CityLife

Must see: Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey

IT isn’t every year that a comedian brings two entirely different shows to your city, let alone a comic with as big a box office-clearing profile as Bill Bailey.  

But sure enough, back to Manchester he comes this week. In the summer, Bailey (right) performed his Tinselworm show at two venues in Manchester and Salford for a staggering combined total of 11 nights, but his latest tour is an entirely different proposition. 

Sure, there are Bailey witticisms and even a fair number of Bailey songs, but this time he’s got a massive backing group in the shape of an orchestra – the Manchester Camerata.

Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide To The Orchestra tour follows a successful run of the show at London’s Royal Albert Hall, ties in with the big push of his pre-Christmas DVD and – most importantly – gives Bill the opportunity to indulge himself in his favourite show of his career.

'Complete privilege'

“There’s the straightforward commercial aspect that there’s a DVD coming out, but that’s the managerial element of it – the cynical bit,” he told CityLife. “You could say it’s like someone poking you: ‘Get out there and dance, monkey boy’.

“But the other element is that it’s the most fun show I’ve had in years. I have an absolute blast doing it because working with an orchestra is just a rare treat, a complete privilege in every way, and the more times I get to do it, the more opportunities I’ll take.

“Every time I think someone’s going to stop me, someone’s going to say, ‘No, off! You, off the stage, what are you doing there? You’re not allowed up there. Who said you could do that? What bureaucratic oversight allowed you to do that?’.

“And so I’m just taking the opportunities while I can before somebody tells me off.”

Bridgewater Hall, November 16.
£60.