Bill Bailey: Dandelion Mind

If you’re still scrabbling around for that last minute Christmas present, Bill Bailey’s new DVD is a pretty good bet for, well, almost anybody; you can see it being watched by the whole family on a sleepy, hungover Boxing Day. A section analysing Doubting Thomas paintings might be slightly uncomfortable for the deeply religious, but generally Bailey – a well known atheist – manages to talk about Darwinism without the angry, bitter edge so many other comics have.

The result is material which is both honest and engaging, delivered by an act with great skill at rousing and uniting the audience. Bailey has a very immediate, personal style and his intelligent humour and the more surreal moments sit together beautifully. You get the impression of a live show where the audience really got their money’s worth, but it actually works as a DVD too; a lot of live comedy doesn’t translate as well.

He is of course well known for weaving musical genius in with his comedy, but in Dandelion Mind, he melds this to greater effect than in previous shows, where the music and stand-up sections have jumped around a bit. The same is true of the multimedia sections; they blend in well with the rhythm of the show, not seeming forced.

The encores lag a bit at the end, but then again the ‘extra encore’ rendition of Midnight in Parliament Square is a nice addition for the true Bailey fan.

Definitely one of the better comedy DVDs.