EXTRA SHOW ADDED DUE TO DEMAND Bill Bailey, Star of TV’s “Black Books”, “Nevermind The Buzzcocks” and the upcoming season
of popular teen dramedy “Skins”, has seen an astounding number of tickets sold for his upcoming nationwide tour of his critically acclaimed show “Tinselworm”.
To cope with this high demand additional show has been added on 5 September at the St James Theatre in Wellington.
“This rocks” CHORTLE
“His turns of phrase are beautiful, almost poetic” MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
“As wonderful as anything he has ever done” THE TIMES
Bringing his critically acclaimed TINSELWORM show to New Zealand, Bill Bailey returns for a three-centre national tour this August/September.
Voted the seventh greatest stand-up comedian of all time on Channel 4 (UK) in 2007 comedian, musician, actor and presenter, BILL BAILEY is perhaps the consummate guitar wielding, beard wearing, Klingon-resembling entertainer.
Best known for stand-up tours and his work on television in programs including TV’s cult comedy Black Books, and the UK’s Never Mind the Buzzcocks, he has also acted on stage, appeared in films and played with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
As a student the urge to lampoon the pretentious was strong, and fellow members of serious school rock bands ‘The Famous Five’ and ‘Behind Closed Doors’ were not amused by his attempts to work jokes into the music, which might otherwise have changed the world.
Cultivating his musical talents by busking, playing lounge piano, and accompanying a mind-reading dog in his TV premiere, he happened upon his now trademark look whilst in New York, sprouting an unkempt beard to avoid the attention of muggers. A couple of years, and two borrowed cassocks later, he formed provocative double act The Rubber Bishops and launched his comedy career.
After cutting his comedy teeth on the club circuit, Bill was gnashing to full effect in 1995 when his refreshingly whimsical solo effort Cosmic Jam proved a hit with audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe and earned him an Edinburgh Festival Critics’ Award. After touring the UK and showcasing his act in a Channel 4 special featuring a giant ant, he was unleashed onto BBC2 with his own show, Is it Bill Bailey, a self-penned m&eacutelange of stand-up, musical parodies, and offbeat sketch comedy.
While appearing all over the international comedy scene, Bill has kept up his television profile, with a starring role in Black Books, and UK shows Wild West, QI and Have I Got News For You (as both panellist and guest host). His role as team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks has brought his surreal comedy stylings to millions of viewers, and injected a new lease of life into the long-running pop quiz.
His stand-up has been combined with straight acting roles, appearing at the Edinburgh Festival in hit adaptations of 12 Angry Men and The Odd Couple, and showcasing Harold Pinter’s comic sketches in West End hit Pinter’s People, called “riveting” by Pinter himself. His wizard-like features have also graced the silver screen in films Saving Grace and Hot Fuzz.
In recent years Bill has also branched out as a radio and television presenter, hosting the wildlife preservation series Wild Thing I Love You, and presenting documentaries on subjects such as Prog Rock, endangered jaguars and Stonehenge. He has played with the BBC Concert Orchestra in a 2-hour charity concert, and raised canvas roofs off mud-stained marquees in music festivals all over the country.
Bill has continued to tour and his fusion of music and comedy has spellbound audiences across the globe in shows such as Bewilderness and Part Troll and now TINSELWORM.
Critics have been just as enthusiastic, with The Times calling him “the finest standup comedian this country has to offer” and The Observer describing his show as “a consistently brilliant collage of musical parodies, anecdotes and off the wall surrealism”. His 2007 arena tour Tinselworm boldly went where no comedian had gone before. In short, as The Scotsman put it, “Bailey is an all-round entertainer whose appeal transcends age, gender or coolness quotient. He is, quite simply, brilliant.”