Is This Thing On? at London Film Festival 2025 is inspired by comedian John Bishop
One of the most surprising films at the London Film Festival 2025 is surely Is This Thing On?, a comedy-drama loosely based on the rise of the British comedian John Bishop.
The Liverpudlian is now one of Britain’s most famous acts, but he was fairly late to find fame, breaking through in his late-thirties and early forties. Before his first stand-up gigs in 2000 he was a pharmaceutical salesman, but after touring the regional comedy scene for seven years his first television performance came in 2007. His rise from a working class neighbourhood in Liverpool to the biggest London stages fascinated the film’s director Bradley Cooper.
Cooper, who also directed A Star Is Born and Maestro, has a small role as an understudy in the film. Will Arnett, the actor-comedian from Arrested Development, plays the burgeoning comedian, and Laura Dern co-stars as his wife. Arnett, Mark Chappell and Cooper co-wrote the script.
Is This Thing On? Film inspired by the life of John Bishop premieres at the London Film Festival 2025
The film hasn’t yet confirmed a UK cinematic release date, although it lands in theatres in the US in December. It also premieres at this month’s London Film Festival 2025, which you can read more about here. Tickets are still available for screenings on 14 and 15 October.
A trailer for Is This Thing On? shows Arnett’s Alex Novak character heading into a small comedy venue to play his first ever open mic night. Despite finding the performance initially challenging he quickly manages to make people laugh with his open and authentic delivery. Other scenes show more detail about his marriage break-up with his wife Tess, played by Laura Dern.
Is This Thing On? follows couple Alex and Tess who are going through a break-up and working out how to move their family forward amicably without disrupting the lives of their two young boys. All the while, Alex discovers comedy as a way of channelling the difficulties in his life. It mirrors some of the realities of Bishop’s own life: the comedian has said he started comedy following his temporary separation from his own wife (Bishop and his wife Melanie got back together, citing comedy as something that helped them work through their relationship difficulties).
The film has its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on 10 October and arrives in London at the London Film Festival on 14 October. Tickets are still available for screenings on 14 and 15 October.
London Film Festival 2025: the best films to book
Read CityAM’s guide to the best and buzziest films to see at this year’s London Film Festival 2025. This year’s Opening Gala is Daniel Craig’s Wake Up Dead Man, a new edition to the Knives Out franchise, and the Closing Gala is Hundred Nights of Hero, in which Charli xcx makes her acting debut.
Moss and Freud chronicles the working relationship between Kate Moss and Lucien Freud, and Memory of Princess Mumbi is entirely generated by AI. For a full list of other highlights, read CityAM’s guide to the buzziest movies being screened this year.
Plenty of lesser-known films have availability to book now, and the LFF website is searchable via the films with tickets still available if you’d like to make plans ahead of time. To read the full London Film Festival 2025 programme head to whatson.bfi.org.uk.