"Funniest Comedian MIKE BIRBIGLIA vs JOHN BISHOP"

Mike Birbiglia (/bɜːrˈbɪɡliə/; born June 20, 1978) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer and writer. He is a frequent contributor to This American Life and The Moth, and has released several comedy albums and television specials. His feature-length directorial debut Sleepwalk with Me (2012), based on his one-man show of the same name and in which he also starred, won awards at the Sundance and Nantucket film festivals. He also wrote, directed, and starred in the comedy-drama Don't Think Twice (2016). His 2010 book Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the 2011 Thurber Prize for American Humor. Birbiglia has appeared in films such as Your Sister's Sister (2011), Cedar Rapids (2011), and Trainwreck (2015), played a recurring role in Orange Is the New Black, and has guest starred in episodes of Girls, Inside Amy Schumer, and Broad City. Birbiglia was born in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, the son of Mary Jean (née McKenzie) and Vincent Paul Birbiglia. He is the youngest of four children. He is of part Italian descent and was raised Catholic. Birbiglia attended the all-boys Catholic school St. John's High School for one year, and graduated from St. Mark's School in 1996. He says seeing comedian Steven Wright perform inspired him to begin writing jokes at age 16. He subsequently attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., graduating in 2000. During college he performed as a member of the Georgetown Players Improv Troupe, worked as a server in a comedy club, and began performing at DC Improv (The Improv) in Washington, D.C. Birbiglia began doing improv in 1997. His sister was able to get him an interview on Conan O’Brien’s show as an intern, where he worked for associate producer Jordan Schlansky. Birbiglia moved to New York in 2000, and appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2002. He told his first story on stage at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, in 2003, and eventually became a semi-regular contributor to The Moth storytelling series. He released his first album, Dog Years, in 2004, followed by My Secret Public Album, Volume 1a (2005) a compilation of his appearances on The Bob and Tom Show. His next two albums, Two Drink Mike (2006), and My Secret Public Journal Live (2007) were released on Comedy Central Records. My Secret Public Journal Live was named one of the best comedy albums of the decade by The A.V. Club In 2008 CBS picked up a sitcom pilot loosely based on Birbiglia's life and featuring himself, Bob Odenkirk and Frances Conroy that ultimately never aired. He later called the failure of his pilot "the luckiest thing that ever happened to me."

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John Joseph Bishop (born 30 November 1966) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, and former footballer. Bishop played for Hyde FC and Southport FC, and was known for having an aggressive style of play. His television debut came on The Panel. He subsequently appeared in the E4 teen drama Skins (seasons 3 and 4) and in the Ken Loach film Route Irish (2010), in addition to his own shows such as John Bishop's Britain (2010–2011), John Bishop's Only Joking (2013), and The John Bishop Show (2015). He will have a lead role as Dan in Series 13 of Doctor Who. Bishop had a regular Sunday slot on Liverpool radio station Radio City called Bishop's Sunday Service. He is also known for his charity work, having raised £4.2 million for Sport Relief 2012. John Joseph Bishop was born in Liverpool on 30 November 1966, the son of homemaker Kathleen (née Hackett) and labourer Edward Bishop from nearby Huyton. He has an older brother, Eddie, and two older sisters, Kathy and Carol. Eddie would later become a professional footballer. Bishop grew up mostly in the Cheshire towns of Winsford and Runcorn, and attended Murdishaw West Primary School and Brookvale Academy in the latter. He briefly studied English at Newcastle Polytechnic, and gained a BA in Social Science from Manchester Polytechnic. He later worked as a medical representative for the pharmaceutical company Syntex, leaving in 2006 to pursue a career in comedy. Bishop performed stand-up comedy for the first time in Manchester in October 2000, and the following year, made it to the final of all the major new act competitions, including So You Think You're Funny, the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Awards, the BBC New Comedy Awards, and the City Life North West Comedian of The Year Award, which he won. In 2002, he was named best newcomer by BBC Radio Merseyside, and in 2004, he won the North West Comedy Award for best stand-up. In 2009, Bishop appeared as the first act on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow in Manchester. That year, he appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where his show Elvis Has Left the Building was nominated for an "Eddie" (Edinburgh Comedy Award). In 2009, Bishop appeared in Channel 4's series Comedy Showcase and was a contestant on Celebrity Mastermind. He also appeared in BBC Three sitcom Lunch Monkeys as fireman Terry. He has appeared five times on 5 Live's Fighting Talk quiz show, claiming four victories on the programme. His material is drawn from his life's experiences, including fatherhood, cycling around the world, playing semi-professional football, and working as a nightclub doorman. Bishop's first television appearance was in 2007 on the RTÉ topical-comedy show The Panel, where he was a regular panelist until 2008. He then went onto the Channel 4 panel show 8 out of 10 Cats before appearing on the BBC's Live at the Apollo. In December 2009, Bishop started his own TV show on LFC TV called John Bishop Meets..., where he interviewed former Liverpool football players.

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