List of games from Whose Line Is It Anyway?

This is a list and description of all the "games" featured on the British and American television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?.

• 90-Second Alphabet: Three performers enact a scene in which each sentence must begin with the letter following the first letter of the last sentence. The performers start with a letter chosen by the audience and must go through the entire alphabet in 90 seconds. There were times when the players were unable to complete the game in time. The British version only used two performers instead of three. It also originally had a one-minute time limit, but later removed it entirely; that game was just called Alphabet.

• Action Replay (aka Instant Replay): Two performers enact a scene, usually making grandiose physical movements, while the other two watch while wearing headphones, preventing them from hearing the scene's dialogue. The second pair must re-enact the scene using the same movements, but they must make up their own dialogue. A US-exclusive game.

• Addicts Anonymous: One performer hosts an Alcoholics Anonymous-type meeting for the other three performers, but they are not addicted to illicit substances. Instead, they are addicted to something odd, such as game shows or professional wrestling. A UK-exclusive game.

• All In One Voice: All four performers sing a song as a famous pair. They are split into groups of two and each group sings simultaneously as one of them. Played briefly on the US version.

• Animals: Two to four performers enact a soap opera-type scene as animals. The species is provided by the host. On the US version, this has been performed twice, once seen on TV and the other on the Season 1 Vol. 1 DVD in the outtakes.

• Authors: All four performers tell parts of the same story, but each performer uses the style of their favorite author, selected before the game. The host switches sequentially among the performers at regular intervals. (For a similar game, see Remote Control.) Not performed since the seventh episode of the fifth UK season.

• Award Show: Two performers host an absurd award show (such as "best 'frat boy'" or "most bitter divorce") as other two performers act as the winners and take the stage for an acceptance speech. Random members of the audience are shot by the camera as the "runners up" and are not told ahead of time. A US-exclusive game.

• Backwards Scene: Two or three performers are required to act out a scene, only starting with the ending line and working their way back to the beginning. Played only twice in the US to date.

• Bartender: A performer approaches the bartender and sings about a prescribed topic, while the bartender (another performer) replies in song. The performers approaching the bar are typically either mad at something, sad about something, in love with something, celebrating something, or drinking to forget something. (For similar games, see Prison Visitor and Psychiatrist.)

• Boogie Woogie Sisters: Three performers sing a song given from the audience in the style of 1960s Boogie Woogie groups. Played shortly on the American EDition. See Motown Group and Doo Wop for similar games.

• Change Letter: The performers enact a scene; however, they must substitute one letter for another in all spoken words, as specified by the host. For example, if every occurrence of "B" must be changed to "F", lines like "I fruised my futt on the fack porch" might be spoken.

• Change of Cast: All performers enact a scene, changing their characters at the host's prompting. (See also Film, TV, & Theatre Styles)

• Change of Emotion: Three performers are given a specific prop or occasionally two props; whoever holds the prop must express certain kind of emotion (e.g. anger, lust). By the end, each performer will have held the prop(s) and acted out each different feeling. Performed shortly on the American edition. (For a similar game, see also Multiple Personalities.)

• Daytime Talk Show: One performer is the host of a daytime talk show (usually a parody of the Jerry Springer Show and other similar shows), two other performers are guests appearing on the show, and the fourth is the a member of the audience. The topic of the talk show is usually a fairy tale, nursery rhyme, or Biblical story, and the "guests" improvise different people or parts related to the suggested topic. Jerry Springer actually hosted one such game.

• Dead Bodies / Fainting Bodies: One performer acts out a scene in a play, while one performer and an audience member (in the US show) or two other performers (in the UK show) pretend they are dead, or pretend they have fainted. Another performer joins the scene in due course but promptly dies or faints. However, "the show must go on," so the living performer acts out the scene as if the others were still alive or conscious. For a similar game, see Scene with an Audience Member.

• Doo-wop: Three performers sing a doo-wop song about a topic suggested by the audience. For a similar game, see Motown Group. A US-exclusive game.

• Dubbing: Two performers enact a scene with an audience member, whose voice is provided by a third performer off-camera. Sometimes a special celebrity guest is used instead of an audience member. Much of the comedy comes from the inability to sync performer and voice, as the performer is unable to see the person Providing the voice. Also, the performer providing the guest's voice will often try to put them in compromising and embarrassing Situations. A US-exclusive game.

• Fashion Models: One performer comments on a "fashion show," the subject of which is usually related to a profession suggested by the audience. The other performers act out the show by mocking the walk down a fashion show runway.

