EXCLUSIVE: John Bishop is marking 25 years in comedy by doing a tour across parts of the world, which will also bring him back to Australia.
But that’s not the bit about the milestone that’s blowing the British comedian’s mind.
The story of how he started doing stand-up at an open mic night, in the midst of a separation with his wife, has been turned into a Hollywood movie helmed by Bradley Cooper and starring Will Arnett.
Bishop told nine.com.au at the London Film Festival premiere of Is This Thing On? it was all “really bizarre” because a day earlier, he’d just returned to the comedy club where he started.
“Last night I did the 200 people in the Frog and Bucket, I went back to the comedy club when I first started … I always knew this was a significant year and I’d celebrate but I didn’t think it was going to get accompanied by this,” he said.
“This is like another level.”
After wrapping his mind around the Hollywood stars walking past, as well as thinking about going from shows at 14,000-seat arenas to the intimate crowd at the comedy club, Bishop had a moment of reflection – followed by a hit of the dry humour he’s become famous for.
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“It’s sort of come at just the right time because I’m celebrating 25 years since that first night when I walked on stage … so it’s sort of like it couldn’t have found a better place [at the film festival],” he said.
He then quipped: “To go from a comedy club in Manchester on a Monday night to the red carpet next to the A-list is on a Tuesday – can’t wait to see what’s going to happen on Wednesday”.
Is This Thing On? is loosely inspired by Bishop’s autobiography How Did All This Happen? and focuses on the breakdown of his marriage, which he deals with through stand-up comedy.
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The movie was co-written by Arnett, who plays the Bishop character Alex Novak, and is also co-written by director Bradley Cooper, along with British screenwriter Mark Chappell.
One night Novak’s estranged wife (played by Laura Dern) sees his routine and they rekindle their relationship – again, based on Bishop’s own story.
John walked the red carpet in London holding hands with his wife Melanie Bishop with the comedian humbled by how it all turned out.
“It’s been a long-time to reach the screen and so I’ve known, it’s been out there for a while and we’ve been involved in different stages of it,” Bishop told nine.com.au.
“But it’s for it to have achieved this, for this to be the big deal that it’s become is obviously down to the fact that it’s got the talent it’s got in it.
“It’s got Andrea [Day] in it, it’s got Will [Arnett], it’s got Laura [Dern] and it’s got Bradley Cooper in it and that’s not something you could ever have dreamed of and for me as well … It’s really bizarre.”
Is This Thing On? will be in cinemas around Australia on January 22, 2026.
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