Wikipedia

Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British TV series) and Shin Bet: Difference between pages

(Difference between pages)
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
 
→Duties and roles: Deleted 'IT IS THE BEST SECURITY FORCES IN THE WORLD' - this is patently biased.
 
Line 1:
{{toofewopinions}}
[[Image:Whoseline.jpg|right]]'''''Whose Line Is It Anyway?''''', sometimes called '''''Whose Line?''''' for short, is an [[improvisational comedy|improvised]] and largely unscripted [[comedy]] pseudo-[[game show]]. It was originally a [[United Kingdom|British]] [[radio]] programme, but moved to British and then [[United States|American]] [[television]]. The show is not to be confused with [[Whose Life Is It Anyway?]], a play by [[Brian Clark (playwright)|Brian Clark]].
 
:''For the ethnic group, see [[Shabak people]].''
==Format==
The show consists of a panel of four improvisational [[performer]]s and [[comedian]]s. They make up characters, scenes, and songs on the spot, sometimes based on audience suggestions, or with pre-written prompts from the host. The show is formatted roughly as a mock competition, with the host arbitrarily assigning points and choosing a "winner" at the end of each episode who would (in the British version) undertake an improvisational act based on the closing credits. In a typical taping, each "game" is played between one and three times, always with different prompts and suggestions. Then the show is edited, and only those scenes deemed the best (and suitable for broadcast) are actually shown.
 
[[Image:ShabakLogo.gif|thumb|100px|Shabak emblem "Defender who shall not be seen"]]
In [[2004]], a similar show with almost the same cast called ''[[Drew Carey's Green Screen Show]]'' premiered on [[WB Television Network|The WB]].
 
The '''Shabak''' (in Hebrew, שב"כ '''{{Audio|He-Shabak.ogg|"Shabak"}}''') an acronym of "Shérūt Bītāhōn Klālī" שירות ביטחון כללי) is usually referred to in English as the '''Shin Bet''' (which was what Shabak was originally called in Israel's early days). The Shabak is also known in English as the '''Israel Security Agency''' (ISA), or the '''GSS''' (General Security Service). The Shabak is the Internal General Security Service of [[Israel]]. Its [[motto]] is "מגן ולא יראה," which translates into: "Defender (Shield) who shall not be seen". The service consists of close to 5,000 employees. It is one of three principal organizations of the [[Israeli Intelligence Community]], alongside [[Aman (IDF)|Aman]] (the [[military intelligence]] of the [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]]) and [[Mossad]] (responsible for overseas [[Intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]] work).
==Participants==
The show was created by [[Dan Patterson]], and in its original form on [[BBC Radio 4]], [[Clive Anderson]] presented the show, with two regulars, [[Stephen Fry]] and [[John Sessions]], and two guests. It was later moved to the television station [[Channel 4]], with little change in format except for a more varied guest rotation. Regular comedians from the British version included, as well as the radio regulars, a variety of [[United Kingdom|British]], [[United States|American]], and [[Canada|Canadian]] comedians, notably [[Josie Lawrence]], [[Paul Merton]], [[Tony Slattery]], [[Ryan Stiles]], [[Sandi Toksvig]], [[Colin Mochrie]], [[Mike McShane]], [[Brad Sherwood]], [[Stephen Frost]], and [[Greg Proops]]. Sessions was ever-present in the early days of the British television version, with Stiles becoming a staple in later episodes and having some influence on the creation and success of the American incarnation. Many of the performers, including Merton, Lawrence, and Toksvig, were regulars with the ''Comedy Store Players'', an improvisational group based at the [[London]] [[The Comedy Store, London|Comedy Store]]. The theme tune for the British television incarnation of the show was composed by [[Philip Pope]].
 
== Duties and roles ==
One of the first North American broadcasters of the British series was the Canadian youth channel, [[YTV (Canadian television)|YTV]], though many episodes were heavily edited for adult language and content.
{{Israelis}}
The Shabak's duties are:
* Upholding the state [[security]] against those who seek to undermine it by [[terrorism|terrorist]] activity or violent revolution.
* Expose terrorist organizations of [[Israel]]i civilians
* Interrogations of terror suspects.
* Providing [[military intelligence|intelligence]] for [[counter-terrorism]] operations in the [[West Bank]] and the [[Gaza Strip]].
* [[Counter-espionage]].
* Protect the lives of senior public officials (see also: [[bodyguard]]s).
* Secure important infrastructure and government buildings.
* Ensure the security of [[El-Al]], [[Arkia]] and [[Israir]] flights and Israel's [[embassy|embassies]] abroad.
 
One of the Shin Bet's roles is to protect the lives of senior Israeli ministers and public servants (such as the [[President of Israel]]). The Shin Bet is also responsible for preventing the funding of underground movements and terror groups whose members are Israeli citizens. It accomplishes this goal by using interrogations and secret agents ([[HUMINT]]).
The reruns of the UK TV series were also aired for many years on the U.S. [[Comedy Central]] TV channel, and were brought to the attention of American comedian [[Drew Carey]] (who had a working relationship with regular ''Whose Line'' performer Stiles who co-starred in ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'' when not appearing on the British show). Carey convinced [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] to air test episodes in the United States. The show was an inexpensive hit, and ABC kept Carey on as the host of a successful American version which ran for several years; it benefited from the low expectations of its Thursday night time slot (ABC was not expected to mount a serious challenge to what was then [[NBC]]'s longtime Thursday dominance). Also, while there were various instances in which the series had two episode premieres in one night, there were several occurrences in which some episodes were skipped over or were postponed until later dates.
 
== Legal status and methods ==
The American version was almost identical to the UK series, though with a less diverse rotation of games and performers, more involvement of the host (Carey) in the activities, and occasional celebrity guest appearances. During the early years of the American show, there was much debate over whether the new version was as good as the original UK show. Eventually the show was accepted by fans, due to increasing familiarity with the new format and the U.S. "Whose Line"'s building of its own fan base.
The Shabak relies mainly on [[HUMINT]] to extract information and gather intelligence. It uses [[informant]]s from the local population in order to gather intelligence about planned attacks or about the ___location of opposition leaders. Shabak had overwhelming success with informants, managing to target the top leaders of the Palestinian organizations—including hardliners such as [[Hamas]] and the [[Islamic Jihad]]. The killing of Sheikh [[Ahmed Yassin]] and [[Abed al-Aziz Rantissi]] shows how deeply Shabak has penetrated into the Palestinian militias. As a result, the Palestinians groups, mainly the [[al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] started killing suspected [[collaborator]]s.
The American incarnation of the show included [[Wayne Brady]], [[Colin Mochrie]], and [[Ryan Stiles]] as regulars, with [[Greg Proops]], [[Chip Esten]], [[Brad Sherwood]], [[Denny Siegel]], [[Jeff Davis (comedian)|Jeff Davis]], [[Stephen Colbert]], [[Kathy Greenwood]] and several others taking turns as the fourth performer. Celebrities sometimes took the fourth spot, including [[Robin Williams]], [[Kathy Griffin]], and [[Whoopi Goldberg]]. Other celebrities made guest appearances for individual games, such as [[David Hasselhoff]], [[Florence Henderson]], and [[Jerry Springer]]. There was even a particularly memorable appearance by [[Richard Simmons]] for one sketch [http://www.idiotsite.com/wlwiki/index.php?title=Richard_Simmons] [http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=6647]. There was also one episode where comic legend [[Sid Caesar]] made an appearance. During this episode, the applause and standing ovation for Caesar was so long that a good portion of it had to be cut from the broadcast.
 
