Colin Mochrie

Written by: Si Hawkins
Published: Friday 25th March 2022

If they ever start a Comedy Improvisers Hall of Fame, Colin Mochrie would be an absolute shoo-in, surely.

Mochrie - Kilmarnock-born then Canada-bred - is probably best-known here as part of the transatlantic squad of reinforcements that revitalised Whose Line Is It Anyway? a few years in, with Ryan Stiles and Mike McShane. They were like sexy '40s GIs, but sillier. Then he joined the successful US version, too.

Not that Colin is chained to that format. He's soon back on these shores with a high-concept show called Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis, which takes the genre in a whole new direction. How did that happen?

"Hyprov started when Master Hypnotist Asad Mecci was taking improv classes at the Second City in Toronto," Mochrie explains. "He realised that what the instructors were telling him to do - to get out of his head, to just react - was similar to what he gets his hypnotic subjects to do."

One thing led to another, "he contacted my manager and we set up a meeting. Asad told us his idea; combining hypnosis and improv. It sounded terrifying. So of course I jumped in with both feet. I love working outside of my comfort zone and this was farther out than I'd ever been."

They're touring the UK in May (details below). So does Asad join in with the improv too, or do they stick to their specialties?

"Asad gets to improvise a little in the show. I've yet to use hypnosis. Apparently you are supposed to know what you are doing."

Good point. He's certainly done more improv than most, but where did it begin?

First gig?

My first gig was 1980 doing Theatresports, which was improv in a sports setting. Two teams of improvisers were issued challenges by a ref, then scored by three judges. The first match was a rookie exhibition featuring first timers. Our team won and I got the Most Valuable Player award.

The second match was the veteran teams, one of whom was short a player. They asked me to fill in. I did and again won the MVP. I figured that I was on my way. And I was right though it took 34 years.

Your favourite show - or TV recording - ever?

Whose Line as a gig was hard to beat. It was two weekends out of the year, so it wasn't a big commitment and the cast was never together long enough to get on each other's nerves.

My favourite scene was one we did with Richard Simmons, the exercise guru. There was a laugh that was so long that they had to cut most of it from the broadcast. It was 40 seconds of hilarity while Richard's head bobbed up and down by my crotch. Longest 40 seconds of my life.

Worst gig?

I was asked to host an event at the famous restaurant Spago in Los Angeles. The people of Las Vegas started this event to encourage Hollywood to film more movies there. I hate hosting but I thought this will be a chance to maybe find a way to get past that since I was getting asked to do a lot of similar gigs. When I got there I was asked to open with my 20 minutes of stand-up. I informed the booker I did not do the stand-up. She said "Don't worry, just be funny for 20 minutes".

There was no stage, I was on the floor in the middle of everyone schmoozing in that special Hollywood way. I was about to get started when the booker said "Hold on for five minutes, we're just waiting for Steven Spielberg". Part of the event was to showcase this new vodka that had just come on the market. I quickly partook of three or four.

I finally got the signal to go on. Nobody except for two lovely men standing right in front of me were listening to me. At one point the booker stood up, screaming to the crowd, "For God's sake be quiet, he's doing his best!" And to add icing to the cake it wasn't Steven Spielberg, it was Steven Seagal. Truly horrendous.

Which one person influenced your comedy life most significantly?

I don't know if there is one specific person. I was a fan of anyone who made me laugh and that list went from Chaplin and Keaton to Hope and Crosby to Monty Python and SCTV. The person that I have probably blatantly stolen from the most is John Cleese.

And who's the most disagreeable person you've come across in the business?

I was doing my two-man show with Brad Sherwood somewhere in New Jersey. Our show is fairly low maintenance. Two stools, two mics and we supply our own headsets. In some of the union houses we end up with crews of four or more, which is a waste since most of the time the majority of them just sit around.

There was one crew member who seemed put out that he had to sit and collect a paycheck for doing nothing. I asked him if it was possible to have two bottles of water placed by our stools. He replied "You're not the fucking Rolling Stones". Yes, we are not the Rolling Stones. On the other hand I can't imagine Mick and Keith demanding two bottles of water.

Is there one Hyprov contestant that particularly stands out, so far?

After the show I try to talk to the participants just to see what their experience was. One star of the show was a young woman. She told me she suffered from crippling social anxiety and I had no idea why she volunteered.

She then said that that hour was the best hour she ever had in her life - she'd never been so relaxed, so confident. She decided to go out and take some improv classes and look for an improv troupe to work with. It was nice to know that we had some beneficial side effects to this goofy show.

Any reviews, heckles or post-gig reactions stick in the mind?

I had one review that said I should be prohibited by law from ever doing a dialect on stage. Hard to argue.

If forced to choose, what's the best bit of improv you ever came up with?

See Richard Simmons' scene, above...

Are there plans for Hyprov beyond these live shows - any world leaders you'd fancy distracting?

Would love to hypnotise world leaders, but I don't think they would allow themselves to be put in a vulnerable position. Also you can't hypnotise the weak minded. We'll see what happens...

Hyprov: Improv Under Hypnosis plays Glasgow, Newcastle, London and Birmingham, from 12-15 May. Details here: hyprov.com