Bill Bailey

British musician and comedian (born 1965)

This article is about a British musician and comedian. For the song, see (Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey. For other people with the same name, see William Bailey.

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|

Bill Bailey

Bailey performing at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008

Birth name| Mark Robert Bailey
Born|  (1965-01-13) 13 January 1965 (age 59)
Bath, England
Education| Westfield College
London College of Music
Years active| 1989–present
Genres| Musical comedy, political satire, surreal humour
Spouse|

Kristin Brunt

(m. 1998)​

Children| 1
Website| billbailey.co.uk

Bill Bailey's voice

Bailey speaking on Front Row in November 2010[1]

Mark Robert Bailey[2] (born 13 January 1965), known professionally as Bill Bailey, is an English musician, comedian, actor and television presenter. He is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom Black Books[3] and for his regular appearances on the panel shows Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI, as well as for his stand-up comedy work. He plays a variety of musical instruments[4] and incorporates music into his performances.

Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in 2003.[5] In 2007, and again in 2010, he was voted the seventh greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups.[6] In 2020 Bailey won the 18th series of the televised BBC dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing with his professional partner Oti Mabuse. At 55, he is currently the oldest winner in the show's history as of 2024.[7]

## Early life

[edit]

Mark Robert Bailey[8] was born on 13 January 1965 in Bath, Somerset,[9] son of Christopher[10] and Madryn[11] Bailey. His father was an NHS general practitioner "who ran a little surgery in the front of the house", and his mother a hospital ward nurse.[12][13] Until 2018, when he revealed the correct date, his birthday was wrongly recorded by the media as 24 February.[14][15] He spent most of his childhood in Keynsham,[16] a town between Bath and Bristol. His maternal grandparents lived in an annexe built on the side of the house by his maternal grandfather, who was a stonemason and builder. Two rooms at the front of the family house were for his father's surgery.[17]

Bailey was educated at King Edward's School,[18] an independent school in Bath,[19] where he was initially a highly academic pupil. At about the age of 15, he started to become distracted from school work when he realised the thrill of performance as a member of a school band called Behind Closed Doors, which played mostly original work. He is a classically trained musician and was the only pupil at his school to study A-level music, which he passed with an A grade. He also states he was good at sport and was the captain of the KES 2nd XI cricket team in 1982, which often surprised his teachers. He would often combine music and sport by leading the singing on the long coach trip back from away rugby fixtures. It was here that he was given the nickname Bill by his music teacher for being able to play the song "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" so well on the guitar.[17]

Bailey started studies for an English degree at Westfield College of the University of London, but left after a year.[20] He received an Associate Diploma from the London College of Music.[21] He was also made an honorary member of the Society of Crematorium Organists.[22] He performed with a boy band called The Famous Five.[23][24] Acting roles included a part in a Workers' Revolutionary Party stage production called The Printers with Vanessa Redgrave and Frances de la Tour.

## Career

[edit]

### Early stand-up

[edit]

Bailey began touring the country with comedians such as Mark Lamarr. In 1984, he formed a double act, the Rubber Bishops, with Toby Longworth (a fellow former pupil at King Edward's, Bath). It was there that Bailey began developing his own style, mixing in musical parodies with deconstructions of or variations on traditional jokes ("How many amoebas does it take to change a lightbulb? One, no two! No four! No eight..."). Longworth left to join the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1989 and was replaced by Martin Stubbs.

Stubbs later quit to pursue a more serious career, and in 1994 Bailey performed Rock at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Sean Lock, a show about an ageing rockstar and his roadie, script-edited by comedy writer Jim Miller. It was later serialised for the Mark Radcliffe show on BBC Radio 1. The show's attendances were not impressive and on one occasion the only person in the audience was comedian Dominic Holland. Bailey almost gave up comedy to take up a telesales job.[25]

He went solo the next year with the one-man show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam. The show led to a recording at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London which was broadcast in 1997 on Channel 4 as a one-hour special called Bill Bailey Live. It was not until 2005 that this was released on DVD uncut and under its original title. It marked the first time that Bailey had been able to tie together his music and post-modern gags with the whimsical rambling style he is now known for.

After supporting Donna McPhail in 1995 and winning a Time Out award, he returned to Edinburgh in 1996 with a show that was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. Amongst the other nominees was future Black Books co-star Dylan Moran, who narrowly beat him in the closest vote in the award's history.

