Australians and Brits share a very similar sense of humour. The much loved comedian, musician and self-styled hippy Bill Bailey is well known here from his Black Books sitcom and appearances on many panel shows like QI. He came to lunch at my Residence on Saturday before performing a sell-out show in Canberra as part of his latest Australian Tour, which also takes in New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.
It was his usual mix of whimsy and hilarious musical pastiche played on a bewildering range of instruments. Reflecting on the British tendency to report that life is “not too bad, all things considered” provokes him to question whether all things – the moons of Venus, the hanging gardens of Babylon, and a long list of other phenomena – really have been considered. And his version of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” in the style of German 70s electronic band Kraftwerk, and a reggae version of the Downton Abbey theme tune had the audience in shrieks of laughter. As a fellow West Countryman, my personal favourite was his West Country version of Gaga’s “Poker Face”, or Pokurrrr Vace as it came out.
Away from the stage Bill is a keen and expert naturalist and great company. Over lunch, which included several of Australia’s top government officials, he told us about the filming of his documentary on Alfred Wallace, the 19th century biogeographer and explorer of SE Asia.
It was also good to see that Brits were prominent in the National Rugby League (NRL) final in Sydney this weekend. Yorkshireman Sam Burgess was voted man of the match in the South Sydney Rabbitohs win over the Canterbury Bulldogs, playing on despite breaking his cheekbone in the opening minutes. Three of his brothers also play for Souths, so it was no wonder mum Julie looked proud after the match. And the Bulldogs were co-captained by Brit James Graham. The cup, which Souths had not picked up for 43 years, was presented by my friend Dave Smith, the British CEO of the NRL.