Bishop’s Ireland
John returns to comedy roots in series exploring Emerald Isle
The cat is out of the bag regarding Harriet Finch’s stalker on Emmerdale – and he is one angry man. Turns out her ex Will Taylor is not dead after all and is out for revenge having just got out of prison. His daughter Dawn is in on the scheme to ruin Harriet’s life, but how will the vicar react when she learns the truth? as a comedian he now hosts his own successful chat show.
Bishop said: “Ireland holds a very special place in my heart and always has done, even before stand-up.
“So to have the opportunity to travel around, meet local people, make them laugh and experience new things along the way has been John, right, with Mayo supporter Harriet Finch a total joy.” In episode one he goes to Croker for the 2017 All-ireland final between Dublin and Mayo.
We all know the outcome but the Scouser is fascinated to hear about the Westerners’ “curse” having lost the final seven times since 1951. Next he heads to Cork where he attends a college lecture on, wait for it... folklore and fairies (seriously?) before swapping stories of royal encounters with local fishermen.
The following week’s itinerary includes an encounter with Ireland’s last matchmaker Willie Daly, and his world-famous magic book in Lisdoonvarna. ITV has Will Taylor Dawn and Will billed the show as “a once-in-a-lifetime 600-mile road trip around the Emerald Isle, taking a deep dive into Irish culture”.
But there are warning signs that instead of a dive this is more of a paddle in the shallow end with a heavy and tongue-in-cheek emphasis on leprechaun lore. Nevertheless, viewers will undoubtedly give Bishop the benefit of the doubt as his boyish smile wins over locals across the country.
Bishop revealed filming was not planned and the decision to take a production crew was only made two days before his departure.
He added: “You can only have a mishap if you’ve got a plan. Because we didn’t, nothing seemed to be too bad, to be honest.”
John Bishop’s Ireland begins on ITV on Friday at 8pm.