John Bishop says he is not in competition with fellow chat show host Piers Morgan, and denied that he is “soft” on his guests.
The comedian, 51, is back with a new series of John Bishop: In Conversation With on the W channel.
Morgan reportedly criticised David Walliams for turning down the chance to appear on Piers Morgan’s Life Stories, on ITV, and opting for Bishop’s show instead.
Bishop told the Press Association: “I was quite flattered that Piers Morgan was bothered, because Piers is on an established show, he’s been going longer, he’s on big television channels, got a bigger budget and all the rest of it….
Bishop said of guests opting for his show instead of other programmes: “There might be an argument to say, ‘That’s because you’re softer on them, or you’re nicer on them’, but I don’t think if you watch the show that that’s the case.
“I just think that people don’t think they’re gonna get stitched up, and…. they’re talking to someone who perhaps understands the subtleties of their world a little bit more.”
He said: “Piers is good at loads of things and his show’s been a great success and fair play to him, good luck to him.
“But I wouldn’t want our shows to be in competition because I just think we’re a very different beast. We’re… a very different animal.”
John Bishop: In Conversation With… returns to W channel on July 5.