John Sessions

Clive Anderson on Whose Line

Griff Rhys Jones ate John Sessions' socks, Josie Lawrence hit the high notes and Colin Mochrie's Salmon Man went low. Ahead of three live Albert Hall specials, the presenter-cum-drummer looks back.

John Sessions interview

He describes himself as "very lucky" to have acted opposite so many "famous international people".

John Sessions interview

The actor and comedian talks about his difficult relationship with his father and being outed by the London Evening Standard.

It's an auspicious night at the Goodmans': Martin's annual oiling of the hinges is here, marking a decade of squeak-free doors. Unfortunately, his zeal results in disaster when the slimy stuff finds its way on to Mum's pristine carpet, prompting a guest appearance from John Sessions as a rug restorer, and a hit to Martin's wallet. If that wasn't enough action for one Friday, meddlesome neighbour Jim decides to get a cat.

Whisky Galore! review

Why remake a classic? Along with Passport To Pimlico and Kind Hearts And Coronets, Whisky Galore! defined Ealing Comedies as the gold standard when they were released in 1949.

Preview: Upstart Crow, episode 4, Love is Not Love

I'm not enough of a Shakespeare scholar to vouch for the accuracy of Ben Elton's historical sitcom, but as a comedy geek I can at least confirm that it is funnier than his last effort, The Wright Way.

The Red Top preview

It's 75-minutes of pure entertainment and pure escape, and if nothing else, watching Maxine Peake, Russell Tovey, Eleanor Matsuura, Johnny Vegas, Alexei Sayle, Harry Enfield, James Buckley, John Sessions, Stephen Mangan and Peter Richardson share the screen is a real joy.

We're Doomed: The Dad's Army Story dramatises the tale of jobbing actor Jimmy Perry (Paul Ritter) who together with his agent's husband David Croft (Richard Dormer) wrote one of the nation's favourite sitcoms. When I first started watching We're Doomed I thought that writer Stephen Russell's work would be up there with other making of dramas such as The Road to Coronation Street and An Adventure in Space and Time. However I gradually realised that We're Doomed lacked the bite of both of those shows and it was a little bit too light for its own good. One of the main problems with We're Doomed was that Dad's Army wasn't beset with many problems aside from a sceptical BBC Boss and an audience who may not have been ready for a comedy about a recently fought war. But what We're Doomed lacked in edge it made up for in two sympathetic lead characters who were played by a couple of fine performers. Paul Ritter perfectly portrayed Perry as the wannabe star who became an accidental sitcom writer after trying to net himself the role of Walker. Ritter's animated turn was perfectly balanced by Richard Dormer's very dry interpretation of the grounded David Croft. The action started to pick up when the familiar faces of the actors started to appear on screen most notably Arthur Lowe who was convincingly portrayed by John Sessions. Sessions made Lowe the star of the show both on and off camera especially when Croft and Perry worried that he'd struggle to remember any of his lines. The humour of the piece was perfectly offset by a couple of more emotional moments such as when Perry realised he wasn't going to play Walker and when later he watched his hero Bud Flanagan perform the iconic Dad's Army theme tune. Even though it was a little rushed, I felt that We're Doomed told its story well primarily due to its combination of wit and sympathetic characters. Ultimately the drama was the perfect fit for the festive schedules and also provided the perfect taster for the upcoming Dad's Army film.

Paul Ritter stars as frustrated thesp Jimmy Perry, while Richard Dormer is David Croft, a jaded comedy producer feeling pushed out by the BBC. When Perry comes to Croft with his script for a sitcom tentatively titled The Fighting Tigers, the two men begin a battle against "the enemy within" to get it made by the BBC. The dialogue may be on the broad side, but the acting and direction are splendid. Ritter and Dormer are grippingly good, while John Sessions makes for an astonishing Arthur Lowe.