SPILL FEATURE: ASKING FOR TROUBLE – A CONVERSATION WITH COLIN MOCHRIE

ASKING FOR TROUBLE

A CONVERSATION WITH COLIN MOCHRIE

It’s been over 35 years since his first appearance on the British version of the popular improvised comedy television show Whose Line is it Anyway? but Colin Mochrie is still enjoying making things up as he goes along. Mochrie in fact thrives on a good challenge and is always finding new ways to keep himself on his toes. Whether it’s combining hypnosis with improv, taking on a unique acting role, or inventing a new improv game on the road, there’s never a dull moment in the life of this Canadian improviser.

Mochrie is back in Canada this November for a string of shows with fellow Whose Line alum and longtime tour buddy Brad Sherwood as part of their ongoing Asking for Trouble tour. The seasoned duo have been performing their two-man improv show since 2002 with no end in sight. Improv by its very nature means every show is different, but longtime fans will be happy to know that they can expect some nostalgic familiarity and audience interaction with games such as “Whose Line” and “Sound Effects”. “We have a list of maybe 30 games at this point so, depending on the layout of the theater and how easy it is for us to get to the audience (that can change our order), we keep a couple of games in for fans of Whose Line”. The real fun for Mochrie, however, comes with new challenges. “I love games that terrify me and take me out of my comfort zone. We just came up with one recently where we do a musical tribute to the town we’re playing in which makes it exciting because only one of us can sing, so that’s fun!”. Speaking of terrifying, it’s worth noting that improv can get pretty physical. When asked about any lasting battle wounds Mochrie explains that Sherwood suffered the worst injury many years ago while playing a game in which the stage is covered in live mousetraps and the performers are blindfolded while performing a scene. “I think the only major injury was when the arm of the mousetrap that keeps the killing part down kind of stuck up and Brad stepped on it and it went through his foot.”. Needless to say, that game is no longer in rotation.

While there’s been a strong focus on touring and live performance over the last 20 years or so, Mochrie has also been no stranger to acting roles. Perhaps most notable for Canadian audiences is his guest appearances on six episodes of Murdoch Mysteries. “I was really lucky in that I tweeted them after their 13^th season and said ‘Hey, congratulations. Am I the only actor in Canada who’s not been on this show?’ and then two days later I got on. It became a regular character. The first show he was a house detective and now I’m a serial killer. That’s fun because that’s something I probably wouldn’t get cast in in the US or in Hollywood. So yeah, these things come out of nowhere and I also have a lot of friends either through Second City or the comedy scene who are now creating their own shows, so they sometimes keep me in mind when they need an old, respected actor.” There are more acting gigs on the horizon too including a film with his wife Deb McGrath which is scheduled to begin filming in the Spring. Mochrie noted that the upside to filming versus life on the road is a simpler schedule. “It’s just nice to stay in one spot for a little while. The beauty with Whose Line was it was two weekends, that was it, so it left us free to do everything else.”

As for the remainder of 2025, it will be a mix of Asking for Trouble dates and the unique Hyprov show with renowned hypnotist Asad Mecci. For those unfamiliar, Hyprov combines hypnosis with improv. Audience members are hypnotized on stage and then proceed to act out improvised comedy with Mochrie after which hilarity of course ensues. Canadians can check out the comedy special recorded earlier this year now on CBCs GEM.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my career. The fact that I’m doing something that wasn’t a job when I was growing up, and the fact that this British television show came out of nowhere to showcase the one thing I can do, I was pretty lucky.” Catch Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood live at one of their five upcoming Canadian Asking for Trouble dates:

Nov. 20 – Victoria, BC
Nov. 21 – Vancouver, BC
Nov. 22 – Calgary, AB
Nov. 23 – Edmonton, AB
Nov. 25 – Kitchener, ON

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