Shabak also extracts information by [[interrogation|interrogating]] suspects. In [[1987]], after complaints about excessive use of violence in interrogations of Palestinian prisoners, the Landau Committee (headed by a former Supreme Court President) prepared a two-part report on Shabak's interrogation methods. Only one part was made public. It revealed that the Shabak regularly used violent methods of interrogation and that Shabak agents were tutored to lie in court about how evidence was uncovered. The committee report also gave guidelines for future interrogations but most of the details were in the secret part of the report. The open part revealed that the guidelines allowed Shabak to apply "moderate physical pressure" in the case of "necessity." In [[1994]], State Comptroller Miriam Ben-Porat, in a report not made public until February [[2000]], found that during 1988-1992 "Violation of the Landau Commission and the GSS regulations continued to be widespread in the interrogation facility in Gaza and, to some extent, in other facilities.… Veteran and senior investigators in the Gaza facility carried out severe and systematic violations. Senior GSS commanders did not prevent these violations." [http://domino.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/a4d9ee9284f95f798525697b0049366c?OpenDocument]
Mochrie, Proops, Stiles, Esten, and Sherwood all appeared multiple times on the British show. For a time, the British version of the series (with Clive Anderson still hosting) was taped in the same [[Hollywood]] studio as the American version (it was during this season that Brady made his debut), though this version was only shown in the U.S. on [[Comedy Central]]. After a couple of years of simultaneous productions, the British version of the series was retired. The American version was cancelled by ABC in 2003 due to low ratings, and continues in reruns on the [[ABC Family]] cable channel; however, these proved so popular that ABC put together new episodes from older tapings not considered to be good enough for previous runs, and original first-run episodes began airing on ABC Family in 2005.
 
In [[1999]] the [[Supreme Court of Israel|Israeli Supreme Court]] heard several petitions against Shabak methods. It found that these included: (1) "forceful and repeated shaking of the suspect’s upper torso, in a manner which causes the neck and head to swing rapidly," (2) manacling of the suspect in a painful “Shabach position" for a long period of time, (3) the "frog crouch" consisting of "consecutive, periodical crouches on the tips of one’s toes," and other methods. The Court ruled that Shabak did not have the authority, even under the defense of "necessity," to employ such methods.
Many of the sketches include music, and there have been a number of musicians during the run of the show. On the original BBC Radio series, the music was provided by [[Colin Sell]], but when the show migrated to Channel 4, [[Richard Vranch]] took over the job. [[Richard Vranch]] did not move with the show to the U.S.; in fact, during the final series of the UK show (filmed in America), musician [[Laura Hall]] made her first appearance. She continued as musician in the first season of the U.S. show on her own, but in the second season and onwards, other musicians were added to attempt to "jazz up" that section of the show. Joining [[Laura Hall]] often was multi-talented musician [[Linda Taylor]], and on occasion other musicians were added, such as [[Cece Worral-Rubin]], [[Anne King]], and [[Candy Girard]]. The sketches "Greatest Hits", "Hoedown", and "Song Styles" are amongst the most popular and rely heavily on music. The musicians have a task as challenging as the actors. In the games "Greatest Hits" and "Song Styles", for instance, they must come up with different song styles on the spot, and they must also work with the other musicians and the actors to make the scene work. The skits involving music are also challenging for the participants because they have to keep up with the music while simultaneously making up lyrics off the top of their heads.
 
