Hi britishtvfan, Croix, Quirky and All,
I really like Bill Bailey. He’s kind of similar to Bill Oddie as he also loves birds and other wildlife, and has even written a book about British birds. I listened to a great interview with him a few years ago on ABC Radio. He described how on a visit to China with his family they found a beautiful Eurasian hawk owl that was in a cage in a restaurant. The owl, like other live animals there, was there to be eaten by any customers who were interested. He couldn’t bear the thought of that and so negotiated to buy the owl from the restaurant owners who eventually agreed. The owl had to be taped up because of sharp talons and beak and put in a box. Bill then rang a zookeeper friend in the UK for advice. He ended up getting a taxi driver to drive into the woods hoping this would be good habitat to release the owl. It was very tricky as the owl was very feisty, a good sign the owl’s spirit was still intact. They successfully managed to remove the tape and set the owl free.
Quirky, I like Bill Bailey in Black Books and panel shows too. His character of Manny in Black Books is so good natured and such a contrast to the ever grumpy Bernard. He is so amazingly patient with Bernard. I love the character of Fran too. She is such an offbeat, quirky character. Some episodes were better than others. The humour was definitely dark at times, but also quite hilarious at times too.
