Bill will reflect on extraordinary career in special show

Bill Bailey will be among those interviewed as part of the celebrations

On the final day of the Festival, one of comedy’s most distinctive voices, Bill Bailey, will be interviewed by Mhairi Black. A comedian, actor and musician, Bill will reflect on his extraordinary career so far, his Gilded Balloon memories, his beloved role as Manny in Black Books, his Strictly Come Dancing win and his many appearances at the Fringe. Mhairi Black will also return to Gilded Balloon for a new Work-in-Progress show following her sold out debut last year.

Bill Bailey and Kris, his wife, have been my friends since the early 90s when Bill split up from the double act The Rubber Bishops and performed his first solo show at Gilded Balloon. I’m so proud of his achievements over the years and in no way has he changed, he is still the lovely, happy man I met all these years ago. I have had many adventures with Bill and Kris in Bali where they got married, in Holland, Australia and Montreal. In 2002 Bill, Kris, myself and eight other friends went on a sailing trip around the spice islands on the Banda Sea. We went diving and Bill was my dive buddy. It was a thrilling trip and made us friends for life.

Mhairi Black, the youngest Westminster MP for nearly 10 years, sold out her debut show last year, which we then toured around Scotland as well as Soho Theatre in London and now she returns with a Work-In-Progress to see what it’s like to not talk about politics. We thought Mhairi and Bill would make a great pairing, from very different backgrounds and at different stages of their career, and for Mhairi to be on the other side of the interview for once!

With special shows from the fantastic Smack The Pony, Alan Davies, Rosie O’Donnell, Lewis MacLeod and Caroline Rhea, I’m thrilled to present this eclectic mix of comedy icons and rising stars at Fringe. With our special one-off In Conversation events featuring Bill Bailey and Jenny Eclair who have been an integral part of Gilded Balloon’s history to rising stars on the Scottish scene like Glasgow’s Alana Jackson, Kim Blythe, Rosco McClelland and Paul Black – these are all special shows that should not be missed.