Bill Bailey: Vaudevillean

Bill Bailey plays the Bournemouth International Centre (the BIC) on Saturday 21 November 2026 with his Vaudevillean show. The BIC is the big seafront venue in the heart of town, an easy walk from the beach, the Lower Gardens and the town centre's restaurants. Start time and doors are confirmed on the venue's official listing.

Vaudevillean is Bailey's touring live show, and true to four decades of form it blends stand-up, storytelling and live music, the mix of surreal observation and serious musicianship that has defined his career. The precise shape of the night is his to reveal, so treat the official listing as the source for running details.

One of Britain's best-loved comedians and musicians: star of Black Books, long-time team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, a QI regular, and, to the delight of the nation, winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020. On stage he is that rare thing, a genuine virtuoso musician who is also genuinely funny, switching between keyboards, guitars and stranger instruments mid-routine.

Both, inseparably, it's what Bailey has always done. Expect musical parodies, genre collisions, instruments you don't see at other comedy shows and flights of surreal stand-up in between. If you've never seen him live, the musicianship is the surprise: the joke lands and then the playing itself earns applause.

Tickets are sold through the Bournemouth International Centre's official listing and its authorised partners. It's a single night from a major touring name, so the best seats go early, book ahead and avoid unofficial resale sites. The listing confirms prices, seating plans and the start time.

The Bournemouth International Centre is the town's largest indoor venue, sat right on the seafront on Exeter Road. Big touring comedy plays its main halls, which combine capacity with good sightlines. It's a fully accessible modern venue, contact the box office when booking to arrange accessible seating or discuss access needs.

The BIC is a 10 to 15 minute walk downhill from Bournemouth railway and coach stations, and buses from across the conurbation stop in the town centre a few minutes away. Drivers have the venue's own multi-storey and several council car parks close by, on show nights they fill before doors, so arrive with time to spare.

The BIC's position is hard to beat: the town centre's restaurants are minutes away and the seafront strip is on the doorstep, so a pre-show dinner and a walk on the promenade is the classic BIC evening, in November, bracing and beautiful. Our food and drink guide has the closest picks.

Bailey's comedy is more surreal than savage and tends to suit older children and teens who know his TV work, though touring shows can carry occasional strong language. Check the venue's age guidance on the official listing if you're booking for a younger fan.