• Film Dub: Performers watch a clip from an old (and usually unknown) movie or television show that has been muted. They provide a dubbed dialogue, following the suggestion of a scene provided by the host.

• Film Trailer: One performer acts as if he were a voiceover artist for a movie trailer, the nonsensical title of which is suggested by the audience. The other three performers act out scenes from the movie, prompted by the narrator. A UK-exclusive game.

• Film, TV, & Theatre Styles: Two or three performers enact a given scene; at regular intervals, the host stops the scene and gives the performers a different style, solicited from the audience, to use when the scene resumes. Called Film & Theatre Styles in the UK version. A less frequent but very similar version of this game is played under the name Change of Cast.

• Fixed Expressions: The performers act out a scene while each of them has one facial expression (i.e. ecstatic, shocked, angry etc.) throughout the entire game.

• Foreign Film Dub: Two performers enact a scene in a foreign language chosen by the audience, while the other two performers "translate". Because the performers usually do not know the language chosen, the language spoken is usually only accented gibberish.

• Funeral: Three performers would be in a setting of a funeral, mourning someone (whose name is provided by the audience) who died in a freak accident involving an occupation (also provided by the audience). One performer usually takes the role as the funeral director, and the other two as people who knew the deceased somehow. After showing how they knew the deceased or describing how they died, all three of them would sing a funeral march about the deceased all in one voice. (For similar games, see Telethon, All In One Voice, or Wedding.)

• Greatest Hits: Two performers act as pitchmen for a compilation album whose topic is provided by the audience; they provide titles and styles of songs to one or both of the other performers, who must improvise part of the song.

• Hats/Dating Service Video: The performers are divided into two pairs and receive a box of random headgear, which they use to come up with examples of "the world's worst dating service videos." (Earlier versions of Hats in the UK version of Whose Line also had subjects such as "World's Worst Movie Audition" or "World's Worst Ad Campaign".)

• Helping Hands: Two performers enact a scene in which one cannot use his hands. A third performer stands behind the handless performer and provides his hands instead. The performers usually wear smocks and costumes for this skit, as it tends to become very messy, particularly for the performer who cannot use his hands. This game was originally called Hands Through. Also, early in the UK version the contestants did not use props.

• Hey You Down There: Two performers enact a scene in the style of a 1950s public information film, complete with cheesy incidental music and an impossibly jovial voiceover by a third performer.

• Hoedown: The four performers individually sing a hoedown about a given subject, with each contestant forming one of the four stanzas. The last line of the fourth stanza would be repeated by the rest as the song ended. The performers often despise the Hoedown, and usually find ways to insult the host during their stanzas. The British version also used related games, Gospel and March, in which the four performers sing a gospel music song and a marching band song, respectively. In the US version, this game is almost always performed as the last game on the show before the credits.

• Hollywood Director: Three performers improvise a scene provided by the host. The fourth performer, the "director", played by Colin Mochrie, interrupts periodically to provide new styles to be used in the scene, such as "Do it like a 1950s MusicAL." Other common suggestions include, "Do the entire scene backwards", and "Do it like you have uncontrollable lust for each other."

• Home Shopping: Much like the game Infomercial, two performers must attempt to sell products in the vein of the Home Shopping Network. However, the host gives them two useless items to sell, and the audience suggests an additional item.

• Ice Skaters: The participants pretend they are ice skaters during their final routine. But instead of dancing, they have to pretend they are doing something else (e.g. getting up in the morning). Only performed once to date on the US version.

• If You Know What I Mean: Several performers improvise a scene in which they make up as many ambiguous euphemisms as they can, ending them with the phrase "If you know what I mean." The phrases used did not always make sense to the other performers (for instance, "I'll help you fluff your garfield, if you know what I mean). A US-exclusive game.

• Improbable Mission: Two performers are SUPER-secret agents a la Mission: Impossible. A third performer is the voice on the tape who gives them their assignment: a mundane task (e.g. get dressed, mow the lawn). Frequently the philosophy of Deus ex machina makes an appearance: one of the characters needs something and it "miraculously" is found by the other performer. Called Mission Impossible in the UK version.

• Infomercial: Two performers create an infomercial to sell "miracle products" for a personal problem (e.g. bad breath, baldness) using only the items given to them in a box.

• Irish Drinking Song: The four performers must sing an Irish drinking song one line at a time about a given subject. Four verses are sung in alternating lines, usually of seven and five syllables; in each stanza, a different performer begins the verse. A US-exclusive game.

