Comedy at Sheringham Little Theatre

The region's top touring comedy club brings a rib-tickling evening's entertainment to Sheringham Little Theatre on Saturday, with its own version of the popular Channel 4 improvisation show Whose Line is it Anyway?

Smoking Mic grew out of an idea dreamed up last year by North Norfolk Radio presenter Greg Powles and writer, actor and comedian Richard Melchior.

After Greg hosted a string of successful open mic nights at Sheringham, the pair got together a group of local comics and, since then, Smoking Mic has performed regular spots at the Fisher Theatre, Bungay, also touring the region with plays and stand-up nights.

Their fast-paced improvisation evenings feature wacky games dreamed up by the team, with plenty of audience participation.

"I think that what makes it so funny is the fact that the audience control so much of what happens, and that it is completely unscripted," Greg said.

"And, although we do have a host, we don't really need someone sitting behind a desk, so we could ask the audience to, for instance, pick a random page number from a play and then we make up the responses, or get them to choose an object and shout out an idea for an unusual use - so you might get a tennis racket used in deep-sea diving."

Since being staged for the first time 6 months ago, the improvisation nights, which aim to be funny, satirical and topical, have become popular among comedy fans young and old.

"What is great is that we all enjoy doing it as it's a real challenge, and we've had a fantastic response from all different age groups," Greg said.

Whose Line is it Anyway is presented by Smoking Mic Comedy Club at 8pm at The Hub, Sheringham Little Theatre on Saturday (October 11). Tickets, priced £5 are available from the box office on 01263 822347.