It’s as close to being a stand-up gig as any telly show I’ve done
As he launches his new Saturday night show on ITV, John Bishop tells GEORGIA HUMPHREYS why he’s not trying to be Jonathan Ross
JOHN BISHOP knows a thing or two about performing live.
The Liverpudlian comedian, 55, first tried stand-up while working as a sales rep, before becoming a fulltime comedian in 2006.
Since then he has played to sold-out arenas and he is taking his latest tour across Europe next summer.
But before all that, he has The John Bishop Show starting on ITV, a Saturday-night extravaganza with celebrity guests, topical comedy and a live studio audience, which will be filmed on the day it is going out.
“I don’t generally get nervous over doing stand-up comedy, and I don’t know whether I’ll get nervous doing this,” notes the father-of-three, who married wife Melanie in 1993.
“There’s the responsibility that it’s not just me on screen; there’s a big production team that want to make it a success and people’s jobs depend on making it a success, so that level of responsibility gives you a twinge of nerves, I suppose.
“But, in many respects, if we’ve learnt anything this year, it’s to put things in context. At the end of the day, it’s only telly.”
Down-to-earth John explains the series has been about three years in the making – they were in pre-production when the first Covid-19 lockdown happened in 2020.
“Just because of the nature of the show, we decided to postpone it,” he explains. “It has evolved since then, and it’s become a different beast, because it’s now a more topical chat show, rather than a straightforward interview show.”
He seems glad they’ve made these changes though.
“The show that we were talking of then did have a bit more of a traditional approach, and it gives us a chance to throw everything out the window and just say, ‘No, I want to do something different than what is currently on’.”
The star, who joined the cast of Doctor Who this year, as the Time Lord’s companion, Dan Lewis, has previously hosted a talk show on W, called John Bishop: In Conversation With... But he suggests this programme will feel more lighthearted.
“I’ve done the interview thing. I’ve got a podcast where I talk in a long-form way with people; that’s where you start revealing people’s personalities.
“This is there to entertain people, and it’s unashamedly getting set up that way as well.” What else makes The John Bishop Show stand out?
“Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross are the kings of chat shows, and there’s absolutely no way that this is trying to emulate what they do.
“This is a little bit more like the American-style show, in the fact that it goes out on the day it’s recorded, and it’s also a little bit more entertainment-based because there’ll be a few little [pre-filmed] VTs that might get dropped into it.
“Also, the guests themselves are going to be part of this show throughout; there’s not going to be one segment where I talk to the guest about what they’re doing. Hopefully, it’ll feel a little bit like three or four people just having a chat together.”
We know the interviewees will include the hottest names in film, TV, sport and music, but John is tight-lipped on details, bringing up the issue of Covid.
“The difficulty with doing it now – whoever you’ve got booked can disappear because somebody that they were in the Post Office with tests positive,” admits the funnyman.
“We’ll always have a contingency guest,” he follows. “It’s as close to being a stand-up gig as any telly show that I’ve done because you can’t cover every eventuality.”
Asked about dream guests, the comic, who has also presented John Bishop’s Great Whale Rescue and John Bishop’s Ireland, is practical.
“What you want is people who are going to sit there and enjoy it, have a laugh, because there’s nothing that makes you enjoy a television show at home more than watching something where it looks like everyone on is enjoying it.
“The Last Leg is a great example of that because it’s live, and because the people that go on, the interactions are good, so you enjoy watching it, you feel like you’re part of it, and that’s the kind of thing I’m trying to create as well.
“Having a huge name who is a bit standoffish is less good for this show than having somebody who wants to get involved.”
But the keen footballer, who played for nonleague teams Hyde and Southport, admits the likes of Steven Gerrard would leave him star-struck – he’s a lifelong Liverpool fan.
He goes on to recall being on The Graham Norton Show alongside Dame Judi Dench and Sir Elton John.
“All of a sudden, I’m stood backstage thinking, ‘This is surreal,” he confides.
“But that’s what chat shows do, they should mix someone like me, who is new, with legends like that – and from a viewer’s point of view, you get different sides of things. If I can achieve anything like that on this show, I’ll be pleased.”
If we’ve learnt anything this year, it’s to put things in context. At the end of the day, it’s only telly
John Bishop