In the Justice Ministry, [http://www.justice.gov.il/MOJHeb/PraklitotHamedina/MehozotHapraklitutVehamachlakot/HamachlakaLetafkidimMeyuhadim/ the Department For Special Roles], there is a senior investigator who checks complaints about Shabak interrogations.
==Common sketches==
Shabak claims that it is now basing its interrogations only on psychological means. However, organizations such as [[B'Tselem]] and [[Amnesty International]] still accuse Shabak of employing physical methods that amount to torture under international conventions.
*'''90-second Alphabet''': Three performers enact a scene in which each sentence must begin with the letter following the first letter of the last sentence. The performers start with a letter chosen by the audience and must go through the entire alphabet in 90 seconds. Many times, the players were not able to complete the game in time. The British version did not have a time limit; the game was just called "Alphabet."
*'''Action Replay''' (aka Instant Replay): Two performers enact a scene (usually with large physical movements), while the other two watch while wearing headphones, preventing them from hearing what is going on. Afterwards, the second pair must re-enact the scene based solely on what they saw. A U.S.-exclusive game.
*'''Animals''': Two to four performers must enact a [[soap opera]]-type scene as animals; the species are provided by the host. Only performed once to date on the U.S. version.
*'''Authors''': All four performers tell parts of the same story, but each performer uses the style of their favorite author, selected before the show. The host switches sequentially among the performers at regular intervals. (For a similar game, see '''Remote Control'''.) Not performed since the fourth UK season.
*'''Award Show''': Two performers host an absurd award show (such as "best [[frat boy]]" or "most bitter divorce") as other two performers act as the winners and take the stage for an acceptance speech. Random members of the audience are shot by the camera as the "runners up" and are not told ahead of time. Another U.S.-exclusive game.
*'''Backwards Scene''': Two or three performers are required to act out a scene, only starting with the ending line and working their way back towards the beginning.
*'''Bartender''': A performer approaches the bartender and sings about a prescribed topic, while the bartender (another performer) replies in song. The performers approaching the bar are typically either mad at something, sad about something, in love with something, celebrating something, or drinking to forget something. (For similar games, see '''Prison Visitor''' and '''Psychiatrist'''.)
*'''Change Letter''': The performers enact a scene; however, the performers must substitute one letter for another in all spoken words, as specified by the host. (For example, if 'F' is substituted for 'B', lines like "I fruised my futt on the fack porch" might be spoken.)
*'''Daytime Talk Show''': One performer is the host of a daytime [[talk show]], two other performers are guests appearing on the show, and the fourth is the rowdy audience member. The topic of the talk show is usually a fairy tale or nursery rhyme, and the "guests" improvise different people or parts related to the suggested topic.
*'''Dead Bodies''': One performer must act out a scene in a play, while one other performer and an audience member (in the U.S. show) or two other performers (in the UK show) pretend they are dead. Another performer joins the scene in due course but promptly dies as well. However, "the show must go on," so the living performer acts out the scene as if the others were still alive.
*'''Doo-wop''': Three performers sing a [[doo-wop]] song about a topic chosen by the studio audience.
*'''Dubbing''': Two performers enact a scene with an audience member, whose voice is provided by a third performer. Sometimes a special celebrity guest is used instead of an audience member. Much of the comedy comes from the inability to sync performer and voice (the performer is unable to see the person providing the voice).
*'''Fashion Models''': One performer comments on a "fashion show," the subject of which is usually related to a profession suggested by the studio audience. The other performers act out the show by mocking the walk down a fashion show runway.
*'''Film Dub''': Performers must watch a clip from an old (and usually unknown) movie or television show that has been muted and provide a dubbed dialogue, following the suggestion of a scene provided by the host.
*'''Film Trailer''': One performer acts as if he were a voiceover artist for a movie trailer, the nonsensical title of which is suggested by the studio audience. The other three performers act out scenes from the movie prompted by the narrator.
*'''Film, T.V., & Theatre Styles''': Two or three performers enact a given scene; at regular intervals, the host stops the scene and gives the performers a different style to use when the scene resumes. Called "Film & Theatre Styles" in the UK version.
*'''Foreign Film Dub''': Two performers enact a scene in a foreign languange chosen by the audience while the other two performers translate. Because the performers usually do not know the language chosen, the language spoken is usually just gibberish.
*'''Greatest Hits''': Two performers act as pitchmen for a compilation album (whose topic is provided by the audience); they provide titles and styles of songs to one or both of the other performers, who must improvise part of the song.
*'''Hats/Dating Service Video''': The performers are divided into two pairs and receive a box of random headgear, which they use to come up with examples of "the world's worst [[dating service]] videos."
*'''Helping Hands''': Two performers enact a scene in which one cannot use his hands; a third performer stands behind the handless performer and provides his hands instead. The performers usually wear smocks and costumes for this skit as it tends to become very messy (particularly for the poor performer who cannot use his hands). In the American show, Ryan Stiles usually plays the role of a character, with Colin Mochrie's hands being used.
*'''Hey You Down There!''': Two performers enact a scene in the style of a 1950's infomercial, complete with a voiceover by a third person. Commonly, the voiceover is [[Greg Proops]], and the two performers are [[Ryan Stiles]] and [[Colin Mochrie]]. This skit is usually carried out more often in the British version.
*'''Hoedown''': The four performers individually sing a [[hoedown]] about a given subject, with each contestant forming one of the four stanzas. (The British version also used a related game, '''Gospel''', in which the four performers sing a [[gospel music]] song.) The performers often struggled to create stanzas, and their stanzas frequently insult each other, the Hoedown itself, [[Drew Carey|the host]], or a combination of the three. Ryan Stiles in particular, is known for either making his verse somehow offensive, or expressing his distaste for Hoedowns.
*'''Hollywood Director''': Three performers improvise a scene provided by the host. The fourth performer, the "director", played by Colin Mochrie, interrupts periodically to provide new styles to be used in the scene, such as "Do it like a 1950's musical." Other common suggestions include, "Do the entire scene backwards", and "Do it like you have uncontrollable lust for each other."
*'''If You Know What I Mean''': Several performers improvise a scene in which they make up as many ambiguous [[euphemisms]] as they can, ending with the phrase "if you know what I mean." Many times, nonsensical phrases were thrown in (usually by Colin). Example: "Perhaps you need chunkier raisins . . . if you know what I mean," or "I'll help you fluff your [[Garfield]], if you know what I mean."
*'''Improbable Mission''': Two performers are super-secret agents ''a la'' [[Mission: Impossible]]. A third performer is the voice on the tape, who gives them their assignment: a mundane task (e.g. get dressed or mow the lawn). Called "Mission Impossible" in the UK version, possibly not in the U.S. because of the TV and movie series [[Mission Impossible]].
*'''Infomercial''': Two performers create an [[infomercial]] to sell "miracle products" for a personal problem (e.g. bad breath, baldness) using only the items given to them in a box.
*'''Irish Drinking Song''': The four performers must sing an [[Ireland|Irish]] drinking song one line at a time about a given subject. Four verses are sung in alternating lines, usually of seven and five syllables; in each stanza, a different performer begins the verse.
*'''Let's Make a Date''': One performer is the contestant on a [[Dating game show | dating-type show]]. The other three performers are bachelors who have quirky personalities that are revealed through their answers to the contestant's questions. The contestant tries to guess the specific personalities after one or two rounds of questioning. Sometimes, the characters are related to each other (e.g. Wayne is a drunk uncle ruining niece Colin's wedding, Colin is a frog leading the great escape from a French restaurant, and Ryan is the head of Colin's fan club).
*'''Living Scenery''': Two performers enact a scene provided by the host. The other two performers or special guests stand in for props during the scene.
*'''The Millionaire Show''': The performers enact a parody of ''[[Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?]]'', in which the performers act as members of a particular group provided by the host (e.g. [[gangster]]s, [[hillbilly | hillbillies]]). The performers take the role of the host, a contestant, a "phone-a-friend" lifeline, and an audience member lifeline (not present in the original show).
*'''Motown Group''': Three performers sing a [[Motown Sound]]-style song about a subject suggested by the studio audience.
*'''Moving People''': Two performers enact a scene, but they cannot move on their own. Instead, two audience members must move them into different positions as they act out the scene.
*'''Multiple Personalities''': Three of the performers are given a scene to enact with three handheld props (e.g. a canteen, a pair of binoculars, and a knife). Each prop is assigned an emotion or famous personality; the person holding the prop must reflect that emotion or personality during the scene (e.g. "the person holding the canteen is [[Carol Channing]]"). The performers trade props as the scene continues, giving everyone the chance to do different emotions or impressions. If a performer is holding more than one prop at once, the performer must combine the emotions or impressions.
*'''Narrate''': Two performers enact a scene in [[film noir]]; i.e., they must break the [[fourth wall]], approach the camera, and tell everyone what is going on, typically providing prompts for and information about the other character.
*'''News Flash''': One performer stands in front of a [[bluescreen|green screen]] as a field reporter, while two other performers act as studio reporters. Random footage is shown to the audience, the news anchors, and the viewers at home via the green screen, as the studio reporters question the field reporter about the footage. Eventually, the field reporter tries to guess what the footage is, based on the questions from the studio reporters. Colin is usually the reporter in front of the green screen. (For a similar game, see '''Press Conference'''.)
*'''Number of Words''': Four performers enact a scene in which each is assigned a number. They must use exactly that many words every time they speak.
*'''Old Job, New Job''': Several performers enact a scene in which one of the performers displays traits of his old job (e.g. [[cowboy]]) in his new job (e.g. [[teacher]]). Only played once on the U.S. version to date.
*'''Party Quirks''': Three performers (party guests) are given a random quirk, and the fourth performer is the party's host, who must identify the others' quirks as the guests arrive and interact at the party. If they correctly guess a person's quirk, that person sits down and leaves the party.
*'''Press Conference''': One performer acts as a public figure answering questions from three reporters (the other performers) at a press conference. Only the reporters know who the public figure is; the first performer must figure out who he is based upon the questions asked by the reporters. (For a similar game, see '''News Flash'''.)
*'''Prison Visitor''': One performer visits the other three in prison individually. They sing their problems to the visitor. (For similar games, see '''Bartender''' and '''Psychiatrist'''.)
*'''Props''': Two pairs of two performers must come up with quick scenes that involve a random prop, usually with one line that refers to what the prop is. Many times, the props are shaped in different ways that provoke slightly sexual scenes; for example, a prop shaped like a set of breasts. In one episode, Drew warned the performers "that they're on national television."
*'''Psychiatrist''': One performer acts as a [[psychiatrist]], but the other performers (patients) sing their problems to the psychiatrist, who then sings back to them the solution. (For similar games, see '''Bartender''' and '''Prison Visitor'''.)
*'''Questions Only''': Two performers enact a scene, while only speaking in the form of a question. Failure to speak in the form of a question results in the performer being buzzed out and replaced by another performer. A variant is '''Questionable Impressions''' where, in addition to the above rules, the performers must impersonate a historical, fictional, or popular culture figure of their choice. Another variant is '''Questions With Wigs'''. (See also '''Song Titles'''.)
*'''Quick Change''': Two or three performers enact a scene provided by the host. Another performer stands to the side and says "change" at various times during the scene; the performer who had the last line must then change that line to something else. A single line can be "changed" multple times, often leaving the performer clueless as to what to say.
*'''Remote Control''': All four performers enact four different types of television programs, each dealing with the same topic (provided by the host or the audience). At regular intervals, the host switches between performers as if using a television remote control. (For a similar game, see '''Authors'''.)
*'''Scene to Rap''': All four performers must enact a scene, [[rapping]] throughout.
*'''Scenes From a Hat''': The four performers improvise one-line scenes in response to suggestions from the audience. (The suggestions are written on slips of paper in a hat, giving the game its name). In the UK version, only one scene per suggestion was performed; in the US version, however, multiple scenes per suggestion are acted out.
*'''Secret''': Two performers act out a scene given by the host, and they are joined thirty seconds before some sort of secret is revealed. The audience suggests the ___location of the secret, relevant to the scene they will be playing.
*'''Show Stopping Number''': Three performers enact a scene. At random times, the host uses a buzzer, and the last performer to speak before the buzzer must sing a show-stopping tune based on the line they just said. Another U.S.-only game, possibly inspired by Wayne Brady's ability to do this.
*'''Song Styles''': One performer (almost always Wayne Brady in the U.S. show) sings a song in a style provided by the host about an audience member, or about a subject provided by the audience. (Sometimes, the rest of the cast provide backup vocals or dancing.) Variations on the game include:
**'''Duet''': two performers perform the song together as a duet, alternating verses or stanzas.
**'''African Chant''': same as '''Song Styles''', except that the style is always an [[African]] chant. There is constant joking about the fact that the other performers, all [[Caucasian]], would be Brady's backup (one time being referred to as "Wayne and the crackers").
*'''Song Titles''': Two performers enact a scene, speaking only using song titles; artists, song lyrics, and album names cannot be used. Failure to do so results in the performer being buzzed out and replaced by another performer. (See also "'''Questions Only'''".)
*'''Sound Effects''': There are two versions of this game. In one, one performer enacts a scene provided by the host, reacting to sound cues provided by a second performer. In the other version, two performers enact a scene with sound effects provided by two audience members.
*'''Sports Commentators/Sportscasters''': Two performers act out a scene in slow motion. The other two comment on it as if it was a sporting event.
*'''Stand, Sit, Bend''': Three performers enact a scene, but one must be standing, one must be sitting, and one must be bent over. Whenever one performer changes positions, the others have to accommodate. A variant is '''Stand, Sit, Lie''', where a performer must be lying down instead of bending over.
*'''Superheroes''': One performer is a silly superhero whose name is given by the audience, and is confronted with a bizarre world crisis. The other performers enter one at a time, each identifying the next entrant. Superheroes from this game include Disco Kid, Captain Dog-in-Heat, Yodeling Pogo-Stick Man, Captain Hair, Captain Obvious, Double-take Man, and Body Parts Constantly Falling Asleep Man.
*'''Telethon''': Two of the performers (generally [[Ryan Stiles]] and [[Colin Mochrie]]) host a [[telethon]] for a group of people who would not need money raised for them (e.g. [[NBA|NBA players]] or [[sitcom|sitcom actors]]), while the two other performers impersonate different musical artists who are there "supporting the cause".
*'''Themed Restaurant''': Two performers dine in an unusually themed restaurant; the other two performers display the theme as they act as waitstaff. Another game seen only on the U.S. version.
*'''Three-Headed Broadway Star''': Three performers sing a mock Broadway hit song one word at a time. The name of the mock musical and hit love song from said musical are provided by the audience. Sometimes one of the players would say more than one word at once (David Hasselhoff would repeatedly give whole phrases by mistake). Also, the performers often separated longer words into multiple words by syllable. Another U.S.-exclusive game.
*'''Two Line Vocabulary''': Three performers enact a scene provided by the host. One can say anything they like, but the others are allowed to say only two specific lines each, which are provided by the host.
*'''Weird Newscasters''': One performer is the lead anchor of a news show, with the others acting as co-host, sports anchor, and weather anchor. The host gives each performer (except the lead anchor) a quirky personality to be used in the scene.
*'''Whose Line''': Two performers enact a scene (provided by the host) while including two random lines that were given to them. The lines are provided by audience members, and are unseen by the performers until they decide to use them. Usually Colin and Ryan play this game exclusively; Brad Sherwood and Greg Proops have each played it once, both on the UK version.
*'''World's Worst''': The performers come to "the world's worst step" and step forward with examples of the world's worst example of something (e.g. "the world's worst roommate" or "the world's worst person to be stuck on an island with").
 
