The comedian spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about the new film inspired by his life and the full circle moment when it was screened in Liverpool
04:00, 30 Jan 2026
John Bishop spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview about the film inspired by his life, Is This Thing On?, which arrives in cinemas today(Image: Getty Images for The Walt Disney)
“It’s been strange for me because I know the end,” John Bishop jokes as he talks about what it was like to watch the new film inspired by his life story. The extraordinary way the Liverpool-born comic got into stand up has been adapted for ‘Is This Thing On?’, which has arrived in cinemas across the country today (January 30).
Although it initially raised eyebrows when it was announced the 58-year-old would be the subject of the latest film directed by Bradley Cooper, his life affirming story is straight out of the Hollywood playbook. John had just separated from his wife, Melanie, and was at his lowest ebb when he signed up for an open mic night to avoid the £4 entry fee.
That move 26 years ago changed the course of his life as it put him on the trajectory to become a household name in UK comedy and reignited the romance with his wife Melanie. The couple are still happily married today and John told the ECHO in an exclusive interview how it’s been emotional to revisit this crucial point of his life when it all could have turned out so differently.
He said: “It’s not a word by word biopic, but there’s so many things in there, so many elements that reflected what really happened. It has been one of those things where people have stepped away and been like, ‘Oh my God’, I didn’t know that was the reality.
“Marriage is hard, there’s lots of ups and downs and we’ve managed to keep fighting our corner 30 years later. That’s the message of the film: That it’s always worth having another look, having another go.”
The idea was first floated that John’s life could be a movie almost a decade ago by producer Kris Thykier, but the comic was initially apprehensive as he had seen too many examples of actors doing bad versions of stand up comedy on screen. However, he became more open to the idea when he heard one of the finest comedy actors in Hollywood, Will Arnett, was interested in the story.
John Bishop and Will Arnett spoke to the ECHO in an exclusive interview after the Liverpool screenings(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
John said: “He’s got comic timing. I’d seen him in stuff like Arrested Development and knew he had comic timing. But having comic timing when it’s in a scripted thing doesn’t mean you can do that convincingly in the reality of a comedy club.”
For the film, John’s story has been transposed from the North West of England to the clubs of New York. Will threw himself into the world of stand up to prepare for the role as he performed in the comedy clubs of the Big Apple under the pseudonym of the character in the film, Alex Novak. John travelled across the Atlantic to see him in action and knew then that he was perfect to play the part.
He added: “I went over, ostensibly, to work with him on it, give him a few tips. I could tell straight away after the second gig that he was where he should be.
“He’s got a real loose presence on stage and the type of confidence you need when you start out in stand up. You’re confident enough you can do it, but you’re not overconfident that you think everything you say is funny.”
With Will’s role in the film secured, the next big step in the development of the movie was when Bradley Cooper got on board. The Hangover star is long time friends with Will and expressed an interest in the project when the Bojack Horseman star told him about John’s story.
The comedian was in disbelief when he heard someone of Bradley’s status was interested as he told the ECHO about his first interaction with the Maestro director. He said: “I went on a Zoom call and he was there. I’m like, ‘Alright Brad.’ It feels ridiculous when you’re a fan of these people. I mean Bradley Cooper is an amazing filmmaker, he’s unable to make a bad film.”
Bradley Cooper and John Bishop on the red carpet of the Is This Thing On gala screening in London(Image: Getty Images)
John, who was born in Everton before he moved to Runcorn with his family aged 10, was full of praise for the 51-year-old as he added: “He’s just open and he’s very collaborative. One of the things that people don’t realise is the speed in which he works. The speed in which it is done.
“They filmed this over 33 days. They finished filming this in March and the first cut that I saw of the film was in August and it’s out in cinemas in January. For a cinematic release that was so quick.”
In a Q&A screening in Liverpool, John shared the story behind his first face to face meeting with Bradley. Bradley’s previous films are similarly defined by a man changing through a driven pursuit of his passion and John said the director was drawn to the story because of the way it had a happy ending.
However, John joked the meeting had come shortly after he and Melanie had an argument as he laughed: “I went, ‘If you’d been in my house an hour ago, I don’t think it was a happy ending’. He just looked at me and said, ‘This film is a happy ending.’ I said I’ll go home and make up.”
John Bishop and Will Arnett in conversation with the ECHO’s Ryan Paton at the Is This Thing On screening in Liverpool(Image: Getty Images for The Walt Disney)
A special screening in Liverpool at the Everyman Cinema earlier this month was attended by the people closest to John and he said it felt like a full circle moment. He said: “In the crowd, you had the likes of Mick Ferry who introduced me on to the stage, Dave Perkin who ran the Frog and Bucket comedy club [where he performed the first show], who spoke to me after that first ever gig and said maybe you should try and do this a little bit more. It was brilliant.
“That screening particularly in Liverpool meant a lot because there was people there who had been through the journey with me.” John was joined by Will at the screening for the Q&A. Although the events in the film have been moved to New York, it retains a Liverpudlian heartbeat through John and Will’s shared love for Liverpool FC.
Two moments in the movie reference the Reds as Will’s character sings terrace anthem Allez Allez Allez after his first stand up set and wears a LFC themed vest in another scene. John told the ECHO he was touched this was represented in the film, but he didn’t have anything to do with their inclusion as he said it took him by surprise on his first viewing.
He added: “It was flattering, I didn’t know they were be there. I got a message off Will to say there’s certain parts I think you’ll really like. I thought it was going to be the stand up or the emotional bits when they all get back together. But then I realised it was all the Liverpool references. That wasn’t in the written script, so I didn’t know they were going to be there.”
John Bishop and Will Arnett at the Liverpool screening of the film with Mick Ferry and Dave Perkin(Image: Getty Images for The Walt Disney)
While the comic was initially nervous about handing his story over, he said Will and Bradley couldn’t have done a better job with their adaptation. As the journey of the film reaches its final hurdle today when it is released to UK audiences, John said the best is yet to come as it is in the future when it will properly sink in just how much Is This Thing On? means to him.
He added: “I think it would be nice in five years time turning the telly on and being able to find it on one of the streaming services. This film will last forever and I think that’s the nicest thing about it.”
After a dabble with Hollywood, John is preparing to return to more familiar ground as he is taking a deserved break before going back out on tour and continuing the journey that started when he first stepped behind a mic 26 years ago.
He said: “Ultimately, I’m a comedian, and you can only be a comedian by doing comedy. And you can only do comedy by going on tour and that’s what my job is. That’s what I’m doing, I’m going to go out and spread some happiness around the land.”
Is This Thing On? is out in cinemas now. John Bishop’s tour Let’s Go Round Again is arriving at the M&S Bank Arena on May 13, 2027