Des Bishop
Stand-up comedian

Des Bishop

Who Des Bishop is

Des Bishop is an American-Irish stand-up comedian, born in London and raised in Queens, New York, who moved to Ireland in 1990 and has worked as a comic there since the late 1990s. He came to national attention with the RTÉ series The Des Bishop Work Experience (2004), then taught stand-up in disadvantaged areas in Joy in the Hood (2006) and learned Irish well enough to perform an hour of stand-up in it for In the Name of the Fada (2008), which won the IFTA for best television series. His stage show and memoir My Dad Was Nearly James Bond grew out of his father's illness, and he learned Mandarin in Beijing for the RTÉ series Breaking China (2014); his stand-up releases run from Live at Vicar Street (2004) to Made in China (2015) and Bridge and Tunnel (2026).

At a glance

Born
1975
Stand-up specials
Live at Vicar Street, Des Bishop Live, Fitting In and 6 more
Podcasts
Des Bishop Podcast and My Dad Was Nearly James Bond
On screen
The Des Bishop Work Experience, Joy in the Hood, In the Name of the Fada and 7 more
Next on stage
8 October 2026 — Visani Comedy Theater, Port Charlotte, FL
Official site
desbishop.net ↗

On stage

Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

On screen

Podcasts

Comedians like Des Bishop

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1975Born
  2. 2002In America (film, 2002) On screen
  3. 2004Live at Vicar Street (2004) Special
  4. 2004The Des Bishop Work Experience (host, RTÉ Two, 2004) On screen
  5. 2005Des Bishop Live (2005) Special
  6. 2005A Comic's Climb (HBO; his debut at the Aspen Comedy Festival, 2005) On screen
  7. 2006Fitting In (2006) Special
  8. 2006Joy in the Hood (host, 2006) On screen
  9. 2007Tongues (2007) Special
  10. 2008In the Name of the Fada (host, 2008; IFTA best television series) On screen
  11. 2009Desfunctional (2009) Special
  12. 2011My Dad Was Nearly James Bond (book, 2011, Penguin Ireland) Book
  13. 2014Breaking China (RTÉ, 2014) On screen
  14. 2015Made in China (2015, Universal Pictures) Special
  15. 2017Dancing with the Stars (contestant, Irish series 1, 2017) On screen
  16. 2018One Day You'll Understand (2018, RTÉ Player) Special
  17. 2024Of All People (2024) Special
  18. 2026Bridge and Tunnel (2026, YouTube) Special

Questions about Des Bishop

Where is Des Bishop performing next?

Thursday 8 October 2026, 7:30 PM at Visani Comedy Theater, Port Charlotte, FL, then 11 more dates on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar. Each show's own listing has the last word.

What stand-up specials have they released?

Live at Vicar Street, Des Bishop Live, Fitting In, Tongues, Desfunctional, Made in China, One Day You'll Understand, Of All People and Bridge and Tunnel.

What podcast do they host?

Des Bishop Podcast and My Dad Was Nearly James Bond.

What TV shows and films are they in?

The Des Bishop Work Experience, Joy in the Hood, In the Name of the Fada, Breaking China, A Comic's Climb and Live at the Comedy Store, among 10 credits.

When were they born?

In 1975.

Who are some comedians like them?

Bill Engvall (also in Dancing with the Stars) and Eddie Ifft (also in Spicks and Specks).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.

Their SUCDb record →Their own site ↗

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 29 September 2026