Bill Bailey writes My Animals And Other Animals memoir

ExclusiveThursday 21st March 2024, 8:15am by Jay Richardson

Bill Bailey's latest book finds the nature lover reflecting upon the animals that he's shared his life with
Published on 10th October, My Animals And Other Animals reflects on how pets connect us to the world and bring companionship
Bailey and his wife share their West London home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy

Bill Bailey has written a new memoir, about his life with animals, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

My Animals And Other Animals will be published by Quercus on 10th October.

"I'm always wary of llamas" Bailey discloses in an extract from the book, his fourth. "They're mischievous and smart. I get a sense, when I approach them, that they are conferring . . . as if to say, 'that's that bloke off the telly.'"

The comedian has always had a variety of dogs in his life, including a Lakeland Terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage.

Today, the nature lover, who has made several wildlife documentaries and published Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide To British Birds in 2016, also with Quercus, shares his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons and an armadillo called Tommy.

"We even had a giant chicken at the house for a while, a huge Malay cockerel, Kid Creole" he adds. "After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden."

That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of his existence: from terriers, to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in West London.

He previously wrote 2020's Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide To Happiness. And his new book maintains that as anyone who has ever had a pet knows, animals are a constant source of joy, but they also connect us to the world and to each other, touching on a deeper, older human need for companionship.

Quercus describe My Animals And Other Animals as "full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world ... the story of Bill's life, but more than that, it's the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey".

Currently hosting BBC Two talent show Bring The Drama, featuring would-be actors trying to break into television, Bailey begins the European leg of his Thoughtifier stand-up tour in Barcelona on 1st April but returns to the UK for a clutch of festival dates this summer, starting with Summer Nights At The Bandstand in Glasgow on 26th July.

You can pre-order My Animals And Other Animals now.

Bill Bailey - My Animals And Other Animals

By Bill Bailey

"I'm always wary of llamas. They're mischievous and smart. I get a sense, when I approach them, that they are conferring . . . as if to say, 'That's that bloke off the telly."

Bill Bailey has always had dogs in his life, including a Lakeland Terrier called Rocky who would travel with him in the van to his first shows and occasionally join him on stage. Fast forward a few decades and Bill shares his home with a variety of birds, dogs, frogs, chameleons, and an armadillo called Tommy. 'We even had a giant chicken at the house for a while, a huge Malay cockerel, Kid Creole. After a few stand-offs he took against me. He had to go in the end, I was being stalked in my own back garden.'

That chicken apart, animals have always been at the heart of an extraordinary life as one of the nation's favourite comedians, actors, musicians and (thanks to Strictly) dancers: from terriers to the orangutans of Sumatra and the parrots that share his breakfast every morning in west London.

As anyone who has ever had a pet knows, animals are a constant source of joy, but they also connect us to the world and to each other, touching on a deeper, older human need for companionship. Full of the leftfield humour, wit and wisdom that has made Bill Bailey such a beloved performer around the world, My Animals And Other Animals is the story of Bill's life, but more than that, it's the story of how all of our lives are enriched by the animals who accompany us on that journey.

First published: Thursday 10th October 2024

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