At school he wanted to be a musician and put together a band called The Famous Five. But it didn't really work out, so he got into comedy. In 1989, he formed a double act called the Rubber Bishops, but abandoned it to write his first Edinburgh festival show, Rock, a collaboration with fellow comic Sean Lock. In 1995, he did his first one-man show, Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam. It won the Time Out award at the festival. The next year, his show won the festival's Critic's Award, and was filmed and aired as a special on Channel 4. In 1999 he won the British Comedy Award for Best Live Stand-up and ...
Dave M. Benett
April 14, 2011
January 9, 2011
December 5, 2010
July 7, 2010
March 31, 2010
March 31, 2010
March 2, 2010
February 25, 2010
January 27, 2010
January 12, 2010
January 4, 2010
December 2, 2009
August 14, 2009
August 7, 2009
January 13, 2009
Full Biography
At school he wanted to be a musician and put together a band called The Famous Five. But it didn't really work out, so he got into comedy. In 1989, he formed a double act called the Rubber Bishops, but abandoned it to write his first Edinburgh festival show, Rock, a collaboration with fellow comic Sean Lock.
In 1995, he did his first one-man show, Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam. It won the Time Out award at the festival. The next year, his show won the festival's Critic's Award, and was filmed and aired as a special on Channel 4.
In 1999 he won the British Comedy Award for Best Live Stand-up and staring along side renda Blethyn in the smash hit comedy Saving Grace.
As the self-styled "bug-eyed wizard of comedy" Bailey combines meandering tales with gigantic, bizarre leaps of logic. His subjects swing through a whole galaxy of weirdness, from geopolitical theories, to snack food (Pringle sandwich anyone) and theoretical astrophysics. Every once in a while he'll throw in a song: Zip-a-di-do-da as performed by Portishead; a rave version of the BBC News theme; or a drum 'n' bass remix of George Bush's speeches.
But, with his level of fame, he soon found he didn't have to slog the way he used to. Instead, he took roles on One to Watch, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Spaced, The Stand-Up-Show and had a crack at his own series Is it Bill Bailey?
His biggest TV role to date is as Manny in Black Books opposite Dylan Moran (Bernard Black). He loved the script, the situation and the character, but most of all he loved the set, filled with real books. "I remember one was called 'The Big Book of Swamps'. Fabulous read. Another was by the former darts champion, John Lowe. It was full of hilarious diagrams on how and how not to hold a dart. They all looked the same."