In [[2002]] the Israeli [[Knesset]] passed a law, regulating the activity of Shabak. The law ruled that:
The end of the program is handled differently in each version.
* The [[Prime Minister of Israel]] is in charge of the Shabak and carries ministerial responsibility for its activity. The head of the Shabak answers to the prime minister.
* In the British version, the "winner" (chosen arbitrarily by the host) reads the credits in a given style of the host's choosing.
* The Shabak head will serve 5 years in duty, unless there is a state of emergency.
* In early episodes of the American version, the "winner" (again, chosen arbitrarily by the host) performed a sketch with the host; afterwards, the credits rolled normally. In later episodes, the "winner" sat at the host's desk while the host performed a sketch with the rest of the performers; afterwards, one or more performers (unrelated to the "winner") read the credits in a style of the host's choosing.
* Interrogation methods: this part was not made public.
 
==Atmosphere History ==
=== Foundation ===
Though ''Whose Line?'' has all the trappings of a game show, it lacks the competition and the stakes of a normal game show. The winner is chosen completely arbitrarily and the points are meaningless. At the beginning of every American episode, Drew Carey says "Welcome to ''Whose Line Is It Anyway'', the show where everything is made up and the points don't matter." He then follows that statement up by mentioning something that does not matter (spy satellites over Canada, [[TV Guide]] on your wedding night, a politician's family, etc.). The meaningless points and winners are often the subjects of many jokes by host and performers alike. In the British version, individual games even sometimes had winners that did not participate at all. This carried over to the American version, with Drew occasionally giving points to cameramen, audience members, or Laura Hall.
With the declaration of Israeli Independence, the '''Shin Bet''' was founded, as a branch of the [[Israel Defense Forces]], and was headed by [[Isser Harel]] (the father of Israeli Intelligence, who later headed the [[Mossad]]). Responsibility for Shin Bet activity was later moved from the IDF to the office of the [[Prime Minister of Israel|prime minister]]. During the [[1948 Arab-Israeli war]] that was declared against Israel following the Israeli independence, the Shin Bet's responsibility included only internal security affairs. It was only later that its responsibilities were extended to [[Counter-espionage]] and the monitoring of [[Israeli Arabs]] (Arabs who did not leave Israel during the 1948 war of Israeli independence and who were granted Israeli citizenship).
 
=== Early days ===
There were two shows where the points did matter. In one, Drew wrote down totals on the back of a scene card ,and the winner actually was the one with the most points. On another show, instead of giving points, Drew gave $100 bills, most of which went to the audience.
In the beginning, as part of efforts to prevent anti-state activity, the Shin Bet monitored pro-[[Soviet]] opposition parties suspected of supporting the [[Soviet Union]] over [[Israel]] if the [[Cold War]] were to become an active full scale war. The political leadership, headed by [[David Ben-Gurion]], silenced publications that dealt with these activities. Only [[Uri Avneri]] successfully published about these activities in [[Haolam Hazeh]] newspaper. A great controversy was created when two Shin Bet agents were caught installing a [[bugging device]] in [[Meir Yeari]]'s office (Yeari was the leader of [[Mapam]] - a [[Socialist]] [[Zionist]] party with favorable views of the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Joseph Stalin]]).
 
