Bill Bailey is a comedian who has performed numerous sell-out tours across the world, showcasing his unique blend of quirky stand-up material that mixes insightful observations with surreal flights of fancy and comedy songs that reveal his eclectic musical talent to hilarious effect.

He also regularly appears on TV panel shows such as Have I Got News for You, and won Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.

He spoke to Tes about his school days, the teachers who played a big part in his life - not least a music teacher who instilled in him a confidence to perform that has lasted a lifetime - and a school skiing trip to a place without any snow.

1. Where did you start your education?

I went to our local village school [in Somerset] and it was just around the corner from where we lived but seemed like a much bigger universe back then and so far away! I have very fond memories of it and when I went home recently to see my dad, I drove past the school and it reminded me of those days.

2. Are there any memorable moments that stand out?

One of my most vivid memories is that there were big playing fields at the school, and I remember running out on to the new-mown grass on a summer’s day and the smell of new-cut grass. I also just recall the walk to school - there was a real village feel to it and it was quite idyllic, surrounded by countryside, and there is lots of history about the area with Saxon burial mounds and that sort of thing.

3. Did you play music or perform at that school?

I was always taking part in school concerts, yes. There was also the inevitable school recorder - in fact, I found [my recorder] from days long gone by in lockdown. And I was learning the piano then and going through my exams, too.

4. You moved to junior school next - what was that like?

From 7 until 11, I went to King Edward’s School, which was in an old building in the centre of Bath. It was quite austere-looking with a Georgian façade that was quite imposing, and old railings around the front - it was quite daunting.

I remember there was a yard at the back where we used to chalk goalposts on to brickwork and played football in break, and you could use the wall to kick the ball around someone and run past and get the ball on the other side.

5. What was it like moving into a city school from the countryside?

Although it was a very different experience being in the city, it was lovely coming home through Bath and it gave you an appreciation of what a lovely city it is.

There was a church at the bottom of the street where we had school concerts and that was my first experience of performing in front of a crowd, in a venue like that, with choir and carol concerts.

6. Where there any teachers there whom you recall with fondness?

We had an English teacher - Mrs Williams, I think her name was - and she was quite a petite woman and a brilliant teacher, but she had a presence and stillness that instilled authority, and I’ve always remembered that.

In fact, my dad told me recently that I had written about her once and I’d said when she was angry she was like “a cage of roaring lions”. And my dad was really tickled by that - it wasn’t just one lion but a whole cage!

7. How did you find the move to secondary school?

It was different as it was a little bit out of the centre of Bath and up on the hill, and it had its own playing fields there that were part of the school grounds.

There were a few teachers there who I remember. We had a brilliant English teacher, who was quite different in terms of his authority. He would often just sit and read a book [in class] and we were fascinated by this - he didn’t tell us off or raise his voice, but we were drawn into his enigmatic character.

I don’t know if it was conscious or not but it worked, because we were so intrigued by what he was reading, we would really tune into his rhythm of how he was teaching. He left teaching, though, and became a croupier in a casino somewhere, which is quite a different job!

8. And did any teacher inspire your music development?

My music teacher, Lynda Phipps, was brilliant. I was the only A-level music student and so I got one-to-one teaching, which was great. She taught me music and piano with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. She was brilliant at bringing the best out of you.

She was always enthusiastic and encouraging and by dint of her force of personality, she got me to do very well in my A level, and I progressed through lots of piano exams as a result of her efforts.

She also encouraged me to perform piano with an orchestra, and a chamber orchestra, and perform a recital in town. It was way beyond what I thought I could have achieved but it was down to her encouragement, which gave me confidence to do that. I think she had a long-lasting effect on my whole life.

9. Did you keep in contact with her after school?

After I left, I didn’t really hear from her or contact her at all but many years later I was doing a gig in Cambridge and afterwards someone said, “There is someone here to see you - they say they used to teach you” - and it was her!

And so we had a great catch-up and she had left the school in Bath and was now teaching music in a smaller school. She asked if I would give a presentation, which I did, and again we had a really nice catch-up. She really was a great inspiration to me.

10. Did you go on any memorable school trips?

We went on a coach to Italy for a skiing holiday but when we got there, there was no snow. There was lots of beautiful alpine scenery and the odd grubby patch of snow under a tree, but that was it.

So we had to do lots of others things and actually it was a more interesting trip, in many ways, as a result. We visited towns and villages and found a lake somewhere where we could swim, and so it was an unexpected setback but it turned into great trip as a result.

Bill Bailey’s En Route To Normal tour gets underway in Plymouth on 12 December. Visit www.billbailey.co.uk for information on dates and tickets. Bill Bailey was speaking to Tes senior editor Dan Worth

This article originally appeared in the 12 November 2021 issue