The Commercial Break – TCB Infomercial: Des Bishop (January 28, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Commercial Break welcomes comedian Des Bishop back for a lively, wide-ranging conversation with hosts Bryan Green and Krissy Hoadley. The trio covers everything from Des’s new podcast "The Bishop Exchange," adapting to generational and cross-cultural comedy audiences, American and Irish politics (with pointed takes on Elon Musk, fascism, and peace processes), bingeable prestige TV, and even family holiday traditions. Expect chaotically relatable banter, irreverent segues, and genuinely insightful moments—TCB’s "cheesecake factory of comedy" reputation is on full display.

Key Discussion Points

1. Des Bishop’s New Podcast & Transatlantic Comedy

• Introduction to "The Bishop Exchange"
  • Des teams up with UK arena-comedy giant John Bishop (no relation, but the similarity is uncanny).
  • The podcast focuses on cross-cultural exchange and generational humor.
  • Des describes the dynamic: "I was just happy to have like a similar aged man to bounce off... It’s nice to have someone more like you to have different types of conversations." [11:06]
• Target Audiences & Generational Gaps
  • Both hosts and Des reflect on skewing younger, particularly to female listeners in their 20s and 30s, and the challenge of connecting over 90s nostalgia.
  • Des notes: "Hannah’s got a lot of like fans in their early 20s... I really had to make sure I was doing bits that they got, you know." [12:14]

2. Cross-Cultural and Age Gap Relationships

• Relating Across Age and Culture
  • Des and Bryan both have younger, internationally-born spouses, and discuss the humor and disconnect that can crop up.
  • "Sometimes it’s nice to talk to the 46-year-old man who also went through some of the same things I went through... When I say some things to Astrid [my wife], sometimes she’s like ‘What are you even... I wasn’t even born.’" — Bryan [13:10]

3. Touring, Holidays, and Family Traditions

• Des’s Life Split Across Continents
  • Des juggles homes in Ireland, NYC, and the Hamptons, and describes their upgrades as the family’s fortunes have shifted ("We upgraded, so it seems fancier than it is..." [45:01]).
• Holiday Traditions & Ethnic Identity
  • The group dissects cultural imports like the Italian-American "seven fishes" dinner and the mythos of corned beef and cabbage ("Bacon and cabbage is the Irish dish... Americans don’t make cabbage as well as Irish people... corned beef and cabbage is shy." — Des [24:21]).

4. American & Irish Politics, Media, and “Fascism”

• Elon Musk’s Controversial Behavior
  • The group critically unpacks Musk’s far-right pandering and online persona, especially his alleged Nazi salute:
    • "He’s become insanely obsessed with the MAGA agenda... There’s something not quite right." — Des [29:31]
    • "He’s the only insanely wealthy billionaire... that’s just gone all in." [30:26]
    • Bryan: "He’s trying to be the most retweeted guy on his own platform... what concerns me... is that he seems to be losing his mind." [33:10]
• The Dangers of Extreme Political Language
  • Des warns of the risks when civil society unravels ("People take for granted civil society holding... it can break down, it’s not as solid as you think..." [63:40])
  • The hosts agree both political extremes are harmful, and the importance of "checking" extremists on both sides.
• The Troubles & "Say Nothing" Miniseries
  • Discuss "Say Nothing," a dramatization of Ireland’s Troubles, and how historical representation can be politically loaded.
    • "What ‘Say Nothing’ does well is shows the tragedy of society breaking down into violence and how really nobody is safe from that..." — Des [55:10]
    • Des is critical of its agenda: "It’s not even good history... to really go at Jerry Adams and not even mention Martin McGuinness..." [59:15]
    • On the peace process: "Part of that Good Friday Agreement was... we all have to accept that there have been horrible things... and we need to try to find a way forward." [56:39]

5. TV Obsessions and Road Life

• Severance Fandom
  • The hosts and Des bond over a shared obsession with AppleTV’s "Severance" and its companion podcast.
    • "Every now and then you just get a perfect combination of cast and story... it has the potential to go down as one of the great shows of all time." — Des [50:10]
    • “If you haven’t started season two, there’s only two episodes. You will not be disappointed.” — Bryan [50:16]
• Tour Loneliness & Coping
  • They swap stories of tour life, rustic holiday mishaps, getting stuck in Irish snow, and missing family while on the road.