One of the Shabak's most important successes, though it is often incorrectly attributed to the [[Mossad]], was to obtain a copy of the [[On the Personality Cult and its Consequences|secret speech]] made by [[Nikita Khrushchev|Khrushchev]] in 1956, when he denounced [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]. A Polish edition of the speech was provided to the Israeli embassy in [[Warsaw]] by the boyfriend of the secretary of a Polish communist official. The Shabak's Polish liaison officer conveyed the copy to Israel. The Israeli government then decided to share the information with the United States, who published it with Israeli approval.
Many times, the greatest comedy on the show came from the cast members attempting to stall for time or pass the buck to the other performer when they were not able to think of the next line. There are also instances when the performers interact with certain audience members. One example comes when, during a game of Greatest Hits, a cell phone goes off in the crowd, thus prompting Ryan to act as though he is putting one away.
 
Up until the [[Six Day War]], the Shin Bet continued to focus on [[counter-espionage]] and monitoring political activity among the Israeli Arabs. Shabak's most notable achievement in counter-espionage was the capture of Dr. [[Israel Bar]] in [[1961]] who was revealed to be a [[Soviet]] [[spy]]. Bar was a [[Lieutenant Colonel]] in the reserves, a senior security commentator and close friend of Ben-Gurion, and reached high Israeli circles. Bar was tried and sentenced to ten years in prison (which was later extended by the Supreme Court to fifteen years, following his appeal), where he died. In the same year, [[Kurt Sita]], a [[Christian]] [[Germany|German]] from the [[Sudetenland]] and a [[professor]] in the [[Technion]], was revealed as a [[Czech people|Czech]] [[spy]].
Typically, Ryan and Colin would be teamed up together in scenes, allowing for a humorous rapport between the two. Colin would usually inadvertently say something that would cause Ryan to laugh so hard that he would be unable to look at Colin. This happened in many episodes. One of the most memorable examples of this was in a game of "Improbable Mission" where Colin kept yelling, "The cat!", causing Ryan to crack up so hard he had to turn around to hide his face from the camera. They would also sometimes have phony side squabbles while addressing the camera. They are often paired up with Drew for "Helping Hands", with Colin acting as Ryan's hands. Colin usually forces Ryan to eat something strange, including chocolate syrup, toothpaste, and whipped cream. Because Colin cannot see what he is doing, he often tosses things between hands, and once even juggled, earning mass applause.
 
=== After the Six Day War ===
===Running gags===
After the [[Six Day War]], Shabak efforts to monitor terrorist activity in the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] become a more and more dominant part of the organization activity, and today it is considered to be the major part of Shabak's mission. [[Yeshayahu Leibowitz]] warned that the control over the territories will turn Israel into a "Shabak state". However, Shabak imposed restrictions on itself in order to not harm democratic values, separation of authorities and to prevent the risk that Shabak will be used in a totalitarian manner.
 
=== Years of crisis ===
[[List of running gags|Running gag]]s appear frequently in many episodes, largely in the American version. Usually, the gags involve the participants and the host making fun of one another and themselves.
During [[1984]]-[[1986]] Shabak went into a major crisis following the [[Kav 300 affair]] in which two terrorists who hijacked a bus and took hostages were executed without trial by Shabak officers, who later covered up the event and gave false testimonies. Following this affair, [[Avraam Shalom]] (then the head of Shabak) was forced to resign.
 
The event resulted in the Landau committee, which regulated Shabak interrogation methods.
Some running gags are confined to a single episode, in which notable jokes or mistakes from previous games are recalled in later games.
 
In [[1995]] a crisis followed the [[assassination]] of [[Israeli Prime Minister]] [[Itzhak Rabin]] by [[Yigal Amir]]. Following the Shabak's failure to protect Rabin, [[Carmi Gillon]] was forced to resign. Later, the [[Meir Shamgar|Shamgar]] investigation committee learned of serious flaws in the personal security unit and the provocative and inciting behavior of [[Avishai Raviv]] - an [[Agent provocateur]] of the Shin Bet Jewish Unit. Raviv obtained a "[[photoshop]]ped" picture of Rabin in an [[SS]] uniform, and presented it in the infamous [[Zion Square]] demonstration in Jerusalem prior to Rabin's murder.
====Single Episodes====
 
