Whoserpedia Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Before the television series, Whose Line appeared on BBC Radio, which lasted six episodes. Stephen Fry and John Sessions appeared with Clive Anderson in every episode. The improvised music was provided by Colin Sell.

John Sessions, Stephen Fry (six shows)
Jimmy Mulville (two shows)
Dawn French, Lenny Henry, Hugh Laurie, Enn Reitel, Nonny Williams, Kate Robbins, Griff Rhys-Jones, John Bird, Jon Glover, Rory Bremner (one show)

Clive


Radio Show Episode 1[]


Original Broadcast Date: January 2, 1988
Performers: Stephen Fry, Dawn French, Lenny Henry and John Sessions
Authors: It's Big Cars Burning, with Stephen as PG Wodehouse, Dawn as Claire Rayner, Lenny as Stephen King, and John as D.H. Lawrence.
Wrong Theme Tune: Dawn and Lenny act out a scene from The Money Programme, then John and Stephen cover the State Opening of Parliament
Every Other Line: Lenny is trying to tell mafia boss, John, that he's just killed his daugher. John reads from "Lady Windermere's Fan". Then Dawn reads from "Lady Audley's Secret", while Stephen interviews her for a job.
Characters: Stephen and John are professors of English literature discussing baked beans. Then Lenny and Dawn are Wayne and Sharon on their first date talking about double glazing.
Rap: The four sing about animals.
Change of Company: It's Goldilocks and the Three Bears with Stephen as Daddy Bear, Dawn as Mommy Bear, John as Baby Bear, and Lenny as Goldilocks as dentists, policemen, cavemen, astronauts, football commentators, disc jockeys, and Australians.
World's Worst: All four are the worst people to arrive at Clive's party.
Game won by: Dawn.

Radio Show Episode 2[]


Original Broadcast Date: January 9, 1988
Performers: Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Enn Reitel and John Sessions.
Authors: It's Seduction of a Fish with Stephen as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Hugh as Enid Blyton, Enn as Dashiell Hammett, and John as Ernest Hemmingway.
Film and Theatre Styles: Stephen is a policeman discovering Enn the burgler in the styles of horror, Saturday grandstand, and Shakespeare political broadcast. Then a customer, John, complains to a waiter, Hugh, in the styles of Gone with the Wind, carry on, Humphrey Bogart, and Batman.
Wrong Theme Tune: Stephen and Hugh do an Open University programme about splitting the atom. Then John and Enn act out a scene from Star Trek.
Every Other Line: John is a bank manager interviewing Hugh, who is asking about his overdraft. Hugh reads "The Ticket-Of-Leave Man". Then junior officer Stephen tries to get instructions from the general, Enn, while the battle is going rather badly. Enn reads "The Importance of Being Earnest".
Advertisement: Hugh and Stephen are salesmen selling self-raising flour.
Characters: Enn and John are Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson discovering a dead body, as played by Ronald Reagan & Laurence Olivier.
Rap: All four sing about Fruit.
World's Worst: all four act out the worst characters to climb onto Clive's life raft.
Credits Reading: John as Edward Fox
Game won by: John.

Radio Show Episode 3[]


Original Broadcast Date: January 16, 1988
Performers: Stephen Fry, Jimmy Mulville, Nonny Williams and John Sessions.
Authors: Stephen as Sir Jeffrey Archer, Jimmy as Jackie Collins, Nonny as Geoffrey Chaucer, and John as the theatrical memoirs of John Gielgud tell the story of The Lost Sock and The Life and Times of a JCB.
Film and Theatre Styles: Stephen interrogates a prisoner, Jimmy, in the styles of Disney, Playschool, western, St Trinians, and dynasty and dallas. Then John is a policeman trying to talk Nonny out of committing suicide off of a roof, in the styles of restoration, film noir, pantomime, and music hall.
Wrong Theme Tune: Stephen and Nonny are doing the Sound Bank Show's presentation on French Impressionist painting, then John and Jimmy do commentary on the ballet in Sadler's Wells.
Every Other Line: Stephen tryies to end a relationship with Nonny, who reads from "Strife". Then Jimmy explains the facts of life to his son, John, who reads from "Black Eyed Susan".
Rap: All four sing about fish.
Interview: John from Rolling Stone Magazine interviews Richard I, as played by Stephen. Then Jimmy from the Sun newspaper interviews Tess of the D'Urbervilles, as played by Nonny.
World's Worst: all four act out the worst person to play the role of Hamlet.
Credits Reading: Jimmy as Murray Walker.
Game won by: Jimmy.

