John Bishop Live: Elvis Has Left The Building

DVD review by Steve Bennett

So fast has been John Bishop’s ascent that this is only his debut DVD – even though he has a primetime BBC One show and arena stand-up gigs to his name.

His popularity was further underlined when this disc became the best-selling stand-up DVD in its first week of release. Its broad appeal might lie in the uncontentious nature of Bishop’s comedy, offering accessible stories without a strong flavour; a gift you can give to dad without worrying too much whether it matches his palate. Those seeking comedy that might surprise or provoke would be advised to look elsewhere – and there’s plenty of choice available in this busiest of DVD seasons.

Elvis Has Left The Building comprises largely unexciting material about being Bishop being a dad and being over 40, full of familiar middle-aged comedians’ complaints about getting fat, about hair sprouting where it’s not wanted, about clandestinely watching internet porn, about being intimidated by naked men in gym changing rooms, about surly teenage boys being uncommunicative.

Bishop is effortlessly genial and an innate yarn-spinner, effectively employing diversionary techniques to try keep you from spotting the inevitable punchlines coming – but secretly we all know where each routine is heading. You just have to set back and enjoy the gentle ride, basking in his unpretentious warmth. Gags sometimes pop up like unexpected landmarks, but not that often.

The Elvis connection is that the King died at the age of 42, the same age Bishop was when he embarked on this show – but it’s a fig leaf of an excuse for the usual midlife comedy from a reassuringly conventional Everyman, hapless but well-intentioned.

If there is a theme, it’s probably more about living a dream; the show starts with a borderline self-indulgent video of his fantasy of playing for Liverpool at Anfield, and ends with that coming true, of a fashion, with the uplifting feeling emphasised with a big showbiz finish. A Scouser who indulges in sentimentality… who’d have thunk it?

John Bishop Live: Elvis Has Left The Building
Recorded at: Liverpool Empire
Running time: 76 mins
Extras: Tour Diary (15mins of behind the-scenes stuff); Behind The Scenes (7mins of setting up this gig); John at The Porthcawl Elvis Festival (17mins)
Released by: 2 Entertain, November 15
Price: £19.99. Click here to buy from Amazon for £12.99.