All posts tagged: Bishop

John Bishop explains why Bradley Cooper’s film about life is “like watching a memory”

John Bishop explains why Bradley Cooper’s film about life is “like watching a memory”

Published by Daniella Wilson

Is This Thing On? is in cinemas on Friday 30 January. With his first two films as director, Bradley Cooper took on some pretty major projects. For his debut behind the camera, he helmed A Star Is Born – the latest remake of one of Hollywood’s most beloved musical stories, starring alongside pop superstar Lady Gaga in a film that would go on to build a legion of devoted fans and receive a glut of awards nominations. His follow-up was no less ambitious, this time a biopic exploring the life – and marriage – of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, with Cooper again taking on the lead role and the Oscars again rewarding it with a number of major nods. But for his third film as director, Is This Thing On?, Cooper went in a slightly different, perhaps more low-key, direction. This time around, the inspiration was none other than popular UK comedian and one-time Doctor Who star John Bishop, with Will Arnett playing a man who goes through loosely the same experiences as the Scouse …

Is This Thing On? review – John Bishop inspired this Bradley Cooper movie, and it somehow works!

Is This Thing On? review – John Bishop inspired this Bradley Cooper movie, and it somehow works!

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter For anyone experienced in the world of open mic comedy nights, Is This Thing On? – a Bradley Cooper dramedy unexpectedly inspired by the life of UK comedian John Bishop – feels almost chillingly accurate. It’s practically a rite of passage for straight men starting out in stand-up to open their five-minute sets with some variation on, “So, I just got dumped…” With that in mind, you can imagine a few people in the audience rolling their eyes and muttering, “oh brother”, when financier Alex Novak (Will Arnett) takes to the stage for the first time. Preferring to sign up for a slot at Manhattan’s Comedy Cellar rather than pay the bar’s entry fee, he’s arrived with not a sliver of material to his name, so defaults to the dissolution of his marriage to Tess (Laura Dern). “I think I’m getting …

How to get John Bishop tickets as artist pre-sale goes live today

How to get John Bishop tickets as artist pre-sale goes live today

Published by Daniella Wilson

It’s a big year for John Bishop, as the comedian is embarking on another tour… and having a movie made based on his life? Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On?, which stars Will Arnett, has been loosely based on the life of John Bishop, charting his pivot to comedy following a low point in his life. As well as heading to the cinema to see the film, which will be released on 30th January this year, you can head to a range of venues around the UK next year to see the real thing. Bishop is heading on a nationwide comedy tour, hitting up cities including Glasgow, Nottingham, London and Belfast. Here’s how you can get tickets to see him today. For more comedy on stage, here’s how you can see Tom Allen in Titanique, as well as get your hands on Kevin Bridges tickets. Jump to: John Bishop UK tour: dates and venues Here’s a full list of dates and venues for John Bishop’s 2027 UK tour: 29th Apr 2027 – Leeds, First Direct …

Success! Isle of Man strips bishop of ex officio voting rights

Success! Isle of Man strips bishop of ex officio voting rights

Published by Sam Flores

The Isle of Man’s parliament has voted to end ex officio voting rights for an Anglican bishop in its upper chamber. The National Secular Society, which lobbied legislators at every stage of the bill, welcomed its passage as a “long-overdue step towards a more democratic Isle of Man”. The Church of England’s bishop of Sodor and Man sits and votes by right in the Legislative Council, the upper chamber of Tynwald, the Manx parliament. A bill to strip the bishop of voting rights was passed today, with a wrecking amendment to delay the decision defeated. The bill will come into force either when the incumbent bishop’s tenure ends, or five years from the bill gaining royal assent, whichever comes earlier. The NSS called on the UK Government to follow suit and end “bishops’ privileges in the House of Lords once and for all”. Twenty-six Church of England bishops sit and vote by right in the Lords. NSS: ‘No one should have a guaranteed vote because of their religious office’ National Secular Society chief executive Stephen …

One year after she urged Trump to have mercy, Bishop Budde leads clergy protests in Minneapolis

One year after she urged Trump to have mercy, Bishop Budde leads clergy protests in Minneapolis

Published by Sam Flores

MINNEAPOLIS (RNS) — Almost exactly a year ago, the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, stood in a pulpit in front of the newly inaugurated President Donald Trump and preached a sermon that called on the commander in chief to have “mercy” on immigrants and other communities. The sermon quickly drew backlash from the president himself, who called her “a Radical Left hard line Trump hater,” and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who called her message “radical.” But if Budde’s message was radical, it’s one that has resonated nonetheless. A year later, she stood in another church in Minneapolis, this time surrounded by an array of clergy who represented the hundreds of faith leaders who flocked to the city this week to protest the administration’s mass deportation campaign. “In our varied and united faith traditions, love of neighbor is not optional,” Budde declared. The bishop sat down with Religion News Service shortly after that appearance on Thursday (Jan. 22) to reflect on the year that has passed since her barn-burning sermon …