Gillon was replaced by outside "import", [[Israeli Navy]] [[admiral]] [[Ami Ayalon]]. Ayalon rehabilitated Shabak after Rabin's murder and worked hard to restore its reputation with the general public.
* There were very few episodes that starred cast members from the original ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' from Britain. [[Josie Lawrence]] guest-starred on the American show once. During a "Scenes From A Hat" game she said, "Welcome to Dead Cats, with 100 recipes that you can do with your p***y." The censors blocked many vital parts of the sentence (both visually and orally). Drew later said, "You know, here in America, you get away with it if you pronounce it poo-say."
* In one episode, at the beginning of a "Greatest Hits" game, [[Colin Mochrie]] shouts gleefully, "We're watching animal porn!" [[Drew Carey]] pressed the buzzer in response, and [[Ryan Stiles]] broke into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, at Colin's expense. Afterwards, Ryan said to Drew, "So happy. 'We're watching animal porn!'"
* In one episode, during a "Greatest Hits" game, [[Ryan Stiles]]—letting [[Colin Mochrie]] play a guessing game about what the next genre of song was—asked him what sound an African [[tern]] made. Colin replied, in an attempt to imitiate a bird, "Backstreet Boys?" This unfortunately caused the audience to cheer; Ryan laughed so uncontrollably that he cried. In the next song, Colin asked Ryan what sound a blackbird made and said, "Opera!" with less of an uproarious response from both the audience and Ryan.
* In one episode, Drew accidentally calls [[Africa]] a country. Throughout that episode, there are numerous references to Africa and the differences between countries and continents.
* In the one-hundredth episode, Wayne attempts to sing a [[Village People]] style song about a man named Howard but spells it "Horward" shortly before (and for the rest of the song after) the tempo of Laura Hall's [[synthesizer]] speeds up unintentionally. Wayne's spelling was a joke for the rest of the episode.
* In one episode, [[Drew Carey]] was asking the audience for suggestions for "Film, TV, and Theater Styles." The audience suggested horror. When [[Drew Carey]] used that suggestion, [[Ryan Stiles]] misinterpreted it as "whore."
* In one episode, during a game of "Weird Newscasters", Ryan was asked to portray a character "desperate to quell rumors that he's gay." Jokes of Ryan's being in [[the closet]] occurred throughout the rest of the show, including it being the theme for the reading of the end credits.
* In one episode, the "Title Sequence" game was suggested to have [[Adolf Hitler]] and [[Bill Cosby]] as unlikely roomates, but the directors adamantly refused this on air (this may be the only time in show history this happened; the director's head was clearly visible on camera). Hitler was replaced with an occupation, an insurance salesman. The cast jokingly complained the rest of the night, especially Drew, who, in the next game, "Scenes from a Hat", vented his frustration with a suggestion titled, "If [[Tonto]] and [[Tarzan]] were roommates." At a point during the suggestion, Drew looked into the camera and said, "Go ahead, make fun of the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] all ya want! Who gives a shit about them?" to which Brad brought Wayne down on stage and said in a Tonto-like voice, "Will you go upstairs and tell Hitler to be quiet?" After the laughing, Drew Carey says, "What did I do?"
* During the hoedown in that show, Ryan Stiles concluded his hoedown with this piece about the director: "...he should grow a mustache / and move to Germany."
* In a game of "Greatest Hits", [[Ryan Stiles]] was talking about a great fictional song written by the "band [[Kid Rock]]." [[Drew Carey]] laughed and said Kid Rock was just one guy. Later, in a game of "Questions Only", [[Ryan Stiles]] and [[Drew Carey]] are standing in front of each other, and when Ryan is forced to ask a question, he asks "Did you know Kid Rock was just one guy?"
* In one episode, during "Song Titles", Colin, who was out of songs to use, blurted out "Nice Pants" in response to Ryan's use of "Blue Suede Shoes". The other performers immediately latched onto it and used it in just about every scene thereafter. One highlight was when Chip Esten sang a short jazz song which consisted solely of the words, "Nice pants!"
* In one episode, during a game of "Party Quirks" where Ryan was playing "Carol Channing whose head keeps sticking to things", Ryan accidentally breaks the rectangular neon light on Drew's desk when he hits it with his head, causing nearly uncontrollable laughter in the other cast members. Colin later makes the comment, "It would've been better if your head burst into flames." During a hoedown about wrestlers later in the episode, Ryan refers to the incident by asking if they "can break a neon light by slamming it with their head." The incident is mentioned again when Ryan is asked to read the credits as [[Carol Channing]] while the other cast members pick pieces of glass out of his hair.
* In one of the most memorable episodes of all time, a game of Sound Effects was played with audience volunteers who only seemed to be able to make "ooo" noises, no matter what the situation called for. Colin and Ryan, who were playing the game on stage, were struggling not to laugh, while Drew and Wayne both fell out of their seats. The incident was mercilessly joked at for the rest of the show, particularly by Wayne, but everyone used "ooo-ooo" as a punchline at least once (especially during "Scenes from A Hat").
* In one episode, Wayne was told to sing a song to a school [[lunch lady]] as a singing, stripping [[telegram]]: when reciting the week's menu, Wayne slipped in "a little bit of spaghetti and two great meatballs", only realizing what he had said after he said it, causing uproarious laughter from the audience. After returning to his seat, [[Wayne Brady|Wayne]] commented "I feel so dirty!"
* In one episode, during a game of Weird Newscasters, Ryan was "Rapidly descending the evolutionary scale." After imitating a chimpanzee, Ryan proceeded to imitate Drew. As a result, Drew called Ryan a freak for the first half of the episode. Drew later apologized, though Ryan commented that he felt great when he mocked Drew.
* During a game of "Party Quirks", Wayne (desparately trying to convey a [[King Kong]] vs. [[Godzilla]] movie) went out into the audience and grabbed a young woman from the audience Kong-style. Unfortunately, Wayne accidentally lifted her short skirt enough to show her butt, and it took him a few moments to realize why everybody was laughing so hard. The young woman (named Melissa) ended up being a running joke for the rest of the show, especially from Ryan. The ending hoedown allowed Ryan to bring it up again, and, in fact, a special episode of ''Whose Line'' shows several hoedowns from the same taping where Ryan concluded each of his verses with a reference to Melissa.
* During one game of "If You Know What I Mean," Colin comes up with perhaps the most unusual euphemism of all when he says, "I'll help you fluff your Garfield, if you know what I mean." Throughout the rest of the episode, the others used the term "fluffing the Garfield" in one form or another in several of their jokes.
* In one game of "Weird Newscasters", Ryan took the role of a drill sergeant, and pulled a few audience members from the stage to assist him. He ordered them to climb the green screen (used in "Newsflash"), which cracked and nearly fell over. After the game, Drew congratulated the audience members involved and reprimanded Ryan for "breaking the green screen."
* In one episode, Colin—who frequently was the butt of bald jokes—was unlucky enough to be given the role of "Captain Hair" in "Superheroes" by a member of the audience (in addition, the crisis he had to avert was "no more Rogaine."). Needless to say, the rest of the contestants made fun of him for the rest of the show. Also in one episode, four performers sang the "Going Bald" Hoedown. Both Brad and Drew's final lines were "I'm glad I'm not Colin Mochrie". Colin, in retaliation, sang "I still get way more sex than either Brad or Drew."
* In one episode, Colin, unable to think of a line, merely said "Meow" in several games. During the Hoedown of that game, Colin's second verse was merely "Meow". The two performers after him laughed so hard that they were unable to sing their verses and complete the Hoedown, and the piano music stopped, suggesting that pianist Laura Hall was laughing too hard to play.
* During one game of "Greatest Hits", Ryan asked Colin what comes to mind when he thinks of [[Desi Arnaz]]. Colin replied, "Tapioca!". Ryan laughed so long he had to turn his face from the camera, and the singing part of the sketch (done by Wayne Brady) was significantly shorter.
 
In [[1996]], a unit of the Shabak assassinated [[Hamas]] chief bombmaker [[Yahya Ayyash]] by planting an explosive device in his [[cellular phone]]. The operation was carried out after an instruction by then Prime Minister [[Shimon Peres]].
====Multiple episodes====
 
