PLANS by a top UK comedian to alter the porch at his mansion were given the seal of approval by parish councillors – even though one admitted not knowing who he is.

John Bishop’s plans to alter the entrance to his Grade II listed house were discussed by councillors in Davenham, who fell about laughing when one of their colleagues asked who Mr Bishop was.

After debating three different designs for the porch Clr Arthur Wood said: “Am I missing something? Who’s John Bishop?”

Fellow councillor Brian Robinson offered to lend him a DVD of the Liverpudlian comic, who hosted the 2013 Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium and commands audiences of thousands at his stand-up gigs.

Clr Robinson said: “He’s spent about £1.4million to sort the house out and get it back to a proper state, but I suppose he only has to do one show to pay for that.”

Family man Mr Bishop, a 47-year-old dad-of-three, can rest easy knowing that the councillors approved of his designs and all agreed that they preferred the second of three options provided by the comic.

Clr Andy Duff, vice chairman, said: “We all prefer design two – it’s a lovely new entrance – so let’s see what he builds.”

Clr Wood said: “The building has been altered several times.

“The porch was added a long time ago but is not the original.

“It is made out of soft wood and shouldn’t be.”

A heritage assessment provided to Cheshire West and Chester Council as part of the planning application states that the existing porch is made of cheap wood, dates back to the mid to late 20th century and is in poor condition.

It emphasises the family’s commitment to the building and states: “The applicant, having invested heavily in the long term viability of the building ensuring it will remain in good condition well beyond their tenure and seeing the building as their family home for the rest of their lives, are keen to address the negative effect these poor quality features have.”