{"id":508787,"date":"2025-10-18T06:48:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T06:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/508787\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T06:48:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T06:48:20","slug":"i-was-one-of-the-first-in-the-uk-to-see-john-bishops-hollywood-story-liverpool-nod-moved-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/508787\/","title":{"rendered":"I was one of the first in the UK to see John Bishop’s Hollywood story – Liverpool nod moved me"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan Paton’s review as the ECHO was at the first UK screening of Bradley Cooper’s new film, Is This Thing On?, at the London Film Festival this week\"Ryan<\/p>\n

Ryan is a senior journalist who specialises in celebrity and entertainment news. He regularly secures exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in TV with stars from BBC and ITV shows such as Good Morning Britain, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, The Chase and Strictly Come Dancing. He has also covered some of the major events in Merseyside such as Eurovision, The Open, The Grand National and the Labour Party Annual Conference.
\nRyan also regularly writes articles on the latest travel advice, money saving tips and weather updates.<\/p>\n

\"ECHOECHO reporter Ryan Paton on the red carpet ahead of the UK premiere of Is This Thing On? (Image: Liverpool ECHO )<\/p>\n

Like many people, I was initially taken aback when I heard Bradley Cooper’s latest film was inspired by the life of John Bishop. Although the 58-year-old is a household name in the UK and has been selling out arenas across the country for over a decade, this doesn’t necessarily mean his story would capture the attention of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.<\/a><\/p>\n

However, the way the Liverpool-born comic<\/a> has been such a fixture on the telly for so long has made it easy to lose sight of just how incredible his beginnings actually are. I knew John Bishop got into stand up after separating from his wife, but seeing it brilliantly adapted for the big screen in Is This Thing On? made it hit home just how much the story is straight from the Hollywood playbook.<\/a><\/p>\n

In the film, which premiered in the UK at the London Film Festival on Tuesday (October 14), Bishop’s tale is transposed from the North West of England to New York<\/a>, as Will Arnett stars in the lead role as Alex Novak, a dejected dad who has lost his appetite for life.<\/p>\n

The Arrested Development star is renowned for being a fine comedy actor, so it’s no surprise that he’s very capable at delivering hilarious monologues on stage at the Comedy Cellar<\/a>. But the 55-year-old puts in one of the best roles of his career with a complex performance that equally captures Alex’s emotional struggles, as his world is falling apart around him.<\/p>\n

We are introduced to the character <\/a>when he is at breaking point as his wife Tess, played by Laura Dern, matter of factly tells him it’s time to “call it” on their relationship. The love between the two clearly exists, but neither are happy, so they try and navigate their lives apart, while still trying to be there for their young children.<\/p>\n

It’s the sort of human drama that doesn’t get made much anymore as it tackles grown-up issues in a realistic fashion, showing how life can sometimes go wrong, without either person being truly the good or bad guy. The hook of the story sees Alex, at his lowest ebb, when he’s drowning his sorrows through a solo bar crawl in downtown New York, baulk at the 15 dollar entry fee<\/a> at a comedy club.<\/p>\n

\"WillWill Arnett as Alex Novak in Is This Thing On?<\/p>\n

John Bishop did exactly the same 25 years ago when he was told it would be \u00a34 to enter the Frog and Bucket in Manchester. In the film, Alex reacts in the same way as the then-sales and marketing manager<\/a>, as he signs up for an open mic night to get free entry, never expecting he would actually be called up to perform.<\/p>\n

The decision changes the course of his life, as the honest way he opens up on his divorce connects with the crowd – and he is then embraced by the comedy community. Slowly, his passion for comedy sees his zest for life return, all building up to a farcical set piece when Tess unintentionally attends Alex’s gig and uncovers his dirty secret.<\/p>\n

This is a plot point that would seem too far-fetched if it wasn’t based on the actual truth of how John and his wife, Melanie Bishop<\/a>, got back together. But the story is more than just this incredible turn of events as it’s about the affirming message it sends out about relationships that will truly make it hit home with audiences across the globe. As a character played by Will & Grace’s Sean Hayes points out in one line: “People change, love doesn’t.”<\/p>\n

\"WillWill Arnett and Laura Dern in Is This Thing On?<\/p>\n

Producer Kris Thykier described it as an “anti-romcom” in his interview with the ECHO, as it shows the rekindling of a love that has grown apart rather than one blossoming in the first place. Although a Hollywood story on Bishop’s life may seem surreal on the surface, what happened to the comedian is the perfect way to explore an interesting theme that so many will be able to relate to.<\/p>\n

The ECHO<\/a> was in attendance at the first UK screening which was held earlier on Tuesday morning before the official premiere at the BFI Festival Hall. Although the film is gorgeously shot by Cooper and is his love letter to the New York comedy scene, it still manages to retain a Liverpudlian spirit, as it sends a message of hope on the importance of persisting in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n

The Liverpool streak is also represented through Will and John’s love of Liverpool FC, which perhaps makes it no surprise their onscreen counterpart, Alex, also loves the Reds. The support for the team is not an overwhelming part of the character’s identity, but is referenced twice in the film.<\/p>\n

One is impossible to miss, when Alex wears an eye-catching Nike Liverpool FC<\/a> vest during a conversation with self absorbed best friend, Arnie, hilariously played by Cooper in a supporting role. The other may go unnoticed for people unfamiliar with the team, as Alex takes inspiration from one of the Kop’s most popular anthems in a moment of extreme vulnerability.<\/p>\n

\"WillWill Arnett’s Alex in a Liverpool vest while talking to Arnie, played by Bradley Cooper, in Is This Thing On?<\/p>\n

After his first open mic show goes surprisingly well, Alex looks at himself in the mirror and sings some lines from Allez Allez Allez, as a way to centre himself following a moment that will change the course of everything. I’ve heard the song countless times from my spot on the Kop, but never expected to hear it in this context.<\/p>\n

Will’s accent means it’s more Ole than Allez, but this certainly doesn’t detract from the emotion of the scene, as I’m sure many football fans will be able to relate to falling back on what their team means to them during a moment of crisis. It was another bold creative decision that surprisingly paid off in a film that is full of them.<\/p>\n

John Bishop’s story being told in a Hollywood film may initially feel like a bizarre concept, but, by the end of ‘Is This Thing On?’, it’s a no brainer that it would one day be adapted for the big screen. Perhaps the only surprise is that it’s taken this long. ‘Is This Thing On?’ will be released in UK cinemas on January 30<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"JohnJohn Bishop and Will Arnett on the red carpet at the Is This Thing On? premiere(Image: WireImage)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ryan Paton’s review as the ECHO was at the first UK screening of Bradley Cooper’s new film, Is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":508788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,33138,179,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-508787","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-john-bishop","12":"tag-liverpool","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115393837208571530","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=508787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/508787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/508788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=508787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=508787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=508787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}