=== During the al-Aqsa Intifada ===
*Ryan's shoes (not only very large, but often wildly colored, having spats, or both). His tendency to wear odd shoes is often the punchline for jokes, usually Drew's, who once remarked that "Ryan's shoes and the Great Wall of China are the only man-made objects visible from space".
{{SectOR}}
*Ryan's height, which is another target for jokes.
In 2000, Ayalon ended his 5-years term and he was replaced by veteran Shabak official, [[Avi Dichter]]. Dichter, an ex-[[Sayeret Matkal]] [[commando]] and an experienced Shabak [[espionage|agent]], tightened the working relationship with the [[Israeli Defence Forces]] and the [[Israeli police]]. Foreign press hinted that Shabak is working tightly with the elite Israeli counter-terror unit, [[YAMAM]].
*Drew's weight, most often the target of Ryan's jokes.
*Either Colin's [[baldness]], his [[Canada|Canadian]] heritage, his vibrant Hawaiian shirts, or a combination of the three.
*Jokes about performers being fired for insulting Drew during an episode.
*The censors. For instance, [[Drew Carey]] once taunted the censors by calling [[Laura Hall]] a beautiful "pianist", and stating that it made him happy because he could say the word repeatedly and the censors could do nothing about it.
*When Drew says at the beginning of the show, "The winner gets to do a little something special with me," he also tends to throw a sexual innuendo into "something special."
*Ryan rarely gets a chance to sit at Drew's desk. He is the regular who has "won" the fewest games.
*Though the points don't matter, Drew frequently says at the end of every game, "A thousand points a piece." This is something that Ryan makes fun of several times, particularly during "Scenes from a Hat," and even Carey himself would lampoon this tendency by producing a tape recorder with the message recorded on it and playing it back.
*[[Colin Mochrie|Colin]] was frequently assigned a female role. During one "Scenes from a Hat" scene where the scene was "What the cast members wish for when they blow out the candles on their birthday cake," Colin's wish was "Dear God, let me play a man in a scene for once!"
*There were several references to ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'', which was concurrently in production with ''Whose Line?'' and co-starred Ryan Stiles.
*Drew's starring role in the TV-movie [[Geppetto]] was also mentioned several times. Wayne Brady also had a role in the film as a magician.
* Many of the players would be known for their impressions, typically Wayne as [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Bill Cosby]], or [[Gary Coleman]]; and Ryan for characters like [[Liberace]], [[Carol Channing]], and, most famously, [[John Wayne]]. Colin, not an impressionist, would sometimes be [[Peter Graves]] or [[Craig T. Nelson]], the joke being that he would speak normally and merely introduce himself as Craig T. Nelson.
*[[Wayne Brady|Wayne]], as the only [[African-American]] on the show, often makes remarks related to racism and Southern states (his favourite is [[Alabama]]) during "Scenes from a Hat". He will also often pretend to get offended when [[Drew Carey]] assigns him the task of performing a game called "African Chant," and tends to make insulting references to the [[UPN]] network as well.
*The last line of Ryan's hoedown stanza would frequently insult Drew Carey. Ryan also tended to insult Drew in several other games. In one case, when assigned the role of "descending the evolutionary scale" in "Weird Newscasters", he indicated the "bottom of the scale" by imitating a buzzer and saying, "A thousand points a piece, let's go on to 'Party Quirks'."
*Colin Mochrie would usually end the "Irish Drinking Song" game with the last verse, and it usually made so little sense it would cause uproarious laughter in the three other performers.
*[[Colin Mochrie|Colin]] and [[Ryan Stiles|Ryan]] would frequently be given extremely outrageous characters (extreme, even by the normal definition of outrageous) to play in "Party Quirks," "Weird Newscasters," and "Let's Make a Date."
*On the British version, a running gag was the frequent insulting of Clive Anderson's physique (mostly his short neck) by the performers. Clive was referred to once in the American series after Wayne was accidentally called Brad by Drew ("Hey, Clive's allowed to make mistakes," Ryan commented).
*Clive Anderson would often belittle [[Greg Proops]] on the British version of the show, mostly when translating between the different idioms of Britain and the U.S. (e.g. "elevator" vs. "lift"), often saying something like "You have those in America, don't you?"
 
Dichter was in charge when the [[al-Aqsa Intifada]] erupted. He managed to react quickly to changes and turn Shabak into a prominent player in Israel's war against [[Palestinians]] after the collapse of the [[2000 Camp David Summit]].
==See also==
 
The Shin Bet is most known for its role in the conflict with [[Palestinians]]. The Shin Bet produces intelligence which enables the [[Israeli Defence Forces]] (IDF) to prevent [[suicide bombing]]s before they reach their destinations. This is usually done by preventive arrests and deploying road blocks when there is a serious alert.
*''[[Mock The Week]]''
*''[[Drew Carey's Green Screen Show]]''
*[[Theatresports]]
 
In addition to preventing [[suicide bombing]]s from the West Bank by arrests and special operations, Shabak is working tightly with the [[Israeli Air Force]] in order to pinpoint and kill terror masterminds and terrorist leaders by precision [[air strike]]. The targets are field commanders and senior leaders of Palestinian militant factions (which Israel consider as terrorists), mainly those of [[Hamas]], but also of the [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad|Islamic Jihad]], the [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]], the [[Fatah]] and even one [[Al-Qaeda]] linkman ([[Iad Al-Bik]]). These assassinations, called "[[targeted killings]]", are usually done by [[helicopter gunship]]s, where both IAF commanders and Shabak agents sit together in the command center monitoring the operation. Shabak's task is giving intelligence when and where the target will be available for a strike and then reacting to IAF [[UAV|drone]] feedback and ensuring the men on the sight are indeed the wanted terrorists (this part is called "identification and incrimination").
==External links==
*[http://www.hattrick.com/ Official website of Hat Trick Productions the UK makers]
*[http://www2.warnerbros.com/web/whoseline/index.jsp Official website of U.S. version]
*[http://www.idiotsite.com/wlwiki/index.php?title=Main_Page Whose Line Wiki] - Detailed episode summaries.
*[http://whoseline.net/ Mark's Guide to Whose Line is it Anyway? - the original Whose Line Is It Anyway? online guide, by Mark Longmuir]
*[http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/comedy/improv.htm "In A Style Of My Choosing" - the story of Whose Line Is It Anyway? from Off The Telly]]
*[http://www.ukgameshows.com/index.php/Whose_Line_is_it_Anyway%3F UK Gameshows Page: ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'']
*[http://www.angelfire.com/pq/radiohaha/WHOSELIN.html radiohaha]
* epguides.com's [http://epguides.com/WhoseLineisItAnyway_UK/radio.shtml radio guide], [http://epguides.com/WhoseLineIsItAnyway_UK/ UK guide] and [http://epguides.com/WhoseLineIsItAnyway_US/ U.S. guide]
* [http://www.tv.com/whose-line-is-it-anyway/show/489/summary.html TV.com's ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'' guide]
*[http://www.idiotsite.com - "The IDIOTsite" A website dedicated to Whose Line is it Anyway?]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094580/combined Whose Line Is It Anyway? (British)] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163507/combined Whose Line Is It Anyway? (American)] at the [[Internet Movie Databse]]
*[http://wliia.org/ wliia.org [[BitTorrent]] site to download many episodes.]]
*[http://abc.go.com/primetime/whoseline/index.html Official Site of Whose Line Is It Anyway? on ABC Prime Time]
 
Shabak's effective activity during the second Intifada boosted its reputation both among the Israeli public and [[counter-terror]] experts. [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/m052504.html]
[[Category:ABC network shows]]
[[Category:BBC radio comedy]]
[[Category:Channel 4 television programmes]]
[[Category:Comedy television series]]
[[Category:Panel games]]
[[Category:2000s TV shows in the United States]]
[[Category:Improvisation]]
[[Category:American programs based on British programs]]
[[Category:Programs broadcast by YTV]]
 
=== 2003 to 2006 ===
[[de:Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]
In November 2003, four former heads of Shin Bet ([[Avraham Shalom]], [[Yaakov Peri]], [[Carmi Gillon]] and [[Ami Ayalon]]) called upon the Government of Israel to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians. [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1096286,00.html].
[[he:של מי השורה הזאת בכלל?]]
 
[[nl:Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]
[[Ami Ayalon]], along with Palestinian professor [[Sari Nusseibeh]], launched the ''[[National Census]]'' peace initiative.
 
[[Avi Dichter]] is one of the chief supporters of building a defence barrier against Palestinians in the [[West Bank]]. The Israeli government began building the [[Israeli West Bank Barrier]] in [[2003]]. Dichter has since said that the barrier 'is working' and helps to prevent and reduce [[terror]] attacks. [http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=397404&displayTypeCd=1&sideCd=1&contrassID=2], [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/17/wmid17.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/12/17/ixportal.html&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=229966]
 
In February [[2005]], [[Ariel Sharon]] announced that [[Yuval Diskin]], a veteran Shabak field agent, senior negotiator with Palestinian officers and mastermind of the "targeted killings", will replace Dichter after he ends his five-year term. On [[May 15]], [[2005]] Diskin entered into office after Dichter left with great applause from the press, the politicians, and the public. Dichter has joined the political arena and is now a member of the [[Kadima]] party, founded by the former [[Israeli]] prime minister [[Ariel Sharon]].
 
