Bill Bailey is a comedian, actor, writer, musician and 2020 winner. Throughout his career, he has always been something of a polymath, but surprisingly, there is one thing he hasn’t yet done – perform in a musical.
Despite the musical prowess which he displays in his live shows Bill admits he wouldn’t have felt confident hoofing through a production before taking part in the Saturday night favourite.
Speaking exclusively to in advance of his Thoughtifier shows in the ‘s Theatre Royal the star acknowledged that he would now be more than happy to take on the challenge
“I certainly would willingly do that [a musical]. Now I feel a lot more confident going into a West End show where there was dancing than I would have done a few years ago.”
Indeed Bill now makes a point of including a “little bit” of dance in all his shows since his victory. “I incorporate it into my show. During my stand-up show, I always, since Strictly, put a little bit in there.
:
Bill Bailey is bringing his latest show to the West End later this month (Image: Getty)
“Whether it’s a bit of Paso or a little bit of Charleston, I do it every night on tour. And it’s amazing how it does actually keep you fit because it’s quite physically demanding. You have to be of a reasonable level of fitness to do it justice. So, yeah, I love it.”
Revealing that dance has also seeped into his everyday life, he confides: “I mean if I’m shopping in the supermarket and I hear music [now], I always think…’oh, this could be a two-step. No, perhaps not. It could be a Paso opening.’ I’m thinking about it in dance terms,” he laughed.
Bill seemed to come from nowhere to storm to victory with his partner in the 2020 edition of the show. His improvement from the first week to the final was tremendous and he acknowledges he took the competition very seriously.
“I’ve never trained to that level before, that intensity. I’ve never really had any choreography. I never learned any steps. So it was all new to me,” he concedes.
Don’t miss… [EXCLUSIVE] [EXCLUSIVE]
Bill Bailey would be happy to perform in a musical following his Strictly Come Dancing experience (Image: Getty)
“But I made a decision early on. I thought, ‘I’m going to have to throw myself into this to get the most out of it’.
“You only appear on the show once [and] you get this great opportunity with a professional [to train] over what might be months.
“You’ve got to take it with both hands, and you’ve got to get every ounce out of it,” he said.
Bill Bailey’s Thoughtifier runs in Theatre Royal, Haymarket from December 28 until February 15. Tickets can be found though his .