The Evening Standards Bruce Dessau went along to Des Bishops show. Read on the find out what his impressions were.

‘My Dad Was Nearly James Bond’

****

Some people queuing for Des Bishop thought they had bought tickets for Liverpool superstar John Bishop. Despite the confusion I doubt if they were disappointed.

This Irish-American’s show is one of the most powerful on the Fringe, packing both an emotional wallop and a heap of laughs.

My Dad Was Nearly James Bond launches with Bishop explaining how his devilishly handsome father Mike was a whisker away from landing the movie that went to George Lazenby. Instead he bagged a licence to be a bit-part actor — the back of his head had a pivotal role in Day of the Triffids — but sacrificed his own ambitions to raise his family. Recently however, Bishop Snr was diagnosed with terminal cancer. This monologue is both a tribute to him and a wider reflection on the complexity of parenthood.

The result is a crisp piece of comedy theatre. Film footage complements anecdotes as Bishop Jnr, similarly cool in a tuxedo, recalls the shifting power balance in his chaotic clan. Along the way there are umpteen snappy asides about Bishop’s own testicular cancer, his drink-fuelled youthful misbehaviour and his discovery that his perfect parent was mortal. A great hour with a sublime finale that leaves you with a lump in your throat and a smile on your face.

Until August 29. Information: 0131 226 0000, www.edfringe.com

Brian Logan from ‘The Guardian’ reviewed Des Bishops ‘My Dad Was Nearly James Bond’. He must have been impressed with what he saw because he has given it an amazing 5 stars!

My Dad Was Nearly James Bond

***** ‘The Guardian’

Cynic that I am, I approached Manhattan Irishman Des Bishop’s show about his father’s terminal cancer with trepidation. When standup takes on personal trauma, goodwill can substitute for laughs, and trite uplift for the complexity of experience. But that’s barely the case here – Bishop sails close to but resists sentimentality for most of the show, at least until a tearjerking, coup de théâtre finale. The show is only sometimes great comedy, but it’s always a totally compelling story about a father’s sacrifices, and the midlife awakening of an errant son.

Its success lies in its specificity. This is a show about Bishop and his family’s crisis. The first half relates – in film clips and anecdote – Des’s father Michael’s early career as a 60s model, bit-part actor and near-miss to play James Bond. Bishop gave this all up for his family, and regretted it – and the implication that he was second-best always riled his son. But these currents of sacrifice, authority and affection are all reversed by the father’s cancer diagnosis. Suddenly, Des is “parent to my parents”, and dad gets revenge for years of insolence.

For much of the show, Bishop’s high-octane delivery makes his serious-minded script seem funnier than it is. Later, there are well-crafted routines about Irish emotional inhibition and the imbecilic sexual attitudes of the 007 films. To have been James Bond is less than to have been a good father, says Bishop. Such conclusions are glib on the page, but there’s nothing cheaply bought about the grip he exerts on his audience. He brings honesty, perceptiveness and 35 years’ worth of bottled-up love, and fashions them into a beautiful gift to his dad. Like diamonds, this show is for ever.

Des Bishop is performing at the Assembly@George St. for the duration of the Fringe at 8.05. You can buy tickets here.