BILL Bailey ponders on why life never lives up to our expectations in his new touring show, Limboland.

"We have a vaulted idea of what we imagined we’d achieve and then we realise the reality is somewhat different. The show explores the gap between the two,” says the nevertheless high-achieving comedian, musician, actor, author and television and radio presenter.

After Limboland cuts its teeth on a tour Down Under, 51-year-old Bailey is now doing the regional rounds back home in Blighty, including the Scarborough Spa Grand Hall tomorrow and Thursday. Such has been the demand for tickets that he is adding 39 dates to stretch the itinerary to next July, taking in York Barbican on May 9 and 10.

Bailey will reflect on a catastrophic family trip to Norway to see the Northern Lights, consider the true nature of happiness and serenade his audiences with a protest song, a heartfelt Country and Western ballad performed on a Bible and a downbeat rendition of Happy Birthday in his typically diverse show.

"I never underestimate an audience. If you challenge them, they’ll respond,” says the Bath-born comic, who spent six years as a team captain on BBC2’s pop quiz, Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

“If you’re a half-decent comedian, you should be able to get laughs every time. But if at the same time you can slip in a bit of something else – a historical appraisal of how different musical modes reflect different cultures, say – as well as keeping it funny, then audiences react very favourably. The first priority is to make them laugh, but the second priority is to make them think.”

In Limboland, for example, Bailey will contemplate what it means to be English. “The idea of Englishness now has a stigma attached to it, but I want to say, ‘No, I’m proud of my Englishness’," he says. "We have good qualities that get lost in the mix of nationalism.”

As ever, music will be prominent in the Bailey comedy mix. "I love playing different instruments. Acts where everything comes together can be transcendent. They're greater than the sum of their parts. Music can take things to a higher level," says Bill, the one-time host of the BBC2 show and tour Bill Bailey’s Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra.

Ruling out ever retiring, he concludes: “As l long as I can still stand up and play instruments, I’ll carry on.”

Bill Bailey: Limboland, Scarborough Spa Grand Hall, tomorrow and Thursday, 8pm; York Barbican, May 9 and 10 2016, 8pm. Box office: Scarborough, 01723 821888 or scarboroughspa.co.uk; York, 0844 854 2757 or yorkbarbican.co.uk

Did you know?

Bill Bailey has received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia for his outstanding contribution to the environment on a global scale.