Bill Bailey announces a 2026 tour
Describing himself as a modern-day vaudevillean
Bill Bailey has announced a 2026 tour, describing himself as a modern-day vaudevillean.
The comic has announced 26 arena shows for next autumn – also entitled Vaudevillean – kicking off at the Plymouth Pavilion on November 6.
It follows a tour of the same name in New Zealand this autumn. In an interview to promote that show, explained that the idea came to him when he was on stage in London’s West End last Christmas, playing his usual collection of esoteric musical instruments.
‘I think of myself as a sort of torchbearer of the new vaudeville,’ he told the New Zealand Post
‘There’s a lot of music, there’s a lot of fun, a lot of sketches and comedy, and there’s songs that make fun of people in authority. This was very much the essence of what vaudeville was.’
The blurb for the UK tour defines vaudeville as: ‘A celebration of comedy, songs, and multifarious skills. Tales of showbiz, tales of the city. Tales of the strange, the unusual… All with the aim to amuse and amaze a broad audience. Enthralling family fun, to divert and transport from the tribulations of daily life.’
Promoters add: ‘Bill Bailey returns with a show that celebrates this great tradition, as the versatile multi-instrumental, multi-lingual, purveyor of humour and musical prowess.’
Published: 24 Nov 2025
