John Bishop mentioned at the start of his show that he last played the Bloomsbury Theatre in 2010 and if he was on the way up then he must be on the way down now. Nothing could be further from the truth. This was merely an intimate amuse-bouche – or should that be amuse Bish? – to warm up before heading out on the next leg of his lengthy Back At It tour.
Not that the former pharmaceuticals salesman needs much warming up. Whether gigging in this 500-seater or a 15,000 capacity arena he simply strolls around and chats as if he has bumped into you in the pub. It must take serious graft to look this effortless.
His subject matter, as ever, is nothing to scare the horses. The theme is about seizing the moment and not letting life pass you by. He has certainly seized his moments with both hands, giving up a successful but dull job for comedy.
At one point he lists his ambitions as a seven-year-old. He may not have played for his beloved Liverpool but he has ticked off most of his childhood dreams. Acting in Doctor Who was a double whammy – he both fired a laser and fought a Dalek. He is also proud to have snogged Ian McKellen when they co-starred in the pantomime Mother Goose, though that was not on his youthful wishlist.
Elsewhere Back At It touched on male mental health. Bishop revealed that soon after performing here in 2010 he went through a "manopause" and mislaid his mojo. He gets plenty of laughs out of contrasting how men and women deal with middle age, even if the jokes are sometimes basic – imagine Keir Starmer having a hot flush debating winter fuel payments at PMQs.
At times he feels like a thoroughly old school comedian, the kind that this 57-year-old watched as a schoolboy, but minus the sexism or racism. His observations might be trad but they come straight from the heart. There is a particularly moving description of his elderly parents watching Coronation Street together even though his father hated soaps.
If there is a quibble it is that fans may already be familiar with chunks of material. When he talks about his family history he draws on his appearances on geneology shows Who Do You Think You Are? And DNA Journey. Anyone who saw those will have a whiff of deja vu.
But that is a minor caveat. When he discusses his depression he says that Testosterone gel miraculously lifted his mood. In a way John Bishop is like Testosterone gel in human form. Ninety minutes in his company will definitely lift your mood.
UK tour includes Palladium, April 3, 2025; johnbishoponline.com
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