Bailey won the Best Live Stand-Up award at the British Comedy Awards in 1999.

### Television

[edit]

Although he did not win the Perrier Comedy Awards in 1996, the nomination was enough to get him noticed, and in 1998 the BBC gave him his own television show, Is It Bill Bailey?. Bailey's television debut had been on the children's show Motormouth in the late 1980s – playing piano for a mind-reading dog. Bailey reminisced about the experience on the BBC show Room 101 with Paul Merton in 2000. In 1991, he was appearing in stand-up shows such as The Happening, Packing Them In, The Stand Up Show and The Comedy Store. He also appeared as captain on two panel games, an ITV music quiz pilot called Pop Dogs, and the Channel 4 science fiction quiz show Space Cadets. Is it Bill Bailey? was the first time he had written and presented his own show.

Over the next few years, Bailey made guest appearances on shows such as Have I Got News for You, World Cup Comedy, Room 101, Des O'Connor Tonight, Coast to Coast and three episodes of off-beat Channel 4 sitcom Spaced, in which he played comic-shop manager Bilbo Bagshot. In 1998, Dylan Moran approached him with the pilot script for Black Books, a Channel 4 sitcom about a cold-hearted bookshop owner, his nice-guy assistant, and their socially awkward female friend. It was commissioned in 2000, and Bailey took the part of the assistant Manny Bianco, with Moran playing the owner Bernard and Tamsin Greig the friend, Fran. Three series of six episodes each were made.

When Sean Hughes left his long-term role as a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2002, Bailey became his successor. Host Mark Lamarr continually teased him about his looks and his pre-occupation with woodland animals. On 18 September 2008 it was announced that Bailey would leave the series and be replaced by a series of guest captains including Jack Dee and Dermot O'Leary.[26] While touring in 2009, Bailey joked that the main reason for leaving the show was a lack of desire to continue humming Britney Spears' Toxic to little known figures in the indie music scene. During this time he also left his position as "curator" of the Museum of Curiosity, and declared his intention to "retire" from panel games, although he has since appeared on QI many more times and hosted Have I Got News For You.

Bailey has appeared frequently on the intellectual panel game QI since it began in 2003, alongside host Stephen Fry and regular panellist Alan Davies; he was the winner of the show's unaired pilot episode. Other television appearances include a cameo role in Alan Davies' drama series Jonathan Creek as failing street magician Kenny Starkiss and obsessed guitar teacher in the "Holiday" episode of Sean Lock's Fifteen Storeys High. He later appeared with Lock again as a guest on his show TV Heaven, Telly Hell. He appeared twice on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. Bailey also hosted his own show Comic's Choice, which aired in 2011.

Bailey presented Wild Thing I Love You, which began on Channel 4 on 15 October 2006. The series concentrates on the protection of Britain's wild animals, and has included re-homing badgers, owls and water voles.

Bailey appeared in the second series of the E4 teenage "dramedy" Skins playing Maxxie's dad, Walter Oliver. In episode 1, Walter struggles with his son's desire to be a dancer, instead wishing him to become a builder, which is what he himself does for a living. Walter is married to Jackie, played by Fiona Allen.

Bailey appeared on the first episode of Grand Designs Live on 4 May 2008, helping Kevin McCloud build his eco-friendly home. In 2009, Bailey appeared in the BBC show Hustle as the character "Cyclops", a side-line character. In autumn 2009, Bailey presented Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza.[27]

Continuing his foray into natural history, Bailey presented ITV1's half-hour wildlife mini-series Baboons With Bill Bailey.[28] The series was filmed in Cape Town and spanned eight episodes, with exclusive content available on itvWILD.[29]

Bill Bailey played Droxil, a Harvest Ranger from the Planet Androzani Major, in the 2011 Christmas Special of Doctor Who, titled The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.

