The Comedy Store Players were born on October 27th 1985 at the Comedy Store in Leicester Square. The team that night was Kit Hollerbach, Dave Cohen, Neil Mullarkey and Mike Myers.
I remember my head swimming as I struggled to think of what to say next
A month after that opening night Paul Merton joined the line-up. Initially the first half was stand up because it was felt that an audience would have to be lured to see a show with no script. Less than twenty people turned up for that debut performance but numbers improved and soon the whole show was improvised.
Mike and Kit taught Neil, Dave, and Paul the games they had played for years in North America, many of which had originated as games for deprived children in Chicago in the Fifties. These games still form the basic structure of the first half of the Players' show, with unstructured free improv and narrative in the second half.
Sometimes you have to argue with TV people over what is funny - improvising with the Players you find out instantly
Richard Vranch came along in 1986, and quickly became part of the team, improvising the games on stage as well as music when required.
I’d done an impro show with Jim Sweeney, but at the Store it was even scarier. Lots of the established stand-ups used to guest then. But the great thing was - and still is - no line learning, no rehearsals, no set to dismantle, and great people.
In the summer of 1986, just before Mike Myers returned to his native Canada to join Second City, the Players went to the Edinburgh Fringe. One night actress Josie Lawrence, who was directing a play there, guested with the team. Soon she was a member. Jeremy Hardy and Sandi Toksvig were also members of the group for a while.
I feel blessed that I have this ability to make people laugh with stuff that just comes off the top of my head, but the best feeling in the world is when I make my fellow Comedy Store Players laugh because that’s when I know that I am really being funny
The Players' first encounter with TV was "12.01", a live variety show, filmed in St Albans by BBC Religious Affairs because that was where the Songs Of Praise cameras were. The Players also featured in two series of "The Funny Farm" for STV, improvising with the new generation of Scottish comedians including Fred MacAuley. Lee Simpson joined in 1989.
It became very clear, very early on, that what happened in the dressing room was as important as what happened on stage. In other words this was a social rather than a professional gig. I liked that. I think that is why we are still doing it.
With the success of the TV version of "Whose Line is it Anyway?", people were now familiar with improv comedy. On October 11th 1989 the Comedy Store Players began a run of Wednesday night shows which continued until March 2020, when live entertainment paused. The Players embarked on nationwide sell-out tours in 1990 and 1991, and Jim Sweeney joined in 1992.
I meet my mates, have a laugh and get paid for it. It’s the best job in the world.
In 1993 The Comedy Store moved to its present home near Piccadilly Circus in the West End of London. Radio mics replaced the old ceiling mics and the performers finally got their own toilet backstage.
The longevity of the Players relies on the excellent pool of guests and musicians who improvise music for the shows. Without them, the Players simply wouldn't survive. In 1995, Andy Smart, who had guested regularly from the early days, joined the team.
When it takes off, when from absolutely nothing it comes together into a massive rolling wave of laughter, it really grabs you and you soar on the atavistic emotion of a collective magic
In 1998 the Players were invited to perform at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre by artistic director Mark Rylance. They returned to perform there every year until 2024, when the finale was an improvised Shakespeare play called "O hello." In September 2000 the Players performed for the first time at the Manchester Comedy Store. They appeared there on Thursdays until July 2003. They also performed for many years at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, and toured India in 2004. The Players celebrated their 20th birthday in 2005:
Jim Sweeney retired from performing in 2008 and became President of The Comedy Store Players, a post previously held by Mo Mowlam MP.
On their 25th birthday in October 2010, Guinness World Records officially confirmed the Comedy Store Players show as the world’s longest-running comedy show with the same cast. Adam Wide from Guinness World Records presented the team with an official certificate which now hangs in the Comedy Store.
It was like I came from another planet with some Beatles tunes that nobody knew. I showed them how to do it. But they got the hang of it very quickly. Before long they were writing their own tunes that were better than The Beatles. I thought, ‘Oh dear, they’re very good.’
In 2022 Nica Burns of Nimax Theatres invited the Players to perform the very first shows at their brand new West End theatre @sohoplace. The Players also performed on the Radio Times Comedy Cruise with Rory Bremner, Ardal O'Hanlon and Lucy Porter. The Players continue to perform around the country at theatres, corporate events and festivals including Latitude, the INK festival in Halesworth and the open-air theatre in Thorington.
Andy died in May 2023. Regular guest Ruth Bratt became a Comedy Store Player in 2024, joining Neil Mullarkey, Lee Simpson, Josie Lawrence, and Richard Vranch.
Neil retired from performing with the Players in January 2026. Today the Comedy Store Players are Josie Lawrence, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson and Ruth Bratt.