Radio Show Episode 4[]


Original Broadcast Date: January 23, 1988
Performers: Stephen Fry, Kate Robbins, Griff Rhys-Jones and John Sessions
Authors: Stephen as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Kate as Edna O'Brien, Griff as Edward Lear, and John as J.R.R. Tolkien tell the story of a Christmas Carol.
Film and Theatre Styles: Griff the alien meets earthling Stephen in the styles of '50s documentary, western, and melodrama. Then John is a plumber and Kate is a housewife in the styles of musical, Shakespeare, horror, and children's television.
Rap: The topic is newspapers.
Interview: Griff is Henry VIII, being interviewed by Stephen from the Times Literary Supplement.
Couples: John proposes to Kate, as John McEnroe and Tatum O'Neal, Den and Angie, Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Maggie and Dennis, Victoria and Albert, and Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
Great Debate: The topic is Nuclear Disarmament, with John as a footballer, Kate as a game show host, Griff as a town crier, and Stephen as a manic depressant.
World's Worst: All four are the worst applicants to join Clive as the first British spaceman.
Credits Reading: Griff as Donald Sinden.
Game won by: Griff.

Radio Show Episode 5[]


Original Broadcast Date: January 30, 1988
Performers: Stephen Fry, Jimmy Mulville, John Bird and John Sessions.
Authors: Stephen as Homer, Jimmy as Dylan Thomas, John Bird as Jane Austen, and John Sessions as Herman Melville tell the story of a visit to the dentist's.
Film and Theatre Styles: Jimmy the pilot is trying to land a plane in a crisis, with Stephen the ground crew is trying to talk him down, in the styles of pantomime, Thunderbirds, gangster, Autralian soap opera, and Hitchcock. Then John Bird is a customs officer talking to John Sessions, who is a traveller with a suspicious package, in the styles of restoration comedy, Pinter, farce, and opera.
Every Other Line: Jimmy the patient goes to John Sessions the doctor, who reads from "The Watched Pot". Then Stephen the prosecution counsel is getting testimony from the defendant John Bird, who reads from "A Pair of Spectacles".
Advertisement: Stephen advertises a breakfast cereal. Then John Sessions advertises crash helmets.
Great Debate: The topic is capital punishment, with Jimmy as an insurance salesman, John Bird as a psychopath, John Sessions as a computer programmer, and Stephen as a sex therapist.
World's Worst: All four are the worst person to console Clive, who just broke up with his girlfriend.
Credits Reading: John Bird as the Director General of the BBC.
Game won by: John Bird.

Radio Show Episode 6[]


Original Broadcast Date: February 6, 1988
Performers: Stephen Fry, Rory Bremner, Jon Glover, and John Sessions.
Authors: Stephen as "1001 Arabian Nights", Rory as Clive James, Jon as Mark Twain, and John as Charles Dickens tell the story of the adventures of Nellie the Elephant.
Film and Theatre Styles: Stephen is a tax inspector interviewing Rory about his tax returns, in the styles of Noel Coward, James Bond, and film noir. Then John is invigilating Jon's driving test, in the styles of disaster movie, Vaudeville, Japanese monster movie, mellowdrama, and health education film.
Advertisement: Stephen advertises underarm deoderant. Then John advertises joining the Marines.
Couples: Jon and Rory are a psychiatrist and his patient, as Cagney & Lacey, David Owen and David Steel, Robin Day, Frankie Howerd, Sandy Gall and Alastair Burnet, and Saint & Greasy.
Great Debate: The topic is bloodsports, with John as a stand-up comedian, Rory as the Royals, Stephen as a funeral director, and Jon as a hypochondriac.
Rap: All four do the DIY rap.
World's Worst: All four come up with the worst chat-up line.
Credits Reading: Jon as Melvyn Bragg.
Game won by: Jon.

Advertisement