I last watched Part Troll on a rare pleasant evening in the year 2020 and it transported me back to a time of inexpressible peace and tranquility.
When Part Troll came out I was at college and Bill was the grand wizard of likable surrealism, he was strangely enormous among my teenage peers and many was the night we'd huddle around his two DVDs, drinking deeply and laughing until the dawn. Bill's stand-up has aged rather admirably actually, and Part Troll remains his absolute zenith, he's alive with glee at his own humble foolishness. There's also a slightly sharp political ranty vibe that's tempered with a deft intelligence that still resonates. His shrewd comedy songs and the glorious Kraftwerk parody are evergreen (the latter with his auld mate Martin Trenaman & the actor Kev Eldon in tow). It really is a plethora of comfort and delight.
He's the bloke in the pub who has an allotment and has no grand designs except for constructing a harp of his own invention. Harmless, rather admirable, and endlessly lovable. He's the unproblematic British chain that links my teenage years to my current ones and my sincere appreciation for him has deep, deep roots that will likely never fade.