In 2009, Bailey presented a project about the explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, in the form of an Indonesian travelogue.[30] Bailey said in an interview that Wallace had been "airbrushed out of history", and that he felt a "real affinity" with him. In 2013, to coincide with the centenary of Wallace's death, Bailey presented a two-part documentary, Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero, first broadcast on BBC Two on 21 and 28 April 2013.[31] He travelled around producing and filming the series in Indonesia and Borneo.[32]

Bailey took part in the eighteenth series of the televised dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing, broadcast in late 2020. He won the competition with his partner, Oti Mabuse, becoming the show's oldest winner at 55, displacing the previous oldest winner Joe McFadden.[33] Their win made Mabuse the first dancer to receive the title two years in a row.[34]

In 2022 Bailey voiced Grandfather Smed in the Christmas adaptation The Smeds and The Smoos (film)

### International tours

[edit]

In 2001, Bailey began touring the globe with Bewilderness. A recording of a performance in Swansea was released on DVD the same year, and the show was broadcast on Channel 4 that Christmas. A modified version of it also proved successful in America, and in 2002 Bailey released a CD of a recording at the WestBeth Theatre in New York City. The show contained his popular music parodies (such as Unisex Chip Shop, a Billy Bragg tribute, which he also performed with Bragg himself at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival), "three men in a pub" jokes (including one in the style of Geoffrey Chaucer) and deconstructions of television themes such as Countdown and The Magic Roundabout. A Bewilderness CD was sold outside gigs, a mixture of studio recordings of songs and monologues Bailey had performed in the past; it was later released in shops as Bill Bailey: The Ultimate Collection... Ever! That same year he also presented a Channel 4 countdown, Top Ten Prog Rock.

Bailey premiered his show Part Troll at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A critical and commercial success, he then transferred it to the West End, where tickets sold out in under 24 hours, and new dates had to be added. He continued to tour it all over the UK as well as in Australia, New Zealand and the US. Bailey expanded on subjects such as the war on Iraq. He also talks extensively about drugs, at one point asking the audience to name different ways of baking cannabis. A DVD was released in 2004.

Bill Bailey hosting So You Think You're Funny

2005 saw the release of his 1995 show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam. The two-disc set also contained a director's cut of Bewilderness, which featured a routine on Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time not seen in the original version.

Bailey performed a show at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe entitled Steampunk.

Bailey appeared at the Beautiful Days festival in August 2007. The UK leg of the Tinselworm tour enjoyed three sell-out nights at the MEN Arena in Manchester, Europe's largest indoor arena, and culminated with a sell-out performance at Wembley Arena.

Early in 2007, a petition was started to express fans' wishes to see him cast as a dwarf in The Hobbit films, after his stand-up routine mentioned auditioning for Gimli in The Lord of the Rings. The petition reached its goal in the early days of January, and was sent to the producers. It was hoped that as the Tinselworm tour took him to Wellington where the film was in pre-production, he would be able to audition.[35]

Dandelion Mind was released on DVD on 22 November 2010.

In 2012, his world tour entitled Qualmpeddler toured the UK as well as returning to Australia and New Zealand in August and September 2012.

In September and October 2018, Bailey toured his show, The Earl of Whimsy, to seven venues within New Zealand.

In December 2021, Bailey started touring his new show, En Route To Normal, to venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In 2022 Bailey took the tour to venues in Europe, and in October to Australia.[36]

### Music

[edit]

Bailey in concert, 2007

Bailey plays numerous musical instruments, and incorporates music into his comedy. He has perfect pitch.[37] His stand-up routines often feature music from genres such as jazz, rock (most notably prog rock from the early seventies), drum'n'bass, classical, and even theme songs, usually for comic value. Favourite instruments include the keyboard, guitar, theremin, kazoo and bongos. He also mentioned in an interview that he has achieved Grade 6 Clarinet. He was part of punk band Beergut 100,[38] which he founded in 1995 with comedy writer Jim Miller and also featured Martin Trenaman and Phil Whelans, with Kevin Eldon as lead singer.[39] The band performed at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[40] His musical routines include performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a minor key and performing the Hokey Cokey in the style of the electronic band Kraftwerk.[37]

In February 2007, Bailey appeared twice with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Anne Dudley in a show entitled Cosmic Shindig. Performed in the Colosseum in Watford on 24 February and in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 26 February, the show contained orchestrally accompanied versions of many of Bailey's previously performed songs, an exploration of the instruments of the orchestra and a number of new pieces of music. The Queen Elizabeth Hall performance was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 16 March 2007 as a part of Comic Relief 2007\.

Bailey had planned to put himself forward as Britain's Eurovision entry in 2008, as a result of several fan petitions encouraging him to do so.[41]

In October 2008, he performed Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Anne Dudley.[42]

In November 2009 he was a guest on Private Passions, the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3.[43]

In July 2011, Bailey performed at the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, headlining the Saturn Stage.[44] He released an album, In Metal, using songs played at Sonisphere, later that year.

