John Bishop in Ireland

John Bishop performs live on stage in Ireland

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John Bishop performed stand-up comedy for the first time in October 2000, and the following year made it to the final of all the major new act competitions, including So You Think You're Funny, the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Awards, the BBC New Comedy Awards and the City Life North West Comedian of The Year Award, which he won.

In 2002, he was named best newcomer by BBC Radio Merseyside, and in 2004 he won the North West Comedy Award for best stand-up. And in 2009, he was nominated for the Ediburgh Comedy Award

His material is drawn from his life's experiences, from fatherhood to cycling around the world, to playing semi- professional football, to working as a nightclub doorman.

John Bishop: Elvis Has Left The Building - Fringe 2009
Live Review

You’d be hard pushed to leave a John Bishop gig without feeling that your spirits had been lifted, even a little. However, given this capacity to give a crowd a boost, it’s a pity that the consummate Liverpudlian comic’s latest offering never really sees him with the wind beneath his wings.

After a couple of Edinburgh shows where Bishop managed to put his head over the bar of just being a solid circuit comic, this latest offering, tenuously based on a documentary he watched about the life of Elvis, is disappointingly pedestrian.

Essentially Elvis is used a motif for mid-life crisis and then abandoned about halfway through after Bishop has lamented his poor attendance at the gym and confessed that fashion choices for the over 40s are limited. Then follows an equally so-so routine where Bishop tries to avoid revealing to his father that he is a member of the RAC and therefore mechanically inept when it comes to cars. He likens the predicament to what it would be like if he had to reveal to his father that he was gay. It’s not an offensive routine but it is certainly over-egged.

A sense of machismo is always present in Bishop’s sets and while it is never overbearing we have to indulge him here and there. This is never more true than when he is talking about his beloved Liverpool FC. I am sure that there were some in the audience that would have enjoyed his tale of playing in a charity match alongside the Anfield greats less than I did. Nevertheless, if Bishop can successfully hold your attention here it helps his payoff where he manages to intertwine Elvis and his own exploits on the football pitch.

Ultimately, the material that rests best on the broad shoulders of this comic is from the home hearth and in particular the relationship with his three sons, here depicted as both confrontational and then conspiratorial when they help him obscure from their mother their father’s internet porn usage.

It’s never a chore to spend an hour in the company of this charming performer, although if the outcome of it were deliberated upon by a pools panel, they might consider it a scoreless draw.

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Saw Bish at the Brighton Comedy Festival last year - liked it so much that I came back to see him again at Komedia. Tremendous. Audience rapport on a level with Dara O Briain - great storyteller - highly recommended

Adrian Breeds, February 2010

Saw John in Bath tonight - there were many laugh out loud moments which we took home with us for which I would recommend you go & see him. For me, the genuine warmth of his persona & spirit was really the star of the show, the ending being particularly poignant and uplifting. Go see

Keith, February 2010

Have I gone back in some kind of time warp?!? ... His stuff is nothing we didn't see in the 70s, mostly in working men's clubs *sigh*

Max, January 2010

Saw John at Brighton and it was one of the highlights of the comedy festival. We saw loads of shows and his was one of the best. One of the good guys

jackie, October 2009

Saw John's show at the fringe 2009 and it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had. Such great writing too. The end particularly made the whole audience come alive. He's a brilliant comic.

Karen Beasly, September 2009

Who is Julian Hall? Obviously someone who wouldn't know a great comedian if he fell over them! John Bishop is by far the best comedian around at the moment. He is worth every penny. Go and see John and you will see I'm telling the truth. John Bishop is brilliant

Peter, August 2009

Saw John at the Didsbury Cricket Club last night. He previewed his Fringe show Elvis Has Left The Building. Absolutely brilliant comedian, so funny and a great storyteller. John made the crowd feel at ease with his laid-back persona. You can tell he is enjoying himself which makes it more enjoyable to watch. Well worth the money. Go see him!

Andy, August 2009

John Bishop is very funny. His humor is not derived from knowing propinquity with auratic culture (as in 'alternative' comedy), but rather derives from offbeat observation. Despite this limitation, he managed to be consistently amusing throughout a one hour set. A very confident performer who builds a good rapport with the audience very quickly. As many have said, deserves to be more famous than he is.

John F Keane, August 2009

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