John Bishop is back on ITV: Here’s what he brought

On ITV, former footballer and comedian John Bishop will debut a new documentary series about deaf awareness and British Sign Language. John joins his son, Joe Bishop, who has been diagnosed with progressive deafness, as the family sets out to explore the life and challenges of the deaf community.

What is the new documentary, John & Joe Bishop: Life after Deaf, all about?

The new show, John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf, will follow the father-son duo as Joe sets out on a journey of self-acceptance while John accepts the challenge of doing a stand-up show for a deaf audience.


Joe, John's eldest son, has been struggling with the issue of progressive deafness for a decade. After the family's long struggle to fix his hearing issue, they finally decided to accept it and start learning more about the deaf community.

Life After Deaf showcases the family's journey into this new chapter as they discover life in the deaf community and unpack the issues they have handled. They also learn sign language for the first time in an attempt to give voice to the deaf community that is often marginalized.

John and Joe meet a few deaf people to understand the miscommunication and misunderstanding they face as deaf people. Through the medium of this show, they hope to offer an alternate perspective on the life of the deaf.



John said that he had never imagined the kind of impact this journey would have on them as a family. He expressed gratitude towards the people of the deaf community whom he and Joe met this year. He said the generosity extended by the community changed their lives.

The media is taking notice of British Sign Language.

After being recognized as the official language in Scotland, England, and Wales, the British Sign Language (BSL) has gained popularity in the media and gathered much attention in recent months.

Rosie Cooper, West Lancashire MP, has been running a campaign to make British Sign Language the United Kingdom's official language for quite some time.

FAQs

1. What did John say about his upcoming show?
   John took to Instagram to share with his followers that this show had been the most challenging piece of television he had ever made. He revealed that although it started as a documentary about him learning sign language to deliver a stand-up, unexpectedly, it ended up being a healing process for him and his family, and it continues to be so.
2. When and where to watch "John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf"?
   The documentary, John & Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf, will be broadcast on ITV at 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 22.