In June 2014, The Music House for Children announced Bailey would become their patron alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor in celebration of their 20th anniversary.

## Personal life

[edit]

Bailey lives in the Hammersmith area of London with his wife Kristin, whom he married in 1998, on a whim, in Indonesia. In 2009, he said: "We were travelling around Asia and sailed into a place called Banda, with a beautiful lagoon, and a smoking volcano on one side and a Dutch colonial fort, an old church and remains of a little town on the other. We decided to get married there and then."[45] Their son Dax was born in 2003.[45] He supports Queens Park Rangers[46] and describes himself as an avid fan of Star Trek.[47]

Bailey has a carnivorous pitcher plant named after him, Nepenthes x Bill Bailey, created by Borneo Exotics in Sri Lanka.[48] His sporting interests include standup paddleboarding (SUP). He is an active supporter of British Canoeing.[49]

## Political views and activism

[edit]

Bailey is a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party and appeared in its fifth party election broadcast of the 2010 general election campaign.[50] In 2015, he endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election, saying, "Corbyn's nomination showed there is a kind of craving for a bit of honest speaking, a bit of principled plain speaking. But I think he is in a bit of a bind. Nuanced debate doesn't cut it in the toxic, political atmosphere. He’s having a fast-forward of his own political evolution, having to become 'a politician' – the thing he never was."[51]

Bailey is a feminist and a supporter of the Fawcett Society.[52][53] He is also a prominent advocate of men's issues, most notably raising awareness of prostate cancer and the Men United campaign.[54] He is a patron of International Animal Rescue and has been instrumental in the organisation's campaign to rescue dancing bears.[55][56] He has also campaigned for the Sumatran Orangutan Society. For his work in environmental conservation, he received an honorary doctorate in conservation and sustainability from the Australian University of the Sunshine Coast in October 2014.[57]

## Tours

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Notes

|
|

1995  | Cosmic Jam |
2001  | Bewilderness |
2004  | Part Troll |
2006  | Steampunk | Edinburgh Festival
2008  | Tinselworm |
2008–2009  | Bill Bailey Live | Theatre tour with some material from Tinselworm, but mostly new material
2009  | Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra |
2010  | Dandelion Mind |
2011  | Dandelion Mind – Gently Modified |
2012–2013  | Qualmpeddler[58] |
2015–2016  | Limboland |
2016  | Larks in Transit | Australia & New Zealand
2018  | Larks in Transit | UK
2018  | The Earl of Whimsy | Australia & New Zealand
2022  | En Route to Normal | Australia & New Zealand
2023–2024  | Thoughtifier | Europe, New Zealand, UK & Ireland

### DVD releases

[edit]

Title | Released | Notes

|
|

Bewilderness | 12 November 2001 | Live at Swansea's Grand Theatre
Part Troll | 22 November 2004 | Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Cosmic Jam | 7 November 2005 | Live at London's Bloomsbury Theatre
Tinselworm | 10 November 2008 | Live at London's Wembley Arena
Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra | 23 November 2009 | Live at London's Royal Albert Hall
Dandelion Mind | 22 November 2010 | Live at Dublin's The O2
Qualmpeddler | 18 November 2013 | Live at London's Eventim Apollo
Limboland | 26 November 2018  | Live at London's Eventim Apollo

### CD releases

[edit]

Title | Released | Notes

|
|

Bewilderness | 2000 |
The Ultimate Collection... Ever! | 2005 | Re-release of Bewilderness with an extra track
Das Hokey Kokey | 2006 | CD Single
In Metal | 2011 | Metal style re-recordings of Bill Bailey songs
Billy and the Minpins | 2017 | Roald Dahl Audiobook with The Magic Finger read by Kate Winslet

## Filmography

[edit]

