John Bishop (I)

John Bishop: Where did it all go right?

Brian Logan on the giddy rise of John Bishop, ex-pharmaceuticals salesman turned superstar standup comedian.

John Bishop outburst stuns fans

John Bishop stunned his audience last night when he lost his cool with a fan he thought had insulted his family.

Success in business is no laughing matter

A north-east comedy fan who started organising stand-up shows as a hobby has launched a business after bringing funny men John Bishop, Reginald D Hunter and Kevin Bridges to the region.

Michael McIntyre's perpetual effervescence fizzes in Blackpool, a town ripe with potential for gags about fags, chips and people with funny accents wearing fleeces. McIntyre also has some sport with members of the Blackpool football team, who are in the audience. The headline act is a hectoring John Bishop, whose coarse schtick about stag dos, hen nights and sex toys is an acquired taste. Much more interesting is Miles Jupp - who was so good in the BBC2 sitcom Rev - mining his background. "I'm privileged, not just to be here, but in general." Elsewhere, the unsettling Terry Alderton, with a strange, tangential but often winning act, has fun with body-popping cockneys, while Justin Moorhouse is rude about fat people.

The "Live" in the title is a bit of a misnomer as the Fringe has been over for weeks but, nevertheless, these two shows - hosted by Glaswegian comic Kevin Bridges - showcase some of the biggest names gracing the festival, including breakout Liverpudlian John Bishopthe deadpan wit of Mark Watson, the always entertaining Sean Lock and newer lights such as Jack Whitehall. It could do with a few more of those nominated for the Foster's Awards like Bo Burnham and Josie Long, but it's still a strong lineup.

Video: John Bishop

John Bishop speaks about the importance of the festival and how his career has changed since last year's nomination.

John Bishop's Britain review

The BBC appear to be on a mission to recruit middle-of-the-road stand-up comedians with a wide demographic appeal.

John Bishop: ordinary bloke, comedy star

The Scouse comedian on why he will retain his authenticity in the face of growing celebrity.

It's not John Bishop's fault but every time I clap eyes on this Liverpool comedian - he's a regular on Sky1's A League Of Their Own - I keep thinking it's Bez from Happy Mondays with a new brain.

So it took me a while to focus on what was going on in John Bishop's Britain (BBC1). Were the characters giving their opinions on all things love and marriage real? Or were they comedy creations?

It was a nice kind of confusion and if fast-talking 'trainee DJ' Josh from Leyton is real, it'll be five minutes before he gets his own series. Bishop acts as a Scouse social commentator, bouncing his dry wit off the clips and splicing in some neatly bitter observations on his own life. His ex-wife, he told us, now lives in Spain. 'Not as far away as you think, to be honest.'

It would make an interesting study to count how many times the BBC has used the once-fashionable word "edgy" to describe a comedy programme in the 18 months since the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand "Sachsgate" row touched ground. My bet is that you'd be able to count the instances on one hand. Instead, the Corporation has taken to producing industrial volumes of feel-good, night-out-with-your-mates-style comedy. This new bright and breezy entertainment show, hosted by Liverpudlian stand-up John Bishop, is a case in point. Bishop takes on a different theme in each of the series's six episodes - family, growing up, holidays, etc - and gives it a stand-up treatment, interspersed with contributions from celebrity guests, cheaply produced sketches and interviews with the general public. Puzzlingly, no specific information about tonight's first episode was available at the time of going to press, but I was able to watch a taster DVD for the series in which Bishop discussed the pros and cons of love and marriage in front of a studio audience. It was funny, in an easy, unchallenging sort of a way - and about as edgy as a Victoria sponge.