New Hampshire bishop warns clergy to prepare for ‘new era of martyrdom’

New Hampshire bishop warns clergy to prepare for ‘new era of martyrdom’

Published by Sam Flores

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire Episcopal bishop is attracting national attention after warning his clergy to finalize their wills and get their affairs in order to prepare for a “new era of martyrdom.” Bishop Rob Hirschfeld of the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire made his comments earlier this month at a vigil honoring Renee Good, who was fatally shot on Jan. 7 behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. The Trump administration has defended the ICE officer’s actions, saying he fired in self-defense while standing in front of Good’s vehicle as it began to move forward. That explanation has been panned by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and others based on videos of the confrontation. Hirschfeld’s speech cited several historical clergy members who had risked their lives to protect others, including mentioning New Hampshire seminary student Jonathan Daniels, who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Alabama while shielding a young Black civil rights activist in 1965. “I have told the …

African Methodist Episcopal Church announces election of Bishop Francine A. Brookins as Chair of the General Board Social Action Commission

African Methodist Episcopal Church announces election of Bishop Francine A. Brookins as Chair of the General Board Social Action Commission

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON — The African Methodist Episcopal Church has elected Bishop Francine A. Brookins, J.D., M.Div., as Chair of the General Board Social Action Commission, succeeding the late Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, whose leadership and advocacy for justice remain foundational to the denomination’s ongoing work. Bishop Brookins will continue to serve simultaneously as Chair of the Publications Commission. Bishop Brookins, the 141st elected and consecrated Bishop of the AME Church, currently serves as the Presiding Bishop of the 5th Episcopal District. Elected during the 51st Quadrennial Session of the General Conference in 2021, she is the fifth woman elevated to the episcopacy in the denomination’s history. She is also the Chair of the Pan-Methodist Commission and Consultation on Methodist Bishops. A licensed attorney with extensive experience in mediation, arbitration, and conflict resolution, Bishop Brookins brings a strong legal and administrative background to her expanded leadership responsibilities. Her previous assignments include service as Bishop of the 18th Episcopal District, where she led major renovation and community development initiatives across Southern Africa. Born in Los Angeles and raised …

Amid ICE clashes, bishop urges clergy to prepare their wills : NPR

Amid ICE clashes, bishop urges clergy to prepare their wills : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Bishop Rob Hirschfeld in the chapel at the Episcopal Church of New Hampshire in Concord on Jan. 13, 2026. Elena Eberwein/NHPR hide caption toggle caption Elena Eberwein/NHPR A New Hampshire Episcopal bishop’s stark warning to his clergy is resonating across the nation, drawing fervent praise from some and rebukes from others. Bishop Rob Hirschfeld was one of several community and faith leaders gathered in Concord, N.H., for a vigil for Renee Macklin Good just days after she was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis. Hirschfeld called out the “cruelty, the injustice and the horror … unleashed in Minneapolis,” and warned his clergy to prepare for “a new era of martyrdom.” “I’ve asked them to get their affairs in order to make sure they have their wills written,” he said, “because it may be that now is no longer the time for statements, but for us with our bodies to stand between the powers of this world and the most vulnerable.” Hirschfeld’s comments quickly went viral. “I was actually quite surprised …

A new funding plan puts NYC Bishop and Trinity Church at odds

A new funding plan puts NYC Bishop and Trinity Church at odds

Published by skeptic

(RNS) — The Episcopal bishop of New York’s plan to solve the financial woes of his diocese involves having one of the wealthiest churches in the country pay for it. But leaders at Trinity Church NYC are balking, saying the new funding plan is flawed.  A new Common Mission Share plan, passed Saturday (Nov. 15) at the Episcopal Diocese of New York’s 249th annual convention, would double the annual amount owed to the diocese by Trinity, while cutting costs for most other churches. Over the next 10 years, it would cost Trinity tens of millions of dollars, say church leaders — and make the parish responsible for about 60% of the diocese’s annual budget. Before the vote, the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Trinity’s rector, said the plan wouldn’t work.  “Please understand that, if this resolution passes, we will not adhere to the new financial model,” he told delegates to the convention before they voted. “We will not pay the increased amount upon which the new mission share is entirely based.” In an email, a spokesman …