Des Bishop - My Dad Was Nearly James Bond

Des Bishop smiles cheesily from his poster, dressed in black tie and looking slightly like a used car salesman: it doesn’t bode well. But My Dad Was Nearly James Bond defies expectation to be a deeply moving and amusing monument to Mike Bishop, Des’s terminally ill father. 

Having grown up mercilessly teasing his dad about his bit-part roles in classic '70s movies, Bishop has found his position in relation to his father reversed; it is his father who now seeks to undermine Bishop Jnr's attempts at being responsible. With this show, he’s turned his father's filthy sense of humour into a testament to the man of whom Bishop is so obviously proud.

A mixture of quick Irish wit, American confidence and English self-deprecation, Bishop is a potent force on stage. His smooth delivery is peppered with well-placed pauses in a show that seems both natural and expertly executed. 

His jokes pack a mean punch but he’s not afraid to have periods of nothing but family reminiscing. You feel like you know Bishop’s family, which raises the emotional stakes and draws you into this tribute. Aided by some period '70s slides we get a palpable sense of his relations: his powerhouse mother, his mischievous brothers and, of course, his ridiculously good looking father. 

Beginning with a photo montage of Mike modelling, ending in a standing ovation, this show could be construed as a manipulative exercise in plucking heartstrings, but instead feels powerfully honest and full of raw emotion.