* The James Whale Radio Show (TV series) (circa 1990) (Guest)
* Maid Marian and her Merry Men (1992). Cameo court jester to King John
* Blue Heaven (1994)
* Asylum (1996)
* Space Cadets (1997) (Regular team captain)
* Is It Bill Bailey? (1998)
* Spaced (1999–2001)
* Have I Got News for You (guest 1999, 2001, 2005; guest presenter 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
* Saving Grace (2000)
* Black Books (2000–2004)
* Jonathan Creek
* "Satan's Chimney" (2001)
* "The Tailor's Dummy" (2003)
* Wild West (2002–2004)
* Never Mind the Buzzcocks (guest 1999; Regular team captain 2002–2008)
* QI (2003–present) (Frequent guest)
* 15 Storeys High – "The Holiday" (2004)
* The Timothy Mays Movie (2005) (Voice of the Sperm Whale)[59]
* The Libertine (Small cameo role as advisor to Charles II of England).
* Wild Thing I Love You (2006) (Presenter)
* Top Gear (A Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car / Fake Angelina Jolie)
* Hot Fuzz (2007)
* Run Fatboy Run (2007) (Cameo)
* Skins (2008) (Cameo as Maxxie Oliver's father)
* Love Soup (2008)
* We Are Most Amused (2008) (One-off special)
* Hustle (as 'Cyclops')
* "Return of the Prodigal" (2009)
* "Diamond Seeker" (2009)
* "Picasso Finger Painting" (2012)
* Steve's World (2009)
* Burke and Hare (2010)
* Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza (2010)
* Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010)
* Talkin' 'bout Your Generation (2010); one episode
* Jo Brand's Big Splash (2011); one episode
* Chalet Girl (2011)[60]
* Doctor Who – The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (2011)[61]
* It's Kevin (2013)
* The Secret Life of Evolution (2013)
* The Grand Tour (2018); Celebrity Face Off, Series 2 Episode 5
* The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... (2018)
* In the Long Run (2018)
* Midsomer Murders (2019); Drawing Dead, Series 20 Episode 3[62]
* Strictly Come Dancing (2020)
* Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse (2020)[63]
* My Life Is Murder (2021); Hidden Gems, Season 2 Episode 8
* Patriot Brains (2021); Host & Question Master
* This Is My House (2021)
* Worzel Gummidge (2021); Mr Peregrine, Series 2 Episode 3[64]
* Travel Man: 96 Hours in Iceland (2021)[65]
* The Smeds and The Smoos (2022); Grandfather Smed (Voice role)[66]
* Bill Bailey's Master Crafters: The Next Generation (2023), (Presenter)[67]
* Extraordinary Portraits (2023), (Presenter)[68]
* Bill Bailey's Australian Adventure (2023), (Presenter)[69]
* Perfect Pub Walks (2024), (Presenter)[70]
* Bring The Drama (2024), (Host)[71]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Bill Bailey". Front Row. 8 November 2010. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
2. ^ Peake, Amber (31 October 2020). "Bill Bailey real name: What is Bill Bailey's real name?". Express. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
3. ^ Richardson, Jay (27 May 2021). "Bill Bailey hints at Black Books reunion". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
4. ^ Pool, Hannah (2 December 2009). "Question time: Bill Bailey". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
5. ^ "The 50 funniest people in Britain (part one)". The Guardian. 7 December 2003.
6. ^ "The 100 Greatest Stand-Ups – Announcements – Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time!". Channel 4. 11 April 2010. Archived from the original on 23 June 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
7. ^ Hogan, Michael (26 December 2020). "Bill Bailey: 'I dreamed I was cha-cha-cha-ing between the stones at Stonehenge'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
8. ^ "Bill Bailey". screenonline.
9. ^ Greenstreet, Rosanna (29 October 2016). "Bill Bailey: 'The worst thing anyone's said to me? "You're that bloke off the Hairy Bikers"'". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
10. ^ Billen, Andrew (16 July 2023). "Bill Bailey: 'I wouldn't dance with an unvaccinated partner on Strictly'".
11. ^ Harvey, Chris (19 December 2020). "Bill Bailey on his Strictly success: 'People thought I'd be a joke'". The Telegraph.
12. ^ McGrath, Nick (26 August 2011). "Bill Bailey: My family values". The Guardian.
13. ^ Glass, Katie (16 July 2023). "Would you trust Bill Bailey as a doctor?".
14. ^ Bailey, Bill (24 February 2018). "Thanks for all the lovely birthday messages. I accept them as belated wishes for my actual birthday which is in January, the 13th and it was in'65 so papers all wrong . Fake news! SAD! Anyway here's me celebratin'pic.twitter.com/QEyF4wlpjK". @BillBailey. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
15. ^ Donaldson, Michael (22 September 2016). "Bill Bailey: it's no time for a mid-life crisis". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
16. ^ Connolly, Nancy (14 April 2019). "Bill Bailey recalls first 'shambolic' gig in Bath". SomersetLive. Local World. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
17. ^ a b "Desert Island Discs featuring Bill Bailey". Desert Island Discs. 8 June 2008. BBC. Radio 4.
18. ^ "Where did these 11 Bristol celebrities go to school?",Bristol Post, 2 April 2017 (Accessed 4 April 2017)
19. ^ "Comedy Map of Britain". News Events & Diary. King Edward's School, Bath. 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2007.
20. ^ "People are obsessed by how I look", The Independent, 21 November 2008.
21. ^ "What I learnt at school: Bill Bailey". teachsecondary.com. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
22. ^ "The Society of Crematorium Organists". The Society of Crematorium Organists. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
23. ^ Yaqoob, Janine (19 December 2020). "Strictly Come Dancing winner Bill Bailey's bid for chart stardom in 80s boyband". The Mirror. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
24. ^ Vanilla Storm Limited. "Biography". billbailey.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
25. ^ "Bill Bailey: For whom the Bill toils". The Independent. London. 18 November 2004.[dead link]
