Is it Bill Bailey?

I've been a fan of Bill Bailey for some time. I was introduced to his work through my mate Ian back when we were still at school. I think it was late nights on BBC2 that his first show - 'Is it Bill Bailey?', a mix of sketches and stand up - brought his musical/comedic riffing to my attention.

I also saw him perform live at The Wimbledon Theatre a couple of years later and have seen recordings of both his 'Part Troll' and 'Tinsleworm' shows (the latter I own on DVD) which are excellent.

Nowadays of course, this kind of comedy is ten a penny with Tenacious D, The Mighty Boosh and Flight of the Concords all mastering the art. But it was before they all came to the fore that those first, half hour Bill Bailey shows were devoured. Captured on VHS, we'd play them back to ourselves, recite lines and sing aloud Bill's comedy take on Chris De Burgh or cockney versions of popular songs.

Maybe it's just because it was a shared memory that I have this rose-tinted perspective but one of my favourite Bill Bailey ditties has always been this tribute to Billy Bragg called 'Unisex Chip Shop'. It's not particularly clever but it always brings a smile to my face.