6. Comedy Scenes in the US and UK

• British Comics Cracking America
  • Des describes John Bishop’s and Russell Howard’s paths, the “massive challenge” for arena-filling British comics trying to build U.S. recognition.
    • "John Bishop is one of the biggest comedians in the UK... I guess a comparative guy would be Chris Rock or Bill Burr of the UK." [15:04]
  • Hilarious mention of a UK government-esque website (actually "YouGov") tracking comedian popularity, heading into a tangent about bizarre internet polls. [18:15]

7. Comedy Community & Podcasting

• Des and Reggie Watts Connections
  • The hosts reveal Des is only their second-ever repeat guest, after Reggie Watts. Plans hatch to bring Des, Reggie, and TCB together for a special mega-episode.
    • "He’s my favorite. I don’t think a lot of people understand the genius of Reggie Watts." — Des [66:33]
    • "Now my wheels are turning... an event with Reggie, Des, and us in-studio." — Bryan [67:43]

Notable Quotes & Segments

On Adaptation and Audience

• "I was just happy to have like a similar aged man to bounce off... but sometimes it’s nice also to talk to the 46-year-old man who also went through some of the same things I went through." — Des [11:06]
• "Our biggest group of listeners according to Spotify analytics is females, like 25 to 35... Every once in a while I have to remind myself... They’re not going to remember what ‘totally tubular’ means." — Bryan [11:38]

On Elon Musk and Political Culture

• "He’s the only one... just made it his whole personality [to support MAGA and right-wing talking points], tweeting all day... There’s just something not quite right." — Des [30:26]
• "He owns a platform that thrives on this type of conflict... you’re the smartest guy in the world... it would require the most incredible stupidity to not know that’s the one thing that you don’t do unless you wanted to." — Des [31:18]
• "We shouldn’t be licking the balls of billionaires. We should be helping to keep them in check..." — Bryan [34:29]

On "Say Nothing" and the Troubles

• "It kind of suggests... certain injustices get more attention if there’s a political motivation, which is... dangerous... Why is it just we go after him [Adams]?... everyone’s pissed off, everybody has grievance, but now you’re going to allow one grievance to surface." — Des [56:26–58:10]
• “The north is about truth and reconciliation, not about unsolved crimes.” — Des [61:27]

On the Comedy Game

• "John Bishop is 100% an arena comic... a Chris Rock or Bill Burr of the UK... lately he has had an itch to do more stuff in the States." — Des [15:04]
• "We could have absolutely just said we were like first cousins from the jump, and people would have believed it." — Des, on his resemblance to John Bishop [14:12]

On Family and Tour Life

• "Number one benefit of having two dead parents is that you don’t have any stress about where to go for Christmas." — Des [22:32]
• "As a dumb American, I just made the assumption when we were flying in and seeing all these alerts, ‘oh, they know what to do with snow, it’s Ireland’—they have no idea." — Bryan [28:18]

On TV Obsessions

• "Every now and then... a perfect combination of cast and story... It has the potential to be one of the great shows of all time." — Des, on Severance [50:10]

Timestamps: Important Segments

• 00:00–02:35: Banter on neighbors, celebrity brush-offs, launching into Des Bishop, podcast news, sports talk.
• 09:23–16:11: Des joins; intros to The Bishop Exchange, John Bishop’s US ambitions, reflections on podcasting chemistry.
• 16:12–22:26: Age gaps, changing comedy demographics, generational humor, cross-cultural relationships, family holiday stories.
• 22:27–28:35: Christmas traditions, corned beef myths, weather horror stories in Ireland and Atlanta.
• 29:09–42:56: Segment on Elon Musk as a controversial figure, fascism, troll culture, populism, politics in social media.
• 43:23–47:35: The “Hamptons lite,” life split between Ireland and the US, mini-real estate moguls, celebrity neighbors.
• 47:36–52:01: TV recommendations: Severance deep-dive, podcast synergy, how binge TV fosters community.
• 52:02–63:43: “Say Nothing” miniseries—The Troubles depictions, the limits of truth/reconciliation, and risks of re-litigating the past.
• 63:44–68:22: Movie recs ("Hunger"), upcoming tours, comedy club plugs, future plans (Reggie Watts + Des + TCB super meetup).
• 68:23–end: Closing banter, gratitude, takeaways on family and missing loved ones, plugs galore.

Noteworthy Moments

• Des on the "benefits" of parentless holidays: [22:32]
• Discussion of "Say Nothing" and the dangers of reopening old wounds in Irish history/politics: [55:10–63:43]
• Des on Elon Musk and fascism: [29:31–34:29]
• Nostalgic 90s and age gap humor: [11:04–12:33]

Episode Summary

TCB’s chat with Des Bishop is a comedic deep-dive into the complexities (and comedic potential) of generational, cultural, and political divides—punctuated by genuine insight and plenty of riffing. Des proves a sharp commentator on both sides of the Atlantic, moving effortlessly from critiques of internet culture and populism to heartfelt appraisals of TV drama and the comic’s life on the road. The episode shines in its balance: sharp, funny, and unexpectedly profound, especially for listeners interested in modern comedy, media, and the strange dance between public personalities, history, and social change.

Find More

• Des Bishop on Instagram: [@desbishop]
• Tour Dates & Info: desbishop.net
• The Bishop Exchange Podcast: Anywhere podcasts are found
• Hosts: Bryan Green (@thecommercialbreak), Krissy Hoadley
• Contact/Interact: tcbpodcast.com | 212-4333-TCB

“Every now and then just... you just get a perfect combination of cast and story and director. And I think [Severance] has the potential... as one of the great shows of all time.”
— Des Bishop [50:10]