Richard Vranch
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Richard Leslie Vranch (born 29 June 1959) is an English actor, improviser, comedian, writer and musician. He is known for providing the music for the British TV series Whose Line Is It Anyway?<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Early lifeEdit
Vranch's parents were a teacher and a BT engineer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He attended Bristol Grammar School<ref name="evening-post">Template:Cite news</ref> and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, graduating from Cambridge University with a BA and PhD in physics.<ref>"Cambridge Tripos results", The Times, 19 June 1980, p. 10.</ref><ref>Interview, livingonfascination.com, 15 June 2014; retrieved 15 December 2015.</ref> While a first-year doctoral student, he joined the Footlights in 1981 and was a contemporary of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Morwenna Banks, Tony Slattery and Neil Mullarkey.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was also a member of the Light Entertainment Society and the Cambridge University Mummers.<ref name="evening-post" />
He was a researcher at the Cavendish Laboratory and a research fellow at St John's College, Oxford for nine months before going into comedy full-time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
CareerEdit
Stand-up comedy and improvisationEdit
Vranch has performed since 1979.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He formed a comedy double-act with Tony Slattery in 1981.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The duo hosted the Channel 4 quiz The Music Game and over 100 episodes of Cue The Music on ITV. He was the improvising pianist and guitarist on the original British television show Whose Line Is It Anyway? from 1988.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
He co-wrote and performed in The Paul Merton Show at the London Palladium in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With Pippa the Ripper he is half of the hula-hoop/science double act Dr Hula.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2006, he appeared at the Ars Nova theatre, New York and co-founded the improv storytelling group The YarnBards. In 2012, with others he co-wrote and appeared in the UK tour and West End run of the stage show Paul Merton Out of My Head.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Since at least 1988 Vranch has appeared at London's The Comedy Store.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He currently appears there every week with the Comedy Store Players.
Voice artistEdit
Vranch has voiced TV and radio commercials for companies including British Airways, Lidl and Saab. He also narrates TV documentaries, including the first series of The Hotel Inspector.
ActingEdit
Acting work includes Dogman,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Dead Set, Hello Mum (1986) and sketch shows. He appeared as Gilmanuk in the audio Doctor Who story "Theatre of War" (Big Finish Productions).<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>
WritingEdit
He has written for stage, radio and TV, and made several animated films with artist Lucy Allen. They have had their cartoons published in Maxim, Punch and The Spectator.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2002 he was commissioned by Tamasha Theatre Company (East is East) as a writer for their show Ryman and the Sheik<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and worked for a few years as an Artistic Associate of the company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Television and radioEdit
Vranch presented the children's shows Let's Pretend on ITV and Jackanory<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> on BBC One. He hosted his own science series, Beat That Einstein, on Channel 4 in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was a guest on You Bet! in 1995 and appeared on BBC Radio 4's long-running panel game Just a Minute in 1999<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 2005 was a contestant on a charity special of The Weakest Link. He has appeared on the panel shows Puzzle Panel and The Infinite Monkey Cage<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> on Radio 4 and Mind Games on BBC TV. He discussed the switch-on of the Large Hadron Collider in September 2008 with Jeremy Vine and Simon Singh on BBC Radio 2.Template:Citation needed
In the early 2000s he presented a radio show Jammin with Rowland Rivron on BBC Radio 2.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
OtherEdit
Little Britain featured a fictional tower block called Richard Vranch House.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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