“Every time I land in Palma it feels I’m home, I love the island” says John Bishop

John, who Forbes once rated as the highest paid comedian in the UK, told the Bulletin this week that he first came to Mallorca when he was 18 and then with his wife kept returning to the island until they eventually decided to buy a house in Mallorca. “I guess my relationship with Mallorca goes back some 40 years. We obviously went to other places, but we just kept getting drawn back to the island. I love the place, when you get off the plane at Palma airport it just feels like home, it’s so comfortable. I know it’s got busier over the years, but it all works, it’s all so familiar and there’s always something new to do and explore and I love the people. We just never get bored.

Jimmy Carr
“My mates have been on at me for years to do a gig on the island and after having spoken to my friend Jimmy Carr, who performed at the same venue last year, I decided to go for it. Jimmy told me what a great theatre it is and how good the audience was, so it’s the perfect excuse for me to get back down to the island for a few days and have a working holiday if you like,” he said.

And coming on the back of a sell-out tour, John appears to be buzzing. “The tour’s called Back At It because that is quite literally what it’s all about. After having spent the past few years doing so many others things - documentaries, TV presenting and acting - I’ve not been doing much stand-up comedy, hardly any. So it has been great to get back to my roots and how it all began.

“That’s one of the things I’ve really enjoyed about the States. No one knew who I was, so I have been appearing at comedy stores on a bill with lots of other comedians which had been a brilliant experience and I’ll be heading back to the States quite soon to carry on. The whole process has rekindled my joy for comedy and the material for this new tour is about my love for comedy and life. In fact, it’s about three letters, one to stand-up comedy, one to Ireland and one to my mother and that will all make sense to anyone who comes to my gig in Palma,” John explained.

John has had an incredible career. Within three years of his first ever comedy gig in 2000, John was playing to sold-out arena audiences across the country and released the fastest selling stand-up DVD in UK history. “I had a great job for pharmaceutical company, I had no interest in comedy really. I was funny at school but I never tried to make a show of it and, according to my group of close mates, many of whom I know from school, I’m the least funny round the table when we get together.

World famous
“But one lonely Monday morning when I had nothing to do I walked into a comedy club in Manchester. If you put your name down to go on stage, you saved the four quid entry fee, so I put my name down. There were only seven people in the audience and five of them were also on the list. Anyway, I got on stage, did my bit and the rest, as they say, is history,” John said. “I eventually decided to give up my job and dedicated myself to comedy.”

Since then he has achieved huge success with a number of his own comedy, entertainment and documentary shows including: ‘John Bishop’s Australia’ (BBC1), ‘John Bishop’s Britain’ (BBC1); ‘John Bishop’s Only Joking’ (Sky1); ‘The John Bishop Show’ (BBC1); ‘The John Bishop Christmas Show’ (BBC1) and ‘John Bishop’s Gorilla Adventure’ (ITV1), ‘John Bishop’s Ireland’ (ITV1) and four series of the critically acclaimed ‘John Bishop: In Conversation With…’ (W Channel), which saw him chatting one to one with some of the biggest names in entertainment, music and sport. Other TV credits include two series of ’The John Bishop Show’ (ITV1), ‘Doctor Who’ (BBC1) and the documentary John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf (ITV1).

John also co-hosts the podcast Three Little Words, with writer, actor and director Tony Pitts. The two friends talk to fascinating people about their lives, hopes, struggles and beliefs. The show features a rich mix of guests - from world famous musicians and actors, to scientists, politicians, artists and sports stars. Past guests have included Robbie Williams, John Cleese, Sebastian Faulks and Professor Brian Cox. In 2023 John starred in the four-month UK and Ireland tour of Mother Goose with Ian McKellen, which included a hugely successful run in London’s West End. In 2012, John completed a 290-mile triathlon from Paris to London in five days to raise money for the BBC charity Sport Relief, but he will be travelling to Mallorca in a more conventional fashion.

Motorcycling
“Well, I think so. Trouble is I’ve got onto motorcycling and I have thought about biking it down to Palma,” he said. “That is one of the great things comedy has opened up to me, the opportunity to do and try new things I’d probably never do sat behind a desk in an office. Apart from the travelling, which I love, it also gives me new material.

“A few weeks ago, for example, I went motorcycling with a few mates near Malaga and we did some off-road biking which I’d never done before. Lots of extremely funny things happened, anecdotes I use in my gigs. My comedy is very much based on life experiences, be they mine or of others. Obviously, under the current climate comedians can’t afford to ignore Donald Trump, but once we’ve got him out of system, we can all enjoy a good two hours of comedy without wondering what Trump will have done during the time we’re in the theatre.

Everybody needs a laugh
“I think that’s one of the reasons comedy has enjoyed such a massive boom over the past decade.
“Everybody needs and enjoys a good laugh and we, as comedians, guarantee that. Unlike going to a music concert, if you don’t like the band, well you’re not going to enjoy the concert. However, if you come and see a comedian, like them or not, you know at some point you’re going to have to laugh. And the promoters, theatres and arenas have realised this and turned the night into an experience. The infrastructure’s changed, with bars and restaurants so the public can make a big night of going to a comedy show. Plus, there is not the competition between comedians, we all help and support each other,” John added.

“And I could do with some help with my Spanish, I have to admit it’s terrible. But I love the Spanish language, its’ beautiful. I do try, but then I get people replying to me in English, it throws me.
“That said, when I’m trying to order or buy something, despite the fact I know the person knows what I’m after, I will persevere and make all sorts of noises at the poor person, I make them suffer. But it’s difficult trying to learn the language on short visits. I’ve tried online courses, but what I’ve got to do when I have the time is get down to Mallorca and immerse myself in the language for a good three months or more to properly get to grips with it,” John said.

“And what brings it home to me even more is when I’m on tour in Europe. I recently performed to a packed house at a theatre in Lisbon. Yes, the majority of the audience was made up of British expatriates or visitors but there were a lot of locals who spoke really good English and understood British humour. I found that really encouraging and that has fuelled my desire to tour Europe more. Like I said, comedy has opened the doors to so many new possibilities and one of those is being able to go to new destinations and that’s one of my plans for the immediate future,” he said.

Voyage of discovery
“I come across so many Anglophiles on my travels round the world, it’s been a real voyage of discovery for me and that’s what life should be about. But it’s always nice to return to the UK, get back home. I love the UK. We’ve got a great sense of humour, the Premier League and wonderful people. I guess at the moment, like the rest of the world, we’re all adjusting to Donald Trump’s new order and waiting to see what the fallout is going to be. Democracy is a wonderful thing until it all goes wrong and you have a lunatic in charge, but we’ll be OK in the UK, always will be. It will pass and things will settle down,” John said.

And the Premier League, or rather Liverpool, holds a huge place in John’s heart. The former semi pro footballer still enjoys playing football and in July 2010, he took part in protests against then-owners of Liverpool FC, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and later took part in a celebrity-studded protest video on YouTube. He told the Bulletin with regard to the potential sanctions facing Manchester City that the Premier League clubs should have refused to play the side this season because if the club gets docked points, the games would have been a waste of time, money and injuries. As far as I’m concerned they’ve been cheating and should be made to pay the consequences.
“I hope Klopp’s available when I’m on the island. When he left Liverpool I hosted a question and answer night with Klopp for 10,000 fans, he is one of the nicest, most transparent blokes I’ve met, especially in football,” John said,

You can see John in Back At It at the Auditorium de Palma on April 11. For tickets: johnbishoponline.com