John Bishop

39658 original

When Bishop told me in a recent interview that his show at this year’s Fringe would be about his rise to fame, I didn’t expect this to be a full synopsis. Throughout his 60 minutes at the gigantic McEwan Hall, the Liverpudlian reels off tales of his spiralling career - from Robbie Williams’ post-Brits party to appearances on Celebrity Mastermind. It’s clear that Bishop has come a long way from shows to six people in The Hut, his home venue of yesteryear.

But this focus on his life is nothing new. Bishop has always been a keen observer of the comedy in everyday life - he quips early into his set that he wakes up the in the morning hoping that something funny will happen. The new stories may involve more glamour and a lot of name-dropping, but they follow Bishop’s formula of everyman stories expertly told.

There is no sign that his self-deprecation is on the way out – Bishop mocks his appearance on his show posters, which seem to adorn half the flat surfaces around Bristo Square. There's also is no sign that the friendly atmosphere on which Bishop prides himself has disappeared. We still have the banter with the audience, and it doesn’t feel like you’re one of a thousand in the largest venue at this year’s Fringe.

There is room for some risqué jokes, though they do seem to have been refined for a mainstream audience. But this is the same of Bishop: clear-cut, endearing but most of all, plain funny.