EXCLUSIVE: The Liverpudlian comedy ace admitted he hated comedians that chose to’ punch down’ with who they joke about , but warned that nothing should ever be off the table when telling jokes
John Bishop thinks no topics should be off limits in comedy. The stand-up veteran doesn’t worry about whether his material will offend people.
He told the Daily Star Sunday: “I don’t avoid anything when I’m writing jokes. “If you haven’t got a sense of humour, you’re going to get offended by something. If you’ve got a sense of humour, you’ll be able to see the funny side.”
John thinks you can joke about anything so long as it’s done with some decency. He added: “The big thing for me is not punching down. It’s about not picking on someone and bullying someone.
“If you say something and the people you’re talking about can laugh about it, then it’s a joke. But if you say something and they can’t laugh about it, it’s bullying. That’s the difference.”
John will kick off a new stand-up tour later this year with a show to celebrate 25 years in comedy, but he’s got no idea what he’ll be joking about.
He said: “I don’t know what the material will be on. I’ve just booked the dates. I haven’t written it yet. I’ll start pulling it together six months before. I’ll go to comedy clubs and work on it that way. It will build and evolve.”
Bishop’s remarks follow his decision to axe his own talk show.
The comedian enjoyed strong ratings and landed high-profile guests such as Shania Twain, Sir Ian McKellen, and Courteney Cox during two series on ITV. However, he has decided to bring The John Bishop Show to an end, admitting that the competition in the talk show arena is tough.
John also found the short interview format frustrating, as he prefers more in-depth conversations—something he can explore on his podcast, The Bishop Exchange.
He explained: “A chat show doesn’t allow you to do the depth of interviews that I would have liked to have done.
“With television, you’ve got to fit into schedules. But with the podcast, I can do it whenever I want to do it.”
The John Bishop Show aired its final episode in February 2023, running for a total of 13 episodes across two series in 2022 and 2023. Each series featured six episodes, with a special airing in December 2022.
Alongside international stars, John also welcomed a host of home-grown talent. Michelle Keegan, Oti Mabuse, Rob Brydon, Mel C, Maya Jama, and Craig David were among the well-known faces who joined him for a chat.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
