Comedian Des Bishop is loved by audiences in Ireland and internationally for television series including In The Name Of The Fada and Joy In The Hood. The stand-up performer is also known for his bestselling comedy specials Fitting In and Desfunctional, for the acclaimed live show My Dad Was Nearly James Dean, and for his Irish Book of the Year-nominated memoir of the same name.

Born in London and raised in New York, Bishop moved to Ireland in his teens, and began performing stand-up on the Dublin comedy circuit. He made his television debut in 2000 on the comedy panel show Don’t Feed the Gondolas, but would make his name fronting The Des Bishop Work Experience. In the innovative series, Bishop worked in a number of different jobs while living on the minimum wage, combining documentary footage with stand-up performances. This was followed-up with Joy In The Hood, where Bishop taught stand-up to people in underserved and underprivileged communities. In 2008, he documented his efforts to learn and perform in the Irish language on the television show In the Name of the Fada, which went on to win Best Television Series at the Irish Film and Television Awards. Several years later, he would travel to Beijing to learn Mandarin, ultimately performing in the language and detailing the feat in the RTE show Breaking China.

In addition to his own shows and specials, Bishop has appeared on HBO’s A Comic’s Climb, ABC’s Spicks and Specks, and Comedy Central’s Live at the Comedy Store. He has played festivals and events across the world, including Montreal’s Just For Laughs, the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and has performed at leading international venues including London’s Soho Theatre and the Barrow Street Theatre in New York.