• Let's Make A Date: One performer is the contestant on a dating-type show. The other three performers are bachelors who have quirky personalities or characters that are revealed through their answers to the contestant's questions. The contestant tries to guess the specific personalities after one or two rounds of questioning. Sometimes the characters are related to each other. (For a similar game, see Party Quirks.)

• Let's Make A Monster: One performer acts as Dr. Frankenstein and one Igor; the other two are corpses. Either of the two performers picks the head, arms, and legs for the two corpses of various professions or people, such as the head of Mr. T, the arms of a sushi bar chef, and legs of an ice hockey player. This was played only twice on the American version.

• Living Scenery: Two performers enact a scene provided by the host. The other two performers or special guests stand in for props during the scene. A US-exclusive game.

• Meet The Family: One of the performers is engaged to another. The other two are the mother and father, each of whom has quirky identities. Played once on the American version.

• The Millionaire Show: The performers enact a parody of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, in which the performers act as members of a particular group provided by the host (e.g. gangsters, hillbillies, Germans). The performers take the role of the host, a contestant, a "phone-a-friend" lifeline, and an audience member lifeline (not present in the original show).

• Motown Group: Three performers sing a Motown Sound-style song about a subject suggested by the audience. For a similar game, see Doo Wop.

• Moving People: Two performers enact a scene, but they cannot move on their own. Instead, two audience members or special guests must move them into different positions as they act out the scene.

• Multiple Personalities: Three performers are given a scene to enact with three handheld props (e.g. a canteen, a pair of binoculars, and a knife). Each prop is assigned a famous personality. For example, the flyswatter is Richard Simmons, the machete Elvis Presley, and the binoculars Scooby Doo. The person holding the prop must reflect that personality during the scene. The performers trade props as the scene continues, giving everyone the chance to do different impressions. If a performer is holding more than one prop at once, the performer must combine the impressions. Change of Emotion is played exactly the same way, but using emotions instead of personalities, and often using only 2 props instead of 3, so one performer is always normal.

• Musical: Played in the first two British seasons, this is a game for three or four performers. They act out a scene (actually a highly condensed Broadway-style musical) whose storyline is based on three suggestions provided by the audience. They begin talking normally, but break into musical numbers when the music is played. This game was called American Musical in the earliest seasons. (For similar games played on the American show, see Show Stopping Number and Scene to Rap. In the UK version, Stephen Fry would often refuse to rap and would just speak normally.)

• Musical Producers: A UK-exclusive game for all four performers; two performers play the role of producers for the next great musical. The other two performers act and sing out the scenes suggested by the producers. (A variation is Musical Film Review, in which one performer reviews a musical, and the other three act and sing. Also, for a similar game, see Greatest Hits.)

• Narrate: Two performers enact a scene in film noir; i.e., they must break the fourth wall, approach the camera, and tell the audience what is going on, typically providing prompts for and information about the other character while taped music befitting a film noir scene is played.

• News Flash: One performer stands in front of a green screen as a field reporter, while two other performers act as news anchors. Random footage is shown to the audience, the anchors, and the viewers at home via the green screen, as the anchors question the field reporter about the footage. Eventually, the field reporter tries to guess what the footage is, based on the questions from the anchors. (For a similar game, see Press Conference.)

• Number of Words: Four performers enact a scene in which each is assigned a number. They must use exactly that many words every time they speak.

• Old Job, New Job: Several performers enact a scene in which one of the performers displays traits of his old job (e.g. cowboy) in his new job (e.g. teacher). Common in the UK version, but only played twice on the US version to date.

• Party Quirks: Three performers (party guests) are given a random quirk, and the fourth performer is the party's host, who must identify the others' quirks as the guests arrive and interact at the party. If they correctly guess a person's quirk, that person leaves the party. The game ends when all quirks are guessed or when the host cannot guess the quirks. Quirks are subtitled at the bottom of the screen when a "guest" enters the party; examples include: acting like an animal (e.g. crab or giraffe), having a certain profession (Olympic tobogganist, Colombian [...] baron), enacting a certain event (going down the plughole, riding a rollercoaster) or something unusual (names a body part in every sentence, in love with cameras). A unique quirk was 'Thinks he is Tony Slattery'. (For a similar game, see Let's Make a Date.)

• Press Conference: One performer acts as a public figure of some sort (examples include "Santa announcing his retirement" or "First man to have [...] on the moon") answering questions from three reporters (played by the other performers) at a press conference. Only the reporters know who the public figure is; the first performer must figure out who he is based on the questions asked by the reporters. (For a similar game, see News Flash.)

