2014 Edinburgh Fringe

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Paul Merton returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year with his world renowned Impro Chums. Paul and his Chums are wonders of nature. They take audience suggestions and create cascades of fantastic tumbling laughter… most of the time.

Paul’s Impro Chums are Mike McShane, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch and Suki Webster and together they will create a new and unique comedy show every single night, based entirely on suggestions from the audience, their own finely honed improvisational skills and an almost manic compulsion to show off.

Paul Merton is a founder member of The Comedy Store Players, he still appears at the Comedy Store most Sundays. He is a regular guest on Radio 4’s Just A Minute and is an established face on TV shows such as the hugely popular Have I Got News For You, Room 101, Paul Merton Looks at Alfred Hitchcock (BBC Four), Paul Merton’s Birth of Hollywood (BBC 2) and his travel series for Channel Five, Paul Merton’s Adventures which covered his travels in India, China and Europe. His Autobiography is due to be published this year.

Mike McShane is best known as one of the original crew of Whose Line Is It Anyway? and has been to and fro, from America to Britain with stops in Hollywood in between. He is married to the beautiful and gifted Karen, and is tolerated by an English cat named Henry. He would like to thank his fellow Chums for keeping him sane.

Lee Simpson became a member of the Comedy Store Players in 1987. He is a founder member of Improbable, one of the country's foremost theatre companies and along with Richard Vranch he wrote and performed on Paul Merton – The Tour and Paul Merton – The Palladium. He also directed Paul Merton – And This is Me.

Richard Vranch improvises and writes comedy, and he does voiceovers for adverts and documentaries. He has a physics PhD, and is half of the science/hula-hoop act Dr Hula. He's toured the world from Mexico to Palestine acting in sketch shows, and he does stand-up in French.

Suki Webster is a regular guest of The Comedy Store Players and has toured the world with Paul Merton And His Impro Chums more recently she co-wrote and was Assistant Director on Paul Merton’s Birth of Hollywood (BBC2). For the past three years Suki has starred in several successful plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - A Visit From Miss Prothero, Mon Droit and Making News.

Suki and Paul are also performing in My Obsession - Suki’s debut play as a writer - at Pleasance Upstairs at 2.30pm from 30th July to 16th August.