Bill Bailey: Bewilderness

In the mid-nineties I never got Bill Bailey and always felt he was a Goth type who only did jokes about rock music and Star Trek etc. However since then he has done the wonderful Black Books which gave his surreally a structure to sit within. This show was filmed in Wales in 2001.

For most of the show he manages to do his `bewildered' thing very well and mixes his observations with jokes and musical interludes. And most of it manages to be funny, even if his observations are a little weak and the confused thing gets old quite quickly.

The musical thing is mixed too. Some of the songs are funny because they do themes in different styles – however after 15 seconds the joke's gone even if the song goes on for another minute. Compare him to the style of Rich Hall who uses his songs as jokes, building to a punchline everytime – Bailey's song is the jokes whereas Hall's is the routine.

Overall I still enjoyed it and fans of Bailey will not be disappointed. However I got the feeling he ran out of steam towards then end and even though I was smiling I was waiting for a real good laugh in the last 15 minutes.

Personally for me, this was one of the funniest things that I've ever seen, if not the funniest, and is also one of the funniest things ever made. In this stand-up, you have one unique character full of outstandingly original comedy, and comes up with some absolute gems which he will forever be remembered for.

That character is Bill Bailey, the funniest person ever to come from the West Country, and star of such shows as 'Black Books' and 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks.' In this stand-up, he talks about the Masculine Identity Crisis, Sirens, the flexibility of the human voice, and how he craves disappointment because he is British. With the power of some incredible gags and hilarious music, Bill Bailey produces what could possibly be his best works.

Made after the success of 'Cosmic Jam', Bill Bailey's 'Bewilderness' is a work of underrated genius, with some 'cult' moments, such as his rendition of 'The Magic Roundabout', which is possibly Bill's best ever comedy moment. It is a little bit slow to start off with, but from the bit with the 'Sirens' in the middle, to the 'Chaucer Pubbe Gagge' at the end, you will be lying in a pool of your own tears of laughter, as I was...don't take that literally. If anyone is in need for some unique comedy that will make them laugh on every viewing, this is a must.

Bill Bailey is one of my favourite comedians. He has always been fantastic on "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" and on "Black Books" particularly, and he is just as good doing stand up as he does on comedy programs.

The music is fantastic - both funny and actually of a very good quality. Some of the sections without music are a bit poor, and overall the first half of the show is good, but not great (other than for a few bits like the Disenfranchised Owl tune). However, the last 40-50 minutes are pure gold, the music and comedy are both incredible.

Overall a very good live show, and you could probably pick up the DVD pretty cheaply now, so why aren't you out buying it right now?

Best moments: Countdown music, South African lion SFX guy, Daytime Drum and Base Babylon and Midnight in Parliament Square.

Bill Bailey is pure genius! He's become an idle for me for being hilarious and an excellent musician. I can't stop quoting him and some of the songs are constantly in my head, especially 'Midnight in Paliament Square'.

'Bewilderness' is one of the funniest comedy shows I've seen, and is just as, if not more enjoyable than 'Part Troll'. I've yet to see 'Cosmic Jam' but I'm definitely looking forward to it.

My favourite thing about Bill is that he's funny without being offensive and rude. I've watched both 'Part Troll' and 'Bewilderness' with both of my parents and they enjoyed it just as much as I did.

'Black Books' and 'Never Mind the Buzzcocks' (TV Series) are an example of how spontaneously funny he is. He may have scary eyes and confuse people sometimes, but he is extremely lovable and it's definitely worth going to see him live, or even just enjoy a DVD :D

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Bill Bailey is a comedy genius! While this show, like all other stand-up comedy performances, has now been eclipsed by Bill's masterpiece show 'Part Troll'; Bewilderness still marks a hilarious resounding success for the comedian, and I can guarantee a good time to whoever watches it. Bailey's performance works because he uses a broad range of ideas and means to show his sense of humour. Aiding him for the show is his guitar and keyboard, and while nothing he does with either instrument in this show comes close to beating the likes of the BBC news or the depressing guitar song he did in his 'Part Troll' show, Bailey still manages to garner laughs with his musical prowess. He has a manner and more importantly a face that lend themselves brilliantly to comedy, and Bailey always makes best use of both these assets. His facial expressions are priceless, and his comic timing really couldn't be better. His style of humour is unique, in that it's very surreal and the comedian is guaranteed to catch you completely off guard with his wit on numerous occasions. If you like stand-up comedy; you'll love this!