Bill Bailey to headline Scarborough Open Air Theatre's first ever big name comedy show

The master comic, musical maestro and Strictly Come Dancing champion headlines TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Friday August 2.

Tickets for this special all-seated show – the first headline comedy gig at the historic venue – go on sale at 9am on Friday March 22 via ticketmaster.co.uk.

Bill is a comedian, actor, musician and author known for his role in the cult sitcom Black Books, as team captain on the anarchic music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks, his appearances on the freewheeling panel show QI and his many critically acclaimed UK and international stand-up tours.

He was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion 2020.

Bill’s other notable TV work includes the two-part series Bill Bailey’s Jungle Hero for BBC Two about the Victorian naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace, and a brilliant deconstruction of the way orchestras work in Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra, both garnering much acclaim and winning international awards.

Bill’s comedy is a fusion of the surreal and the intelligent, blending stories, poetry and deft wordplay that takes aim at the absurdities of our world, set against an impressive array of weird and wonderful instruments.

Music is the defining feature of his live shows, where his expertise allows playful interpretations of classic styles such as Tom Waits singing Old Macdonald or Kraftwerk singing the Hokey Cokey… as the Sunday Times says, “Comedy’s Mozart”.

Bill’s current arena-filling Thoughtifier tour is playing to sold-out audiences across the UK and Europe.

Bill joins Madness, Johnny Marr and The Charlatans, Tom Jones, Korn, Simple Minds, Anne-Marie, Paul Weller, Fatboy Slim, Deacon Blue, JLS, Gregory Porter, James, Jess Glynne, Status Quo and Busted among Scarborough Open Air Theatre’s 2024 summer season of headline stars.

Julian Murray, Cuffe and Taylor’s venue programmer at Scarborough OAT, said: “Bill Bailey is a national treasure, a true one-off and someone who packs arenas across the country. We are really excited to announce he is joining our brilliant summer line up here on the Yorkshire coast.

“This is the first time we have announced a comedy star to headline Scarborough OAT and this is going to be a truly historic and special night at this incredible venue.”