In September 2006, the Shin Bet, launched its first-ever public recruitment drive with the creation of a [http://www.shabak.gov.il Web site]. The employment campaign, coming on the heels of a newly approved defense budget, is targeting computer programmers.
 
===Rising Profile===
Once considered a commitment to lifelong anonymity and even invisibility in Israeli society, today a Shabak agent who achieves high rank in the service, especially the director, is considered a candidate for membership in the top brass of the Israeli government and business community. This process follows a trend started by ex-generals and colonels of the Israel Defense Forces, the trailblazers including [[Moshe Dayan]], [[Ariel Sharon]], and [[Yitzhak Rabin]]. In the Shabak and the foreign intelligence [[Mossad]] service, the trend showed up much later (During mid-[[1990s]]), even though Isser Harel (who served as head of both services) and Meir Amit of the Mossad both served as lawmakers.
 
Ex-Shabak directors today are increasingly visible as candidates for higher office. Yaakov Peri became the chairman of Bank HaMizrahi in 2002, and also became a highly visible guest on television programs. Carmi Gillon serves as Chairman of the Local Council of [[Mevaseret Zion]], Jerusalem's most affluent suburb, while Avi Dichter and Ami Ayalon were at one time leading candidates for defense minister (Dichter for the Kadima party formed by prime minister Ariel Sharon, Ayalon on the Labour party ticket). Dichter eventually became Minister of Internal Security in the current government led by [[Ehud Olmert]]. Ayalon has attracted widespread following as a co-initiator with Palestinian dignitary Sari Nusseibeh of the non-governmental Peoples' Voice initiative to petition the governments in Israel and the Palestinian Authority for a permanent settlement.
 
== Criticism ==
 
The so-called "[[Shabak technique]]" is an extreme [[interrogation]] technique that is used by the Shin Bet on [[Palestinian]] suspects. It has never officially been confirmed by the secretive Shin Bet as acceptable for use. Informal accounts by prisoners indicate it may involve forcing the subject to sit on a short stool or chair which is angled forward (so it's impossible to sit in a comfortable, stable position) and then tying their arms and legs behind them to the chair, while also covering their head with a bag and possibly subjecting them to extremely loud noise, such as music. The subject is then left in this condition for extended periods of time. Sleep is not allowed for the duration.
 
This method was considered by the Israeli Supreme Court on September 6, 1999, which prohibited this method, along with all other forms of torture and physical pressure. In 2000 an official Israeli government report was released, after being kept secret for five years, in which the government admitted torturing Palestinian detainees between 1988 and 1992.
 
On May 6, 2007 two human rights organizations released a report in which they charge the Shin Bet of continuing its torture techniques despite a court ruling in 1999 prohibiting such techniques. The report is based on testimony from 73 prisoners who were in Shin Bet custody between March 2005 and July 2006. The report continues with descriptions of these techniques, all of which are classified as torture under international law: physical beatings, painful binding, back bending, and body stretching and prolonged sleep deprivation.
 
Furthermore, the report criticizes the lack of accountability within the Shin Bet stating that despite over 500 complaints of abuse made to the attorney's office since 2001, no criminal investigation was launched as complaints are investigated by a member of the Shin Bet.
[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/856142.html]
 
== Lists and tables ==
=== Important events in Shabak history ===
* [[1948]]: the Shabak is founded as the ''Shin Bet'' and is one of the three secret services in Israel along with the Military Intelligence and the Foreign Intelligence (later, the [[Mossad]]).
* [[1956]]: the Shabak obtains a copy of Khrushchev's speech denouncing Stalin.
* [[1961]]: the Shabak expose Doctor [[Israel Bar]] as a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Espionage|spy]].
* [[1984]]: the [[Kav 300 Affair]], two terrorists hijacked a [[bus]] and after IDF SF and Shabak regained control over the bus, [[Avraam Shalom]] ordered the killing of the two terrorists who were captured alive, and [[Danny Yatom]] knocked their skulls in with a brick. The officers involved tried to cover this up.
* [[1987]]: the Izat Nafsu affair, when an officer was cleared from spy charges, and Shabak was highly criticized for his methods and norms.
* [[1995]]: the [[assassination]] of [[Yitzhak Rabin]] by [[Yigal Amir]] and the failure of Shabak to prevent it.
* [[1996]]: the Shabak assassinates [[Hamas]] top bombmaker [[Yahya Ayyash]].
* [[2000]]-[[2005]]: the [[al-Aqsa Intifada]] and Shabak main role in intelligence gathering and [[counter-terror]] efforts. [[Avraam Dichter]] received high credit for Shabak part in thwarting hundreds of [[suicide attack]]s and the [[assassination|targeted assassination]] of terrorist leaders.
 
=== Heads of the Shabak ===
* [[Isser Harel]] (1948–1952)
* [[Izi Dorot]] (1952–1953)
* [[Amos Manor]] (1953–1963)
* [[Yossef Harmelin]] (1964–1974)
* [[Avraam Ahitov]] (1974–1981)
* [[Avraam Shalom]] (1981–1986)
* [[Yossef Harmelin]] (1986–1988)
* [[Yaakov Peri]] (1988–1994)
* [[Carmi Gillon]] (1995–1996)
* [[Ami Ayalon]] (1996–2000)
* [[Avi Dichter]] (2000–2005)
* [[Yuval Diskin]] (2005–)
 
==Shabak in Popular Culture==
* [[Shin Bet]] operative Dahlia Tal appears in the [[Ubisoft]] video game [[Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow]]. As a jest, when Lambert brings up the Shin Bet, Fisher replies with "Spooky. Who are we torturing?"
 
* [[Shin Bet]] agents appear several times in Joel Rosenberg's book The Copper Scroll.
 
== See also ==
* [[Israel Security Forces]]
* [[Israel Defence Forces]]
* [[MAGAV]]
* [[Mossad]]
* [[YAMAM]]
* [[Security agency]]
 
== External links ==
* [http://www.shabak.gov.il/ Shabak Official website (Hebrew)]
* [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/ Shin Bet] ([[Federation of American Scientists|FAS]])
* [http://www.fas.org/irp/world/israel/shin_bet/m052504.html "Return of the Shin Bet" By Omri Essenheim] ([[Maariv]], [[25 May]] [[2004]] - reprint at FAS)
* [http://www.btselem.org/english/legal_documents/HC5100_94_19990906_Torture_Ruling.PDF Text of the 1999 High Court of Justice ruling] (PDF)
* [http://www.btselem.org/english/torture/background.asp B'tselem report on Shabak's use of torture]
* [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3230365,00.html Knesset said "No" to Shabak]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/637293.stm BBC - Israel admits torture]
 
[[Category:Intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Israeli Security Forces]]
 
[[ar:شاباك]]
[[cs:Šin Bet]]
[[da:Shin Bet]]
[[de:Schin Bet]]
[[es:Shabak]]
[[fa:شاباک]]
[[fr:Shabak]]
[[id:Shin Bet]]
[[he:שירות ביטחון כללי]]
[[nl:Shin Bet]]
[[ja:シャバック]]
[[pl:Szin Bet]]
[[fi:Shin Bet]]
[[sv:SHABAK]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whose_Line_Is_It_Anyway%3F_(British_TV_series)"