John Bishop has reflected on playing Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena as part of his ongoing tour, 25 Years of Comedy with John Bishop. The comedian has gone from strength-to-strength in his career after humble beginnings when he stepped onto the stage in 2000 at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester to perform his first ever comedy gig
At the time, John was working by day in the pharmaceutical industry but comedy soon changed his life forever. He performed two shows in Liverpool last month in front of a packed crowd. October 24 and October 25 saw the comedian return to an arena he has played plenty of times before.
In his latest tour diary, John spoke about the importance of playing the arena, one he still refers to as the “Echo” arena. He said: “The Echo arena is the arena I’ve done the most because we had a little count up and they told us themselves [the venue] that I have done the Echo arena 27 times. Which is like bonkers.
“You know, that is spread over 15 years, something like that. To be going back and to sell out is great and also, it is where all the family come and the cousins and the aunties and all of that stuff, so I’ve got a lot of affection for it.”
The tour is John’s 10th stand-up tour. Speaking about the shows across the UK, he said: “I can’t believe that next year it will be 25 years since I first performed at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester.
“It’s been a rollercoaster and I can’t thank the fans enough who have supported me all the way. I wanted to mark the anniversary with a brand-new tour and do something to say thank you – so every ticket throughout the tour will be £25. I really hope you can come and celebrate with me.”
John has previously spoken about his rise to fame and how the split from his wife, Melanie, before they got back together had a part in his success.
On The Graham Norton Show earlier this year, he said: “So, I’d split up with my wife, it was a Monday night. I had the kids all weekend, and on a Monday I was just depressed, so I thought, ‘I’ll do something that you can do on your own.’ And it was either a comedy club or lap dancing.”
About his first memory after entering the world of comedy, John added: “I was meant to do seven minutes but because there was no one there, they let me carry on. I did about 25 minutes.
“When I walked off, I remember Mick the compere and the fellow who ran the place, Dave Perkin, coming up to me and saying, ‘Where have you been doing your stand-up?'”
A movie, directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Laura Dern and Will Arnett was released last month that centres on the life of John.
The 58-year-old, who was born in Liverpool, told the ECHO on the red carpet in London: “It’s so surreal to be here. You look down the [red carpet], Bradley Cooper is there, Laura Dern is there, Will Arnett is there.
“These people are in a movie inspired by what happened to me. It is bizarre.” He laughed: “But the most bizarre thing is to be talking to the ECHO on the red carpet.”