Another 5 star review for Des Bishops new show! This one comes from Chortle. Here’s what reviewer Julia Chamberlain had to say about Des’ performance.

‘My Dad Was Nearly James Bond’

*****

In recent years there’s been a fashion for misery memoirs about impoverished childhood blighted by neglect, abuse and absentee parents. This joyful show is the polar opposite of all that and will make your spirit soar as you laugh your socks off and feel your heart squeezed.

This is a show about family, growing up and dealing with life’s big moments; it packs an emotional punch  and yet will keep you rocking with laughter.

Des Bishop’s  film-star looks come straight from dad, Mike, who could not have made a worse job of  James Bond than George Lazenby did, but  was denied the opportunity. A successful model and small-time actor, he invested in his family’s future rather than his own ego by abandoning  his acting dream, swapping the precariousness of movies for the security of retail. And the three Bishop sons behaved like any other family group, moving from  hero worship to mockery once their hormones began to fizz.  Much of the humour comes not only from the family stories but the astute observations of national personality traits.

We are treated to a race through Mike Bishop’s life, excellently illustrated with photos and film clips and illuminated by Des’s affectionate but not over-respectful commentary. The laughs are paused, but not halted, by the news of that Bishop Snr was diagnosed with terminal cancer back in November. And this is where Des Bishop’s emotional intelligence and humanity take the story from the specific tale of his dad’s life to the universal problem of how we behave when we confront the reality of our parents’ mortality.

It’s a club which we all join eventually, but it’s also an experience which is rarely talked about before it’s too late.  This show confronts that annihilating pain without sentimentality or histrionics and left this audience whooping and cheering in celebration of the guy who was never James Bond.

Des Bishop’s control of the room is outstanding, he radiates warmth and energy but is never needy or puppyish, this a mature, controlled, humane and above all dazzlingly funny show.

Des Bishop is performing at the Assembly Rooms on George St at 8.05 every night. You can buy tickets here.

Ruth Johnston from ‘Three Weeks‘ magazine seems very impressed by Des Bishops current Edinburgh show. Here’s what she had to say about it.

‘My Dad Was Nearly James Bond’

***** Three Weeks

Comedy meets the tragic circumstances of life in Des Bishop’s routine, which pays tribute to his father – a nearly James Bond of yesteryear. Now suffering from lung cancer, Bishop’s dad is the inspiration for an unusual, deeply moving and very funny exploration of the complex relationship between fathers and sons. Initially I was taken aback by Bishop’s slightly aggressive delivery, but soon this masculine veneer slips as he reminisces about his childhood to a backdrop of fascinating photographs that earmark the highs and lows of their relationship. It’s rare that I leave comedy with tears in my eyes inspired by a deeper emotion than amusement. Indeed the depth of Bishop’s story ensured a deserved standing ovation.

Assembly@George Street, 5 – 29 Aug (not 23), 8.05pm, £11.00 – £14.00,