ITV viewers make demand following emotional John…

ITV viewers make demand following emotional John Bishop documentary

Viewers were left 'sobbing' and made a demand after John Bishop and his son's documentary about deafness aired on ITV on Thursday night (September 22). John and Joe Bishop: Life After Deaf saw the Scouse comedian learn British Sign Language (BSL) and perform a stand-up set to a deaf audience entirely through singing, inspired by his son.

His eldest son Joe, 27, has an autoimmune condition that causes progressive deafness and is now partially deaf because of it. The condition developed when Joe was a teenager after he contracted a virus which destroyed most of his hearing at the age of 15.

For the past 12 years the Bishop family had been trying to "fix" Joe's hearing, but the emotional programme saw the family reconsider their stance, instead looking to "embrace" Joe's deafness. The documentary followed John and Joe’s journey into the deaf community as they unpacked the issues the family had faced.

John also faced challenges when it came to adapting his comedy routine, working out the gags that would and wouldn't land with the deaf community. It culminated with John's performance as part of a BSL comedy night which, with his son watching on in the audience, the 55-year-old said he felt was one of the most important gigs he'd ever done.

Viewers were left in tears as they watched the documentary. Taking to Twitter to share their thoughts, @Birdfeed1 said: "Oh my #LifeAfterDeaf was emotional. Thank you @JohnBishop100 and Joe for sharing that" while @blurb44 commented: "Well that made me cry #lifeafterdeaf what a brilliant documentary. Thank you for sharing your story Joe."

"I was fully sobbing at some parts of #LifeAfterDeaf. I totally relate to Joe's anger and the communication problems he had with his hearing family," said @charlhyde as @bobbysparkles added: "Just watched #lifeafterdeaf with @JohnBishop100 No, you’re f****** crying."

Many people demanded that BSL be taught more widely, with many expressing their own wishes to learn the language. @eponinetaire tweeted: "#LifeAfterDeaf Such a great documentary. Sign language should be taught in schools. I've been partially deaf since birth."

@Burwoman added: "I started to learn BSL & gave up. This has inspired me to start again. What an amazing programme. BSL should be taught in all schools" while @raining_purple commented: "British Sign Language should 100% be taught in schools! You never know when you might meet someone that needs it #LifeAfterDeaf".

BSL was recognised as an official language nearly two decades ago in 2003, but it’s still not a part of the national curriculum. However some schools are making the choice to teach BSL, including The Ivy Learning Trust, a group of ten primary schools in Enfield and South Hertfordshire.

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