How did Hollywood turn John Bishop into Will Arnett?

Jan 29, 2026

Will Arnett, actor and producer best known for Arrested Development and BoJack Horseman, talks about making Is This Thing On? and playing a dad who rediscovers stand-up. He discusses how John Bishop’s real-life origin inspired the film. They describe prepping authentic comedy scenes, performing at the Comedy Cellar, and the actor’s six-week stand-up crash course.

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ANECDOTE

Accidental Origin Of A Comedy Career

John Bishop stumbled into stand-up after a messy separation and an accidental open-mic moment.
He told the story to producer Chris Tickle and it eventually reached Will Arnett, sparking the film idea.

INSIGHT

Stand-Up As Instant Group Therapy

Stand-up functions as a form of brutal, immediate self-therapy because you must speak your truth with no hiding.
The audience's instant reaction forces honesty and accelerates personal change.

ANECDOTE

Parenting A Stand-Up Is Terrifying

John Bishop described watching his son do stand-up as the most terrifying parental experience.
He contrasted large-stage gigs with intimate club judgment, calling club comedy uniquely exposing.

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Our guests this week are two comedy giants: star of Arrested Development, 30 Rock and BoJack Horseman, Will Arnett—and mega-successful scouse standup John Bishop. It’s Bishop’s unlikely comedy origin story that inspired Is This Thing On?, the new Hollywood feelgood blockbuster directed by Bradley Cooper. In it, Arnett plays a divorced dad who puts his name down for an open mic at a bar just to save the entry fee—then accidentally catches the comedy bug. As he secretly follows his new standup dreams, can comedy save his sanity—and maybe even his marriage?

Find out what Mark makes of it, plus two more of this week’s big screen releases. First up its Nouvelle Vague, Richard Linklater’s homage to the French new wave film movement of the 1960s. Linklater’s film dramatises the making of one of its essential movies, Jean Luc Godard’s Breathless. And from uber-cool Parisians murderous monkey’s, we’ll be reviewing Primate too: a tongue in cheek horror where a pet chimp goes bad.

The boys are here in the studio IRL this week, so you’ll be getting all of this, plus the box office top 10 and the banterous heights of the laughter lift, beamed right at you from the room where movie-reviewing magic happens. Keep it real, Vanguardistas and all-comers!

Timecodes with YT clip codes (for Vanguardistas listening ad-free)

Nouvelle Vague review - 10:32

Box Office Top 10 - 23:51

Will Arnett and John Bishop interview - 39:19

Is This Thing On? review 56:11

Laughter Lift - 01:03:04

Primate review - 01:07:20

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