Drayton Valley, Alberta. He graduated from Sir Winston Churchill High School in 1989 in Calgary, Alberta, a ...

, Lindsay Leese, Bob Martin, Frank McAnulty,

Lisa Merchant Lisa Merchant is a Canadian comic improviser and actress. She played Brenda Murphy on '' Train 48'', and appeared on '' Improv Heaven and Hell''. She has won three Canadian Comedy Awards for Best Female Improviser (in 2001, 2003 & 2005). Alongsid ...

, Colin Mochrie, Jack Mosshammer, Paul O'Sullivan, Jenny Parsons,

Teresa Pavlinek Teresa Pavlinek (born August 11, 1970) is a Canadian actress, writer, and television producer best known as the creator and star of ''The Jane Show''. Career Pavlinek studied at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and became part of Secon ...

and Janet van de Graaf.

References

External links

* 1998 Canadian television series debuts 2001 Canadian television series endings Television shows filmed in Toronto CTV Comedy Channel original programming Improvisational television series 1990s Canadian comedy television series 2000s Canadian comedy television series {{Canada-comedy-tv-prog-stub