'When John told me how he got into stand up, I said That's a 'reverse romcom movie, we should do it'

RYAN PATON JOINS STARS ON THE RED CARPET AT THE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL TO GET THE INSIDE STORY OF HOW THIS MOST UNLIKELY OF HOLLYWOOD SCENARIOS CAME ABOUT

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THE news Bradley Cooper's next film would be based on the life of John Bishop was met with many raised eyebrows, as the Hollywood superstar and Liverpool-born comic seemed like a most unlikely creative union.

However, the widespread confusion is partly down to Bishop's longstanding success as an arena comic, which has made it easy to lose sight of the incredible way he actually entered comedy in his mid-30s.

Dig a little deeper and the 58-year-old’s story is something straight out of a Hollywood film, as he had just separated from his wife and was at his lowest ebb when he signed up for an open mic night to avoid a £4 entry fee. The decision would prove to be the ultimate sliding doors moment, as it helped reignite the spark in his marriage with Melanie Bishop while also putting the then sales and marketing manager on the path to becoming one of the UK’s top comedians.

This story provides the framework for Is This Thing On?, a film that had its UK premiere at the London Film Festival this week - but has been nearly 10 years in the making. The ECHO was in attendance on the red carpet at BFI Southbank last Tuesday and heard the story of how the comic managed to capture the attention of one of Hollywood's big gest box office stars.

Producer Kris Thykier was the first to realise the story's potential for the big screen. The 53-year-old, who is married to Claudia Winkleman, was already friends with John, and said the two felt out of place in a nightclub after the premiere of a Usain Bolt documentary when he probed the comic on how he got into stand up.