John Bishop takes on Saturday night giants

The Liverpudlian comedian, aged 55, first tried stand-up while working as a sales rep, before becoming a full-time 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 that, he has The John Bishop Show starting on ITV, a Saturday-night extravaganza involving celebrity guests, lots of 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 Bishop says 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 from the first iteration 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 light-hearted.

“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 in the UK, 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 Bishop keeps tight-lipped when asked for 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.

So, what would happen if it turned out a guest could not take part?

“Then I’ll phone my mum and have a show with her,” he quips.

“We’ll always have a contingency guest around,” he adds.

“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.

“What happens on that day will be what people see on the screen, and if it works, brilliant – and if it doesn’t, it’s too late for me to fix it.”

Asked about dream guests, the charismatic comic, who has also presented factual series 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 [on Channel 4] 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 little bit standoffish is less good for this show than having somebody who wants to get involved.”

But the keen footballer, who played for non-league teams Hyde and Southport, admits the likes of Steven Gerrard would leave him feeling star struck (he’s a lifelong Liverpool fan).

He also recalls the time he was appearing 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.”

- The John Bishop Show starts on ITV on Saturday, January 8