Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2005
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2006
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2007
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2008
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2009
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2010
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2011
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2012
Paul Merton: Out Of My Head: New Wimbledon Theatre, London, 2012
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2013
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2014
Comedy Store Players 30th Birthday Show: The Comedy Store, London, 2015
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2015
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2016
Suki Webster’s Guest Speaker: Museum of Comedy, London, 2018
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2018
Paul Merton’s Impro Chums: Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, 2019
Lee Simpson is a British actor and comedian best known as a team member of the Comedy Store Players who are an improvisational comedy team based at The Comedy Store in London. Other members include Josie Lawrence, Richard Vranch and Suki Webster. Simpson has also worked regularly with Paul Merton who whilst also a member of the Comedy Store Players has branched out with his own improvisational shows.
I have seen Simpson perform many times over the years. I always make a point of seeing Paul Merton’s Impro Chums each year at the Edinburgh Fringe festival where Simpson is a stalwart. One of the best improvisers in Britain, Simpson can transform himself into any character based on any suggestion from the audience to create much laughter.
Simpson starred in Suki Webster’s Guest Speaker along with Briony Redman, Suki Webster and Paul Merton when I went to the Museum of Comedy in London in June 2018. The show featured solo and group improvisation based on suggestions by the audience and during the performance, particularly inspiring was Simpson’s Shakespearian speech about the use of email based on a suggestion from the audience. It was remarkable to watch and very funny.
I saw Simpson again at the Edinburgh Fringe as part of Paul Merton’s Impro Chums in August 2018 and again in August 2019. Always worth seeing, the show with the group of Merton, Webster, Mike McShane, Richard Vranch and Simpson all worked very hard with adlibbing causing the audience to laugh out loud. Simpson was exceptional with his range of voices for the made-up routines which was very clever and funny to watch.