© Madame Tussauds Fame waxes and wanes for John Bishop
Comic finds his Madame Tussauds figure was melted down
John Bishop has been given a hard lesson in the fragility of frame – when he discovered that Madam Tussauds had melted down his waxwork.
The comic was honoured when the Blackpool branch of the tourist attraction unveiled his likeness in 2015 to set alongsideother British comedy stars such as The Two Ronnies, Alan Carr and Graham Norton.
Thousands of measurements were taken of the comic from the width of his waist to the length of his ears, with expert sculptors spending several months to painstakingly mould his figure. Bishop even donated a suit he wore on stage.
But all that is now in vain as Bishop recently went along to the wax museum – to find he had been melted down.
He will take about the wake-up call on the New Year’s Eve edition of the Graham Norton Show, recalling: ‘When I was there [in Blackpool] on tour, I thought it would be fun to go and have a picture with it.
‘I asked at reception if they had a "John Bishop". and the guy said. ‘Mate, we’ve not had that here for three or four years.’
‘ I thought it was funny because I have been melted down for the next generation of famous people. That’s showbiz!’
And the encounter was captured for Instagram:
However ,he later got a message from Madame Tussauds to say it hadn’t been melted down after all.
‘I thought it had been melted down and a bit of me was in Taylor Swift - and I was quite happy with that result to be perfectly honest.
‘But since then I’ve got a message from Madame Tussauds on Instagram and it says, "Hey John. we’re really sorry your figure wasn’t strutting its stuff when you popped by. It’s currently getting a little pampering Even legends need a little TLC Guess what We’d love to roll out the red carpet and relaunch your figure in all of its glory" – which might mean it’s naked!’
And he promised he would return to the museum if his likeness has had a revamp.
When the Bishop statue was originally unveiled Matthew Titherington, the general manager at Madame Tussauds Blackpool said: ‘He’s certainly going to be a massive hit with our visitors, there’s been a demand for his wax figure for some time.’
Bishop went on the talk show to promote his forthcoming tour, 25, marking 25 years since his first ever gig at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester.
• The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One at 10.35pm on New Year’s Eve with other guests including Robbie Williams, Rami Malek, and Motsi Mabuse. A Christmas Eve edition with Timothée Chalamet, Colman Domingo, Andrew Garfield, James Corden and Ruth Jones airs at 10.40pm
Published: 20 Dec 2024
