Nov 18: Comedian Des Bishop's 'Breaking China' to be Shown in its Entirety

What would drive you to move all the way to China to live with a Chinese family? For comedian Des Bishop, it was working at an Irish kebab shop. He got along so well with his Chinese coworkers that he decided to come to Beijing and study Mandarin – with the dream of performing in Chinese.

That time has since been and gone, with Bishop arriving in China in the middle of last year, whereby he performed a monthly comedy night at The Bookworm with comedians from around the world before returning home. Using footage from his trip, a six part series for RTÉ TV titled Des Bishop: Breaking China was created, chronicling Bishop's experiences and capturing many of the interactions and differences that foreigners here are all too familiar with.

Now, the Irish Network China (INC) film club will be showing the program in its entirety tomorrow night (Nov 18) from 6.10pm sharp at Nearby the Tree. A RMB 100 ticket not only bags you a seat, it'll also get you pizza, salad, and a drink. Those interested should RSVP to beijingirishconnections@gmail.com.

In their description of the series, the INC says: "part reality, part travel, part humour, the show follows Des’s progress over 12 months, including his fumbling first steps in Mandarin, kung fu encounters with Shaolin monks, creative attempts to find romance, an impromptu St. Patrick’s Day parade, and many other adventures played out in an intriguing nation that churns out comic material 24/7 through the quirks of everyday life." Catch the fourth episode in its entirety below:

Bishop, originally from New York, is no stranger to foreign experiences. He moved to Ireland as a teenager and rose to fame with three popular TV shows: The Des Bishop Work Experience, Joy in the Hood, and most recently, the acclaimed six-part funny documentary In the Name of the Fada.

According to The Independent, "fitting in, from learning how to engage with people out of necessity" is what gives Bishop his inspiration and unique style. His move to Beijing was all about fitting in with the locals and turning his unique perspective on life in this city into jokes. He arrived confident that "there's plenty of humor in mispronunciation and crossed-wires material," and now you can be the judge.

This article was adapted from a piece posted by the Beijinger's Nick Richards in April 2013.

Photo: RTÉ