British stand-up comedian John Bishop is relishing the chance to perform a unique one night gig in Dubai before embarking on a 38-day tour of the UK.
“From a comedic point of view, it’s a brilliant place to come and gig because you have so many references, not only to the local culture, but virtually every culture in the world is represented in Dubai — so you can take the [mickey] out of everyone!” he tells tabloid!.
“I’m excited about coming up with material that will exist for just that one night. It’s only going to be relevant to that audience on that night in that room.
“I think it all comes down to that uniqueness in Dubai because everybody, to be honest, is passing through without knowing how long they’re gonna be there for. It’s like the biggest bus stop in the world.”
When the 47-year-old Liverpudlian performs at the World Trade Centre on May 29, it will be the comic’s first gig outside Britain and Ireland. He’s had chances aplenty to perform abroad but the fit hasn’t been right, he says.
“I’ve had a longer standing relationship with Dubai than most people because my wife worked for Emirates when it first started as an airline in 1992. I’ve been amazed by the growth of the place.
Affinity with Dubai
“I’ve been asked to go and gig in USA, but I’ve always been too busy or not committed, and also I’ve not felt an affinity with the place, whereas I do to an extent with Dubai — it’s an audience I can probably relate to.”
When he broke onto the comedy scene, Bishop’s anecdotal wit stemmed from his experiences of growing up in working-class Britain, which chimed with the family everyman: a million miles away from Dubai’s glitzy City of Glass image often portrayed in the UK. But connecting his formative years to Dubai’s emergence as a global hub will make fascinating material for his show, he feels.
“A lot went on during my journey to adulthood in terms of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the expansion of travel. When I first went to Dubai, I was about 24, and at that stage, if somebody would’ve said to me ‘Dubai will be a massive holiday destination, and it will have people from the Eastern bloc in it,’ I would’ve said ‘you’re joking,’ because at that time, the only Russians I saw were queuing up for bread on the TV,” he jokes in his relaxed, elongated-vowelled Scouse brogue.
A former pharmaceutical salesman, Bishop’s route to professional comedy started from a dark place.
After splitting with wife Melanie in 2000, Bishop sought evening-time solace in Manchester’s Frog and Bucket Club watering hole — enticed by the open mike comedy night he thought would make for good background entertainment.
Free entry for a five-minute set caught Bishop’s eye. Soon, he was performing sets for the patrons. A year later, Bishop was performing a set about relationship troubles (which included a morbid sketch about his wife’s head in the fridge) when the then ex-Mrs Bishop turned up unexpectedly at the venue flabbergasted to see John on stage, and blown away by his energy.
The random meeting revived their marriage. And from then, comedy was the only career Bishop wanted. His star has since soared to stardom — though he still despises the ‘celebrity’ epithet.
Charity and comedy
From five-minute sketches for a handful of local punters, Bishop has now sold out thousand-seater arenas with hour-long gigs, presented prime-time television programmes on the BBC and raised $5.25 million (Dh19.2 million) for Sport Relief by cycling, rowing and running 467 kilometres from Paris to London.
The 2012 Sport Relief achievement is close to his heart. And Bishop finds a parallel in the thrill of giving in a philanthropic and comedic sense.
“Although it’s nice to be recognised for [charity work], it wasn’t me that made it a success, it was a success because other people got involved and donated. In many respects, that’s the parallel — that other people are more important than I am in making something a success. The audience makes a comedy show a success, and the people who donated for Sport Relief made that a success.”
But nothing quite compares to the instant recognition and human interaction of stand-up for the father of three.
“At the end of the day, the reality is stand-up comedy is the greatest joy in the world. When you stood there and you say something that makes others laugh immediately, you think ‘you agree with me’.”
Bishop’s comic repertoire and natural dexterity on stage is all the more remarkable considering that before the fateful encounter with the Frog and Bucket, he had no real interest in comedy.
“I’d never really watched any comedy or been to any shows before I did it myself. So my main influences are probably my mates — they’re the funniest people I know. I think they’re funnier than me,” he says.
