It doesn't matter how many times John Bishop tells the story (and he tells it a lot) - he still cracks his broad and charismatic smile every time he talks about the night that changed his life - and saved his marriage.
Back in 2001, the Liverpudlian comedian was down on his luck and feeling maybe a bit sorry for himself. He was a thirty-something pharmaceutical salesman with three young kids and he had just broken up with his wife, Melanie, when he found himself in Manchester one evening and chanced across an improv night In a comedy club called the Frog and Bucket.
At the entrance he was given a choice - there was a £4 cover charge or he could put his name down and take to the mic himself.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, Bishop says, "I just wanted to go somewhere where I didn’t feel as lonely and comedy clubs can do that. It’s really interesting - a lot of people go to comedy clubs on their own, which I didn’t realise under recently and it’s because laughter is a very communal thing.
"No one can feel sad and laugh at the same time so it’s the best place to go when you’re on a downer."
25 years after that fateful night, the 58-year-old is now a household name and one of the biggest comedy stars in the UK with regular sold-out tours of some very big venues. He and Melanie have also developed a love affair with Ireland, and he refers to himself as a "plastic Paddy".
Bishop, who also has had roles in films and TV shows such as Ken Loach’s Route Irish and a recurring part in Doctor Who, has truly made it and it all started because of that chance night in Manchester all those years ago.
Now his story has been made into Is This Thing On?, a charming and quirky movie directed by Oscar-nominated director and actor Bradley Cooper.
Will Arnett, who has previously starred in Arrested Development, Blades of Glory, and The Lego Movie, plays accidental stand-up Alex Kovak and the ever excellent Laura Dern is his estranged wife, Tess.
It’s a case of art and comedy imitating real life and the funny thing is, Bishop wasn’t even interested in making people laugh when he took to the stand-up mic for the very first time.
"I’d only been to two comedy clubs in my whole life, I wasn’t a fan of comedy," he says. "It’s funny - people talk to me now about classic comedians and classic shows that they’d seen but I didn’t watch any of that. I was into football but I was also a young man back then, with three kids and a busy job."
Is This Thing On?, which also stars Ciarán Hinds as Kovak’s wise old owl of a dad, came about when Bishop was in Amsterdam having lunch with a group of people, including Arnett.
Arnett then told Bishop’s twist of fate story to his old friend Cooper, who has directed and starred in acclaimed films such as A Star Is Born and Maestro.
In fact, Cooper liked the story so much that he also has a role in Is This Thing On? He plays Kovak’s deluded buddy - who goes by the wonderful name of Balls - a jobbing actor who kids himself and everybody else that he is on the verge of a big breakthrough role.
Speaking about working with the A-lister, Bishop says, "He’s been really good. It’s been really interesting because we’re like men of a certain age so you don’t mess about and because we met to talk about something that’s important for both of us, a lot of the BS wasn’t there.
"I’ve been a massive fan of his and it’s very hard when you’re meeting someone you’re actually a fan of not to go all fanboy-ish."
He adds, "It’s mad surreal. It’s been very strange to see the film come to fruition but also quite fulfilling because when someone makes a film about a period of your that in some respects you’ve moved on from, it gives you a chance to look back at it and see it through new eyes."
Shot in real New York clubs, Is This Thing On? riffs on the restorative power of laughter and how coincidence and chance can change our lives. It’s talky and naturalistic, like a Noah Baumbach indie movie, and Cooper’s assured direction gives it a spontaneous, chaotic feel.
However, and not unlike Stephen Frears’ very good adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity, the action has been transplanted from Liverpool to New York for obvious box office reasons.
Arnett, sporting a very good impression of Bishop’s luxuriant mane, does wear a Liverpool FC shirt at one point - and that’s the only concession to the comedian’s Merseyside roots.
"That’s his shirt, that’s Will’s actual shirt because he’s an actual Liverpool fan," Bishop says. "Me and him went to watch Liverpool recently against Burnley, which was a terrible match. This film is better than that match so he’s a fan and I didn’t know he was going to wear that shirt in the film. I didn’t know until I saw the film."
Back in 2001, Bishop made his stand-up debut in front of seven people and he saw the baptism of comedy fire as a form of counselling and a way to work through what was going on with him and his wife.
He and Melanie have now seen Is This Thing On? several times together. "It was strange," smiles Bishop. "I think we’ve seen it three times and at each different stage, we’ve seen something else and at each different stage, we took a day or two to have a conversation.
"It was good because Laura (Dern) spent some time with Melanie and I spoke to Will and that joined together in the way they presented the story so it feels very real. It’s like watching a memory."
Is This Thing ON? is in cinemas on Friday, 30 January
