ill-advised by Bill Nighy

Bill Nighy wanders from cormorants and unusual sleeping rituals to Bovril cures and Peter O’Toole’s camel-riding lore. He maps out an idyllic day in Paris, declares war on irritating phrases, and shares a musical tribute to Pete Postlethwaite. There’s also a surreal book recommendation involving a tram journey and mystical obsession.

Bill tackles the unspoken rules of London pavements, the perils of corporate-speak, and the emotional power of singing. He weighs in on overblown saxophone solos, revisits a truly unfortunate teenage band, and campaigns against several unwanted words. Along the way, he shares a carefully chosen playlist and revisits Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar.

Bill tackles the essentials: why cats deserve their own exits, why wristwatches are the only acceptable jewelry, and how to embrace low-key birthdays. He shares a candid approach to quitting smoking, recalls wonderfully strange grandmotherly advice, and wages war on grammatical annoyances. Plus, enjoy a carefully chosen playlist and a mischievous reading from Aea Varfis-Van Warmelo.

Bill is back to answer your questions and in this episode he attempts to address dreams, diaries and baseball caps. As well as our regular features we debut our first contribution to 'According To Your Grandmother'. This weeks playlist is called: ‘Barefoot She’s Heart High’‘The Mermaid Parade’ by Phosphorescent  ‘How You Get Hurt’ by Courtney Marie Andrews ‘Strung Out’ by Johnny “Guitar” Watson  ‘Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most’ by Bill Charlap Trio ‘Don’t Go To Strangers’ by Amy Winehouse, Jools Holland, Paul WellerLink to playlist on Spotify - HERELink to playlist on Apple Music - HEREThe book of the episode is 'My Phantoms' by Gwendoline Riley. Keep your questions coming - you can get in touch via Instagram @illadvisedbybillnighy or by email: [email protected] you like to hear more of Bill, you can join him in The Back Room on Patreon (www.patreon.com/illadvisedbybillnighy) for bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to new episodes, events, the long-awaited merchandise and more - see you there.If you would like to join it's important to sign up online first to avoid the Apple fees in their app, then download it later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to take a compliment, whether to finish a book, flesh coloured clothing and sausage size are some of the topics tackled by Bill in this episode.This episode's playlist is called 'I Just Need Some Air, I Won’t Be Long': Lou Reed - The Great Defender (Down at the Arcade) The Dandy Warhols - Bohemian Like YouPrince - She Spoke 2 MeThe Jesus and Mary Chain - Deep One Perfect Morning Sjowgren - AJSF - 2much2soon Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders - I’ll Stand By YouLink to Spotify hereAnd to Apple music hereBill's book recommendation this week is 'Lolly Willowes' by Sylvia Townsend WarnerWe'd love to hear from you! Send us questions for Bill or 'I'm With The Band' submissions via instagram@illadvisedbybillnighy or by email: [email protected] you like to hear more of Bill, you can join him in The Back Room on Patreon (www.patreon.com/illadvisedbybillnighy) for bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to new episodes, events, the long-awaited merchandise and more - see you there.If you would like to join it's important to sign up online first to avoid the Apple fees in their app, then download it later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the 3rd series of ill-advised! Bill is back to answer the all important questions of whether you can have too many hats, the correct way to make tea and he concertedly attempts to advise on a midlife crisis…Plus this week we have a brilliant contribution to our 'I'm With The Band' feature, we say goodbye to some more words as they are added to the Banned Words list (as ratified by the permissions committee) and Bill announces a brand new feature.The playlist this week is called ‘No I Was Awake, Honestly’:‘Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight’ by The Isley Brothers‘Damn U’ by Prince ‘Misty Blue’ by Mary J. Blige‘Til Tomorrow’ by Marvin Gaye‘Between You Baby and Me’ by Curtis Mayfield‘Fire We Make’ by Alicia Keys, MaxwellLink to Spotify - HERELink to Apple Music - HEREThe book that Bill recommends this week is: Beside the Syrian Sea by James Wolff We'd love to hear from you! Send us questions for Bill or 'I'm With The Band' submissions via instagram@illadvisedbybillnighy or by email: [email protected] you like to hear more of Bill, you can join him in The Back Room on Patreon (www.patreon.com/illadvisedbybillnighy) for bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to new episodes, events, the long-awaited merchandise and more - see you there.If you would like to join it's important to sign up online first to avoid the Apple fees in their app, then download it later. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Playful banter and a cheeky security pat-down open the show. A new feature hunts for examples of spoken lines in songs, including a comic reading of Roy Ayers' Poo Poo La La. Listeners are invited to send their picks and suggestive lyrics for live readings. The tone then shifts toward a cultured reading of Night and Day to close.

Bill tackles persistent earworms and how to swap them out. He shares ways to feel at home in a foreign country through music, poems and rituals. He reflects on reconnecting with schoolmates and the oddities of memory. He discusses modern handshake etiquette and boundaries around greetings. He curates a playlist of songs that stubbornly stay in his head.

A charming stroll through manicures for men, left-handed air-guitar vs real guitar, and how to stop replaying awkward conversations. Suggestions for what to do on a rainy day and a funny tale about a teenage band and terrible lyrics. A curated playlist of Bob Dylan covers rounds things off.

Bill gives frank, funny tips on asking a coworker out and handling nerves. He chats about minimalist habits and why he prefers cold weather. He shares hair advice for older men and recalls a bleach-blonde mishap. He debates Marmite versus Vegemite and teases this week’s banned words. A soulful playlist and a Philip K. Dick reading round things off.