John Bishop facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Bishop
Bishop in June 2011
Born	(1966-11-30) 30 November 1966 (age 58) Everton, Liverpool, England
Occupation	Comedian presenter actor former semi pro footballer
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Melanie Cornall Bishop ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	3
Relatives	Eddie Bishop (brother)

John Bishop (born 30 November 1966) is a well-known English comedian, presenter, and actor. He also used to play football semi-professionally.

John first appeared on TV in 2007 on an Irish comedy show called The Panel. He was a regular on the show until 2008. Later, he acted in the teen drama Skins and the film Route Irish. He has also hosted his own TV shows, like John Bishop's Britain (2010–2011) and The John Bishop Show (2015, 2022). From 2021 to 2022, he played Dan Lewis, a companion to the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. John is also famous for his charity work, raising a lot of money for causes like Sport Relief 2012.

Before becoming a comedian, John played football as a midfielder for several teams. These included Winsford United F.C., Crewe Alexandra F.C., Runcorn F.C., and Southport F.C..

Early Life and Education

John Bishop was born in Everton, Liverpool, England, on 30 November 1966. His mother was Kathleen and his father was Edward. He has an older brother, Eddie, who was also a footballer, and two older sisters.

John grew up mostly in Cheshire, in towns like Runcorn and Winsford. He went to Murdishaw West Primary School and Brookvale Comprehensive School. He later studied English at Newcastle Polytechnic and earned a degree in Social Science from Manchester Polytechnic. Before becoming a full-time comedian, he worked as a medical representative for a pharmaceutical company until 2006. He was 40 years old when he decided to focus on comedy.

Comedy and TV Career

John Bishop

Bishop carrying the Olympic Torch at Jodrell Bank in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth	(1966-11-30) 30 November 1966 (age 58)
Place of birth	Liverpool, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1988–1990	Hyde United	30	(3)
1990–1991	Southport	38	(7)
Total		68	(10)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Bishop first tried stand-up comedy in Manchester in October 2000. The next year, he reached the finals of several big new act competitions. He won the City Life North West Comedian of the Year Award. In 2002, BBC Radio Merseyside named him best newcomer. He won the North West Comedy Award for best stand-up in 2004.

Early TV Appearances

In 2009, John appeared on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow. He also performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where his show Elvis Has Left the Building was nominated for an award. That same year, he was on Channel 4's Comedy Showcase and was a contestant on Celebrity Mastermind. He also played a fireman named Terry in the BBC Three sitcom Lunch Monkeys.

John's first TV appearance was on The Panel in 2007. After that, he appeared on 8 out of 10 Cats and Live at the Apollo. In December 2009, he started his own show on LFC TV called John Bishop Meets..., where he interviewed former Liverpool football players.

Becoming a Household Name

In 2010, John was a team captain on What Do Kids Know?. He also appeared on Mock the Week and Act Your Age. In the TV series Skins, he played the father of Emily and Katie Fitch. He also acted in the film Route Irish, which was shown at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

John became a regular on the Sky1 show A League of Their Own. He also had his own stand-up show on BBC One called John Bishop's Britain. He has been a panelist on popular BBC shows like Have I Got News for You, Would I Lie to You?, and QI.

In March 2011, John joined other comedians in a music video for Take That's song "Happy Now" to raise money for Comic Relief. In 2012, he appeared in the TV series Accused and on the genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?. He also starred in a one-off ITV episode called Panto!. From January 2013, John hosted John Bishop's Only Joking on Sky 1.

Later Projects

In 2013, John headlined the Vodafone comedy festival in Dublin. His autobiography, How Did All This Happen?, was published in October 2013. In November 2013, he hosted the Royal Variety Performance in London.

In 2015, John presented his own variety show on BBC One called The John Bishop Show. He also appeared as a special guest at a concert for singer Olly Murs. In January 2016, he took part in the BBC series Stargazing Live, where he experienced a simulated spacewalk.

Since September 2016, John has presented John Bishop: In Conversation With... for the W channel, where he interviews famous people. In 2017, he acted in the ITV drama series Fearless. He also went on his fifth comedy tour called Winging It in 2017 and 2018.

In August 2019, John started presenting a football show called Back of the Net for Amazon Prime Video with Peter Crouch and Gabby Logan. In September 2020, he launched a new podcast called Three Little Words.

On 1 January 2021, John announced he would join the cast of Doctor Who as Dan Lewis. He appeared in Series 13 and the 2022 specials. In January 2021, he also appeared as a contestant on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off. In December 2022, John starred as Vic in the pantomime Mother Goose alongside Ian McKellen in London's West End. The show then toured the UK and Ireland until April 2023.

Awards and Recognition

At the 2010 British Comedy Awards, John Bishop won the Best Male Comedy Breakthrough Artist award. He also became the fastest "Star in a reasonably priced car" on Top Gear in January 2011. He drove the Kia Cee'd around the test track in 1 minute and 42.8 seconds. His record was later beaten by Rowan Atkinson.

In July 2014, John was given an honorary fellowship at Liverpool John Moores University for his work in arts and charity. In July 2018, he won the Celebrity Animal Champion award at the RSPCA Honours Awards for helping rescue animals. In July 2019, he received an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Manchester Metropolitan University for his charity work and contributions to comedy.

Charity Work

John Bishop is well-known for his charity efforts. In 1992, he cycled from Sydney to Liverpool, raising £30,000 for the NSPCC.

In March 2010, he took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a show that raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Bishop promotes his "Say Hello" campaign in 2022

In 2012, John completed a challenging 290-mile (470 km) triathlon from Paris to London in five days. He did this to raise money for the BBC charity Sport Relief. His journey included cycling 185 miles (298 km) to Calais, rowing across the English Channel with a team, and then running 90 miles (140 km) from Dover to London. He finished in Trafalgar Square. His efforts raised an amazing £4.2 million for Sport Relief.

Also in 2012, he joined The Justice Collective to record a cover of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" to help charities supporting victims of the Hillsborough disaster. He also played in the Soccer Aid match for Unicef, playing for the England team.

John continued his charity work in 2014, taking part in Sport Relief again. He also donated £96,000 to the Hillsborough Family Support Group. He played in two more Soccer Aid football matches in 2014 and 2016. In 2020, John donated 100 laptops to his old school, Brookvale Academy, to help students.

Personal Life

John Bishop and his wife Melanie have been married since 1993. They have three sons. They briefly separated for 18 months starting in 2000 but later got back together. Until 2019, they lived in a large historic house called Whatcroft Hall in Northwich, Cheshire. In April 2019, he sold the house and moved to West Sussex.

John loves playing football and is a big fan of Liverpool FC. This is often mentioned on the show A League of Their Own. In July 2010, he took part in protests against the former owners of Liverpool FC.

John has been a vegetarian since 1985. In 2013, PETA recognized him as one of the year's top vegetarians. In September 2016, Forbes magazine ranked him as the UK's highest-earning comedian, making £5.4 million a year.

In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, John and his wife tested positive for COVID-19. He described it as the "worst illness [he has] ever had."

Stand-up Shows

DVD Releases

Filmography

Television Shows

Films

Music Videos

• 2011: Take That – "Happy Now" for Comic Relief
• 2012: The Justice Collective – "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"

Stage Shows

• 2009: One Night in Istanbul – Tom
• 2022–2023: Mother Goose – Vic