Bill Bailey
Who Bill Bailey is
Bill Bailey is a stand-up comedian, musician, writer, actor and presenter whose tours have taken him across the UK and to Ireland, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand, where he was among the early international acts at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. After a double act with Sean Lock he took his first solo show to Edinburgh in 1995 and was nominated for the Perrier Award in 1996, and his shows since include Part Troll (2004), Tinselworm (2007), Dandelion Mind (2010), Qualmpeddler (2012), Limboland (2015), Larks in Transit at the Royal Opera House (2021), En Route to Normal (2022) and Thoughtifier.
On television he played Manny in Black Books, was a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks for eleven series, is known too for QI and won Strictly Come Dancing in 2020, and his books include Remarkable Guides to British birds (2016) and to happiness (2019).
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At a glance
- Stand-up specials
- Part Troll, Tinselworm, Limboland and 2 more
- Albums
- Cosmic Jam and In Metal
- Books
- Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to British Birds and Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness
- On screen
- Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI and 6 more
- Official site
- billbailey.co.uk ↗
On stage
No dated show on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now — their own site has their dates: billbailey.co.uk ↗.
Lineups belong to the rooms and the comedians, and can change; each listing has the last word. Their nights on the Comedy Calendar →
Specials, shows and podcasts
Stand-up specials
- Part Troll DVD, 2004
- Tinselworm DVD, 2007
- Limboland DVD
- Larks in Transit BBC One, 2021
- Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra BBC, 2009
Albums
- Cosmic Jam 1995
- In Metal
On screen
- Black Books Manny Bianco
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks team captain, 2002-2008
- QI
- Strictly Come Dancing winner, 2020
- Is It Bill Bailey? 1998
- Spaced
- Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza Sky1, 2010
- In the Long Run Sky, 2018
- Extraordinary Portraits BBC One, 2023-2024
Books and writing
- Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to British Birds book, Quercus, 2016
- Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness book, Quercus, 2019
Comedians like Bill Bailey
Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.
- Josh Widdicombe also in Strictly Come Dancing
- Julian Clary also in Strictly Come Dancing
- David O'Doherty also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks
- Lloyd Langford also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks
- Lucy Porter also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks
- Chris McCausland also in Strictly Come Dancing
- Chris Ramsey also in Strictly Come Dancing
- Dylan Moran also in Black Books
Career timeline
- 1995Cosmic Jam (1995) Album
- 1998Is It Bill Bailey? (1998) On screen
- 2002Never Mind the Buzzcocks (team captain, 2002-2008) On screen
- 2004Part Troll (DVD, 2004) Special
- 2007Tinselworm (DVD, 2007) Special
- 2009Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra (BBC, 2009) Special
- 2010Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza (Sky1, 2010) On screen
- 2016Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to British Birds (book, Quercus, 2016) Book
- 2018In the Long Run (Sky, 2018) On screen
- 2019Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness (book, Quercus, 2019) Book
- 2020Strictly Come Dancing (winner, 2020) On screen
- 2021Larks in Transit (BBC One, 2021) Special
- 2023Extraordinary Portraits (BBC One, 2023-2024) On screen
Questions and answers
Where is Bill Bailey performing next?
No date is on D.O.C.'s Comedy Calendar right now; their own site has their dates: billbailey.co.uk ↗.
What stand-up specials have they released?
Part Troll, Tinselworm, Limboland, Larks in Transit and Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra.
What is their latest stand-up special?
Larks in Transit (BBC One, 2021), the latest of the 5 specials on this page.
Have they written a book?
Yes: Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to British Birds and Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to Happiness.
What TV shows and films are they in?
Black Books (Manny Bianco), Never Mind the Buzzcocks (team captain, 2002-2008), QI, Strictly Come Dancing (winner, 2020), Is It Bill Bailey? (1998) and Spaced, among 9 credits.
What is their official website?
Who are some comedians like them?
Josh Widdicombe (also in Strictly Come Dancing), Julian Clary (also in Strictly Come Dancing), David O'Doherty (also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks), Lloyd Langford (also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks) and Lucy Porter (also in Never Mind the Buzzcocks).
Are you Bill Bailey?
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Your short address, for your bio: disciplesofcomedy.com/bill-bailey
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with a button to add them to your D.O.C., your twelve.
Sources
- Official site (About) ↗ Comedian, musician, writer, actor and presenter; Rock with Sean Lock, a first solo Edinburgh show in 1995 and a Perrier nomination in 1996; Bewilderness…
- Official site ↗ The Times: 'The finest stand-up comedian this country has to offer'; new live dates announced (as of 11 October 2026)
- New Zealand International Comedy Festival — About ↗ Begun in 1993 at the Watershed Theatre in Auckland; early international performers Alan Davies, Simon Pegg, Bill Bailey, Lano and Woodley, Rich Hall and…
Updated 11 October 2026 · the record checked 11 October 2026