• Prison Visitor: One performer visits the other three in prison individually. The "prisoners" sing their problems to the visitor. (For similar games, see Bartender and Psychiatrist.)

• Props: Two pairs of performers (in the British version, somewhat redundantly described by Clive Anderson as "two pairs of two") must come up with quick scenes that involve a random prop, usually with one line that refers to what the prop is. Each team is given its prop at the start of the round, and the two teams take turns improvising brief (GeneRally one- or two-line) scenes using the prop in a different way each time. In the British version, the props were often semi-ordinary items such as a giant slinky, but in the American version they were often large, oblong-shaped pieces of foam with various bizarre attachments and bright colors.

• Psychiatrist: One performer acts as a psychiatrist, but the other performers (patients) sing their problems to the psychiatrist, who then sings back to them the solution. (For similar games, see Bartender and Prison Visitor.)

• Questions Only: Two performers enact a scene while only speaking in questions. Failure to speak in the form of a question results in the performer being buzzed out and replaced by another performer. A variant is Questionable Impressions where, in addition to the above rules, the performers must impersonate a historical, fictional, or popular culture figure of their choice each time they join/rejoin the game. Another variant is Questions With Wigs, which has been only played twice to date on the US version. (See also Song Titles.) An example in popular fiction is where this game is played between the eponymous heroes of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Saying "Pardon?" wasn't allowed until the game started to be used in the American version. Clive Anderson classed it as "too short a question".

• Quick Change: Two or three performers enact a scene provided by the host. Another performer stands to the side and says "change" at various times during the scene; the performer who had the last line must then change that line to something else. A single line can be "changed" multiple times, often leaving the performer clueless as to what to say.

• Quiz Show: One performer acts as the host of a quiz show, while the other three appear as contestants. The name of the show is given by the audience (e.g. "What's My Disease?" or "Name That Farm Animal").

• Really Bad Hangover: Two cast members wake up after a night of drinking with hangovers. As a result every sound they hear is amplified many times over. The other two members are offstage with microphones to provide the sound effects. Played only once to date.

• Remember That Song?: Three cast members play in this game. One owns a shop, and when another performer walks in the "owner" asks them to sing a song that they remembered from a long time ago. When the third performer walks in, they are asked to do the same thing. Only played once to date.

• Remote Control: All four performers enact four different types of television programs, each dealing with the same topic (provided by the host or the audience). At regular intervals, the host switches between performers as if using a television remote control. Played briefly on the American edition. (For a similar game, see Authors.)

• Reunion: Three performers act out a scene in which they are three old friends, who are connected through having once had the same profession, meeting up at an organised reunion. The scene culminates with all three players improvising an old song relating to the profession. Only played once in the US version.

• Rock Opera: All performers act out a scene in the style of a rock opera, based on the life of someone in the studio audience. Both real and fantastic parts of the audience member's life are used.

• Scene to Music: All of the performers enact a scene involving the style of music played. Mainly common on the British version, but has been played briefly on the American.

• Scene to Rap: All four performers enact a scene, rapping throughout. Another version of the game is Gangsta Rap, involving two performers and used only once.

• Scenes From a Hat: The four performers improvise one-line scenes in response to suggestions from the audience. The suggestions are written on slips of paper and the good ones are placed in a hat beforehand, and drawn randomly by the host during the game. In the UK version, only one scene per suggestion was performed; in the US version, however, multiple scenes per suggestion May Be acted out. This game is a favorite among the audience.

• Scene with an Audience Member: Two cast members, usually Ryan and Colin, and someone selected by the host from the audience, act a scene together. The third participant, usually a woman, would improvise lines or actions completely. Later in the show's run, the audience member would read pre-written lines from a card when prompted.

• Scenes Cut From A Movie: All the cast members act out scenes that "were edited" out of the original movies. The different movies would be suggested by the audience. For example, the scene cut from Caddyshack would be an eagle swooping to snatch one of the gophers. This game was only played three times to date on the US version.

• Secret: Two performers act out a scene given by the host, and they are joined thirty seconds before some sort of secret is revealed. The audience suggests the location of the secret, relevant to the scene they will be playing. Common on the UK version, played only once on the US version to date.

• Show Stopping Number: Three performers enact a scene. At random times, the host uses a buzzer, and the last performer to speak before the buzzer must sing a show-stopping tune using, or based on, their last line. A US-exclusive game.