26. ^ "Bailey says goodbye to Buzzcocks". BBC News. 18 September 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
27. ^ "Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza". IMDb. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
28. ^ "Something hairy's on the telly tonight! Also features baboons". Bill Bailey. 8 April 2011. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
29. ^ "ITV – Baboons with Bill Bailey". itvWILD. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
30. ^ "Comedian Bill Bailey's new show about Alfred Russel Wallace". The Alfred Russel Wallace Website. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
31. ^ "Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero". BBC. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
32. ^ "ABC Triple J interview with Bill Bailey". Abc.net.au. 9 June 2012.
33. ^ Michael Hogan (13 December 2020). "Strictly Come Dancing 2020, semi-final results: Ranvir Singh waltzes home after dance-off defeat to Jamie Laing". The Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
34. ^ Morgan, Lucy (21 December 2020). "Oti Mabuse shared the sweetest tribute to her husband after Strictly Come Dancing win". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
35. ^ "All That Glitters". Wired, Croydon's listings magazine. Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2007.
36. ^ Northover, Kylie (22 September 2022). "'Yes, it's my fault': Did Bill Bailey really predict the pandemic?". The Age. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
37. ^ a b "Bill Bailey: 'Strictly's been extraordinary! I've even surprised myself'". The Guardian. 19 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
38. ^ Simon Neville (2006). "Looking back at a week of Fringe madness". The Scotsman. UK. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
39. ^ Natbat (2006). "Kevin Eldon Interview". notbbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
40. ^ "The essential guide to Edinburgh". The Guardian. London. 28 July 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
41. ^ "Eurovision". Bill Bailey. Archived from the original on 26 October 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
42. ^ Logan, Brian (17 October 2008). "Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2008.
43. ^ 2 days left. "BBC Radio 3". BBC. Retrieved 26 August 2011.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
44. ^ Bhamra, Satvir. "Bill Bailey to headline Sonisphere". Amplified.tv. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
45. ^ a b Philby, Charlotte (5 December 2009). "Stand up guy: Bill Bailey on music, marriage and the moment he refused to sell out". The Independent. London. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
46. ^ "Bill Bailey – Celebrity fans – Interviews". FourFourTwo. 31 July 2009. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
47. ^ "denofgeek.com Bill Bailey Interview". 18 November 2009.
48. ^ "Borneo Exotics strikes gold for the third time at Chelsea Flower Show". sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
49. ^ Comedy legend Bill Bailey is our guest on this week's Paddlecast Retrieved Novemeet 21, 2020.
50. ^ "Sixty Seconds". YouTube. 3 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
51. ^ Ellis, David (10 December 2015). "Bill Bailey on happiness, Jeremy Corbyn and how turning 50 changed him". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
52. ^ "Bill Bailey". Fawcett Society. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
53. ^ Moore, Suzanne (26 February 2011). "What's the nicest thing a man can do for a woman? Shout at a bigot". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
54. ^ "Prostate Cancer UK". prostatecanceruk.org. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
55. ^ "Dancing bears 'tradition' to be halted in India". Wildlife Extra. October 2006. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
56. ^ "Comic joins animal protest". The Argus. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
57. ^ "Bill Bailey — Honorary Doctorate ceremony at University of the Sunshine Coast". University of the Sunshine Coast. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
58. ^ Oderberg, Isabelle (22 June 2012). "Bill Bailey's back with no qualms". Herald Sun. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
59. ^ Hitsuzen (29 April 2005). "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)". IMDb. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
60. ^ shead23 (14 October 2011). "Chalet Girl (2011)". IMDb. Retrieved 2 December 2015.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
61. ^ Christmas Guest Stars Revealed. Doctor Who News. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
62. ^ "'Midsomer Murders' Drawing Dead (TV Episode 2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
63. ^ "Roald & Beatrix: The Tail of the Curious Mouse". sky.com. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
64. ^ "Calliope Jane". BBC. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
65. ^ "Travel Man: 96 Hours in Iceland". channel4.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
66. ^ "First Look Image: Bill Bailey, 'Bridgerton's' Adjoa Andoh in Julia Donaldson's 'The Smeds and The Smoos'". variety.com. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
67. ^ "Up Next 2023: Sky's unscripted slate blossoms with 12 new Sky Original commissions across Factual and Arts". skygroup.sky. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
68. ^ "Bill Bailey talks about the new series of Extraordinary Portraits which celebrates people who work in the NHS". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
69. ^ "Bill Bailey's Australian Adventure". radiotimes.com/mediacentre. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
70. ^ "Bill Bailey to front Perfect Pub Walks". uk.news.yahoo.com. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
71. ^ "Bill Bailey announced as host of Bring The Drama on BBC Two". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.

