Comedian John Bishop has revealed that a joke he told on stage helped save his marriage to wife Melanie after an 18-month separation. The 57-year-old recalled that he and Melanie were in the process of divorce when a joke about missing her led to reconciliation.
Bishop first performed stand-up at Manchester's Frog and Bucket aged 33 to cheer himself up after the split. He agreed to go on stage to avoid paying the £4 entry fee, which led to a regular slot and eventually a full-time comedy career at age 40.
During those early days, Bishop told a joke: 'I used to do a joke about missing my ex so much that I kept her severed head in the fridge.' He realised Melanie was in the audience, thinking, 'That joke's going to cost me another £20,000.' Instead of a row, they started chatting and agreed to counselling.
The couple reunited after 18 months apart and went on to have three sons: Joe, Luke and Daniel. Still married over 30 years later, Melanie convinced Bishop not to quit comedy two years ago, telling him he had become a 'miserable git'.
Bishop now works with a comedy coach and has a new 'zest' for stand-up. He recently announced his 25th anniversary tour with all tickets priced at £25 each, following the Oasis dynamic pricing controversy.