• Song Styles: One performer sings a song in a style provided by the host about an audience member, or about a subject provided by the audience. Sometimes, the rest of the cast provide backup vocals or dancing. Variations on the game include:
  • Duet: two performers sing together as a duet, alternating verses or stanzas.
  • African Chant: same as Song Styles, except that the style is always an African chant led by Wayne Brady. There is constant joking about the fact that the other performers, all Caucasian, would be Brady's backup.
  • Ballad Of: same as Duet, sung as a country ballad in the form of a narration, used only once to date

• Song Titles: This game was different in the two different versions. In the UK version, three performers would act out a scene and only speak in song titles. In the US version, the game would be played similar to 'Questions Only', in which all four would participate, but two would play. If the player makes a mistake or hesitates, the player would be buzzed out. (See also Questions Only)

• Sound Effects: There are two versions of this game. In one, one performer enacts a scene provided by the host, reacting to sound cues provided by a second performer. In the other version, two performers enact a scene with sound effects provided by two audience members. In the latter version, the performers would normally make fun of the audience members if they do a Horrible job providing the sound effects.

• Sports Commentators/Sportscasters: Two performers act out a scene, usually a mundane daily event (e.g. brushing your teeth), in slow motion. The mundane event is elevated to a highly competitive and extremely violent spectacle; the two competitors usually mutilate each other in some way relevant to the scenario by the end of the game. The other two performers comment On It as if it were a sporting event.

• Stand, Sit, Bend: Three performers enact a scene, but one must be standing, one must be sitting, and one must be bent over. Whenever one performer changes position, the others have to accommodate. A variant is Stand, Sit, Lie, where a performer must be lying down instead of bending over.

• Superheroes: One performer is a silly superhero whose name is given by the audience, and is confronted with a bizarre world crisis. The other performers enter one at a time, each identifying the next entrant. Superhero names from this game include the Disco Kid, Captain Hair, Supermodel Man, Tom Arnold, and Chocolate Bunny Man, though usually in the course of the game, performers come up with bizarrely specific names such as Malfunctioning-Robot-With-An-Attitude-Problem Boy, Lick-nose Guy, or The Guy Who Channels the Spirits of Farm Animals.

• Survival Show: A Survivor-styled game which is set in an everyday location. One performer acts as the host, while the others perform stunts and have a tribal council. Only played once to date.

• Telethon: Two of the performers host a telethon for a group of people who would not need money raised for them (e.g. NBA players, sitcom actors), while the two other performers impersonate different musical artists who are there "supporting the cause".

• That'll Be Charlie Now: Three performers are waiting in a place suggested by the audience (e.g. a railway platform) for their friend Charlie; while doing so they discuss Charlie's bizarre habits and peculiarities. Approximately 30 seconds into the game, Charlie (the fourth performer, usually Mike McShane in the UK shows) joins his friends and has to exhibit all the foibles attributed to him before he arrived.

• Themed Restaurant: Two performers dine in an unusually-themed restaurant; the other two performers display the theme as they act as waitstaff. A US-exclusive game.

• Three-Headed Broadway Star: Three performers sing a mock Broadway hit song one word at a time. The name of the mock musical and hit love song from said musical are provided by the audience; the song would occasionally be sung to an audience member seated in front of the performers. Sometimes, one of the players would say more than one word at once, or the performers would incorrectly separate longer words into multiple words by syllable. A US-exclusive game.

• Two Line Vocabulary: Three performers enact a scene provided by the host. One can say anything they like, but the others are allowed to say only two specific lines each, which are provided by the host. A US-exclusive game.

• Wedding: The entire cast, along with an additional female audience member, would improvise a game show wedding style. They would use the audience member's foible as a base. One cast member would play the groom and the audience member the bride. A second cast member would be the Master of Ceremonies. The third would be the drunken relative, and the fourth would sing a wedding song. It was played only once so far on the show, and was famous for the fact that, when he went to get the audience member from the seats behind his desk, Drew Carey nearly went tumbling when he missed the second step from the top when going down.

• Weird Newscasters: One performer is the lead anchor of a news show, with the others acting as co-host, sports anchor, and weather anchor. The host gives each performer, except the lead anchor, a quirky personality to be used in the scene.

• What Are You Trying To Say?: Two performers act out a scene in which they play easily-offended people who keep taking offense to whatever the other performer says. Only played once to date.

• Whose Line: Two performers enact a scene provided by the host while including random lines that they were given in an envelope. The lines are provided by audience members, and are not seen by the performers until used.

• World's Worst: The performers come to "The World's Worst Step" (the lowest one) and step forward with examples of the world's worst example of something (e.g. "the world's worst roommate"). Originally, the most common topic was "the world's worst dating service videos," which was adopted to be more common in the game Hats.