IT’S been a few years since Bishops Road in Bessiebelle had been marked with a road sign — that was until an English comedian offered to install one at his own expense last week.
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A TV crew breezed into the blue gum district last Wednesday, with British comedian John Bishop to retrace his Australian roots — which included a road named after his family.
The problem was that there was no road sign to film, so the crew offered to pay for one — providing Moyne Shire gave the green light.
“We said, ‘yeah of course — that’s what the road is called,” Moyne Shire’s media co-ordinator and British expat Tim Marshall said.
He said Bishop was a regular on TV screens in the UK.
“He’s making a series for BBC1. He’s occasionally on QI,” Mr Marshall said.
“As a younger man in the 1990s he rode a bike from Sydney to Cairns and the documentary was to recreate the journey.”
Towards the end of filming however, the entertainer decided to head off to rediscover his family links in Bessiebelle.
“He had some family history in the area,” Mr Marshall said.
“We found out he had a great uncle who used to manage the service station.”
The crew has spent 14 weeks filming across Australia.
As for other missing roads signs, the council spokesman said they would happily approve signs for other family roads if people were willing to pay for them.
