John Bishop: Elvis Has Left the Building

The financial crisis has offered rich pickings for many stand ups. Life goes on, however, and in John Bishop’s first-rate routine it is refreshing to listen to the humour of the everyday where the credit crunch merits only one cursory punch line.

As a 42-year-old Scouser with three kids he can never impress and a father whose macho Northern expectations he regularly disappoints, Bishop is certainly not short of material. But where some may have chosen to indulge in self-depreciation, Bishop instead delivers his routine with the authentic charm of someone who revels in every experience, and who only wants to share the peculiarities of his life with his audience.

His set is executed faultlessly; the audience—never left waiting for the next joke—ensure the Cabaret Bar ripples constantly with laughter. The accessibility of his material means this is a show that few could fail to enjoy. If his stories don’t resonate with parts of your own life then you surely cannot have grown up in an average British family.

What marks this show out even further is the sense of optimism that Bishop’s infectious enthusiasm for his own life leaves you with. He is as proud of his failures as he is of his success, and the equality with which he celebrates both reminds us that the funniest things happen closest to home. His sons might think he’s a knob, but he’s one of the funniest knobs you could hope to meet.