EXCLUSIVE: Bill Bailey Details New BBC Sitcom

UK funnyman Bill Bailey is always juggling numerous projects, and one of his latest endeavours sees a return to the sitcom format, with the BBC commissioning a new show from the Black Books legend.

In recent months Bailey has briefly touched on the project, now giving theMusic.com.au a more detailed picture of what to expect from the promising new series.

“I’ve written a sitcom pilot for the BBC and they accepted it so we’re doing pre-production for that,” Bailey told The Music.

“It’s based around a wildlife park, and I’m the aristocratic, slightly baffled curator and owner of the park. It’s set in the West of England,” he reveals.

“It’s probably not a huge stretch for me. You have a lot of shenanigans with the animals; I think that’s a lot of the fun we’re going to have with it, a lot of the animals comment on all the humans in a slightly philosophical way so we’re just figuring out how to shoot that and it’s looking good.”

Bailey has had a longstanding affiliation with nature, with his book on British birds, Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide To British Birds, set for release this month, and a number of wildlife series also to his name, including Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero (2013) and narrating one episode of The Natural World this year.

“It’s kind of reassuring - you realise, almost on another level, how interconnected the world is and how artificial the borders that we’ve imposed on ourselves are,” he said.

“When I was in Indonesia earlier this year, I was on a dive trip and I was looking out over a rocky shore at these little, wailing birds, sand pipers, and these are the same birds that I see in my local reserve here in West London… you do get a sense of a wider view of the world.”

Bill Bailey is set to tour Larks In Transit around Australia this November and December. You can find all dates and ticketing info in theGuide.