John Bishop’s Life Inspires Hollywood With Is This Thing On

When John Bishop first set foot on a comedy club stage in Manchester, he had no idea he was about to rewrite the script of his own life—and eventually inspire a Hollywood movie. Now, that remarkable journey from near-divorce and everyday crisis to comedy stardom is the subject of “Is This Thing On?”, a heartwarming new film set to premiere in UK cinemas on January 30, 2026. The story, which blends raw humor with deep emotional resonance, is attracting attention not only for its star-studded cast but also for its authentic portrayal of second chances and the healing power of laughter.

According to ITV News, the movie is loosely based on Bishop’s first awkward steps into stand-up during his 30s, at a time when his marriage to Melanie teetered on the edge of collapse. Bishop, facing the prospect of divorce, found himself at the Frog and Bucket comedy club in Manchester. He wasn’t there to perform—he just wanted to avoid the £4 entry fee. “Because I didn’t want to pay the entrance fee, I ended up putting my name down on the list and getting up and doing stand-up. And that was the genesis of what the story is about,” Bishop told The One Show in a recent interview. Called up second, he nervously riffed on his life, unwittingly launching a new chapter that would change everything.

That pivotal night was more than just a career launchpad. As Bishop recounted on The One Show, comedy became the unlikely vehicle for rekindling his relationship with Melanie. The couple, who had been separated for 18 months around 2000-2001, were on the brink of a final split. But fate intervened when Melanie, unaware her estranged husband would be on stage, attended the club with friends. Bishop, recalling the moment, said, “I said a joke on the stage about not living with my wife anymore but keeping her head in the fridge. Not the best joke I’ve ever said. I’m on stage and I said that, I looked to the left and the head that was meant to be in the fridge was in the audience!”

The awkward humor of that night proved serendipitous. “We were at the final stage of the divorce and in the end we started... I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to make the divorce more expensive. This is going to cost me 10 grand and that joke’s not worth it.’ And she came over to me at the end and she said, and it’s like what happens in the film, they reconnect with each other. And then she said, ‘That was quite funny.’ She said, ‘Well, it’s like seeing the man that I met.’” The couple reconciled and, after attending counseling, have now been married for 33 years. “We ended up, through that process, we ended up going to Relate and getting our marriage back,” Bishop added.

Decades later, Bishop’s story would cross the Atlantic and capture the imagination of Hollywood. During a lunch in Amsterdam, a mutual friend encouraged him to share his tale with actor Will Arnett. As Arnett told ITV News, “It was amazing, how he started and how he ended up being really successful. But what really struck me was how much he spoke about how much it changed him. He spoke about how comedy made him feel, he was getting that relief.” Arnett, best known for his roles in Arrested Development and BoJack Horseman, was so moved that he asked for permission to adapt the story into a script. Bishop agreed, though he admitted, “Ideally, like everybody, you want to write it yourself but I knew I couldn’t do that. When the lads got involved, I was going 'I’ll chip in'…then I realised that everything I was chipping in wasn’t really landing. So I stepped back, it took a little bit of faith.”

Arnett brought the script to his friend, Oscar-nominated actor and director Bradley Cooper. Cooper not only helped refine the screenplay but also decided to direct the film—his third directorial project after A Star Is Born and Maestro—and take on a supporting role. Will Arnett stars as Alex Novak, a character inspired by Bishop, while Laura Dern plays Tess, the soon-to-be ex-wife, and Andra Day appears as Christine. Cooper himself appears as Balls, the comic’s deluded best friend. The movie is set in America, but as Pete Price noted in his review, “the story is John’s.”

For Arnett, stepping into the shoes of a stand-up comic was no small feat. Though naturally funny, he had never performed live stand-up before. To prepare, he spent six weeks performing at New York’s legendary Comedy Cellar. “I always had a healthy respect for standups and what they do,” Arnett said. “When I say healthy respect, I mean healthy fear of doing it myself. It’s hard enough to write a good joke. The relationship with the audience, the pacing, it’s always made me nervous. It was terrifying.”

“Is This Thing On?” is more than a film about stand-up. Bishop emphasized, “This is not a film about comedy, this is a film about love. It is a film about adult relationships and the complications of it. Comedy is the vehicle through which one person finds his voice that allows him to find the person that he lost, that he always loved.” The film’s narrative explores midlife crisis and reconciliation, offering a genuine look at the turmoil behind the laughter. As Pete Price described, “It is a genuine look at a midlife crisis, with some powerful performances. Behind every comic there is a complicated life and turmoil and John is no exception.”

John Bishop’s own comedic journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Since stumbling into stand-up in 2000, he’s become one of Britain’s best-known comedians, selling out countless shows and earning accolades like the British Comedy Award for Best Male Comedy Breakthrough Artist in 2010. As he celebrates 25 years in comedy, Bishop’s legacy is further cemented by a 2025 survey showing Merseyside—the region he calls home—has the highest density of comedians per million in the UK. Bishop credits this to the vibrancy of port cities: “You’ll find it in port cities. Glasgow’s got it, Newcastle’s got it, Dublin’s got it. Ports bring people in and in all of those port cities, you’ll find music is important and comedy is important. It is the best way of breaking down barriers. We like laughing at ourselves. When I started doing comedy, people always say ‘is it different in different places’? It’s not, funny is funny… but in some places, people are a little bit up themselves.”

The film’s Liverpool premiere drew an eclectic audience of friends, footballers, and actors, all eager to celebrate Bishop’s extraordinary life and career. While Will Arnett portrays Bishop’s on-screen counterpart, and Laura Dern brings Melanie’s strength to life, Bishop once mused that, a decade ago, he’d have picked Jason Bateman to play him, thanks to his love of Arrested Development. But as the laughter and applause at the premiere showed, “Is This Thing On?” belongs to the moment—and to everyone who’s ever found hope in humor.

For audiences, the film promises a blend of laughter, heartbreak, and the kind of second chances that don’t come around every day. As Bishop’s story leaps from the comedy clubs of Manchester to the bright lights of Hollywood, it’s clear that sometimes the best punchlines are the ones that save us.