## External links

[edit]

Bill Bailey at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Media from Commons
* Quotations from Wikiquote

* Official website
* Bill Bailey at IMDb
* Bill Bailey discography at Discogs
* Bill Bailey at the BFI's Screenonline.
* Bill Bailey on Chortle.
* Bill Bailey at British Comedy Guide

* v
* t
* e

Strictly Come Dancing

Contestants

Series|

* 1 (2004)
* 2 (2004)
* 3 (2005)
* 4 (2006)
* 5 (2007)
* 6 (2008)
* 7 (2009)
* 8 (2010)
* 9 (2011)
* 10 (2012)
* 11 (2013)
* 12 (2014)
* 13 (2015)
* 14 (2016)
* 15 (2017)
* 16 (2018)
* 17 (2019)
* 18 (2020)
* 19 (2021)
* 20 (2022)
* 21 (2023)
* 22 (2024)
* Specials

Winners|

| Celebrities|

* Natasha Kaplinsky
* Jill Halfpenny
* Darren Gough
* Mark Ramprakash
* Alesha Dixon
* Tom Chambers
* Chris Hollins
* Kara Tointon
* Harry Judd
* Louis Smith
* Abbey Clancy
* Caroline Flack
* Jay McGuiness
* Ore Oduba
* Joe McFadden
* Stacey Dooley
* Kelvin Fletcher
* Bill Bailey
* Rose Ayling-Ellis
* Hamza Yassin
* Ellie Leach

|

Professionals|

* Brendan Cole (1)
* Darren Bennett (2)
* Lilia Kopylova (3)
* Karen Hardy (4)
* Matthew Cutler (5)
* Camilla Dallerup (6)
* Ola Jordan (7)
* Artem Chigvintsev (8)
* Aliona Vilani (9, 13)
* Flavia Cacace (10)
* Aljaž Škorjanec (11)
* Pasha Kovalev (12)
* Joanne Clifton (14)
* Katya Jones (15)
* Kevin Clifton (16)
* Oti Mabuse (17, 18)
* Giovanni Pernice (19)
* Jowita Przystał (20)
* Vito Coppola (21)

Other
professionals|

| Current|

* Dianne Buswell
* Nadiya Bychkova
* Amy Dowden
* Carlos Gu
* Karen Hauer
* Neil Jones
* Nikita Kuzmin
* Gorka Márquez
* Luba Mushtuk
* Lauren Oakley
* Johannes Radebe
* Kai Widdrington
* Nancy Xu

|

Former|

* Erin Boag
* Andrew Cuerden
* Nicole Cutler
* Graziano Di Prima
* Anton Du Beke
* Brian Fortuna
* Anya Garnis
* Hanna Haarala
* Izabela Hannah
* Hayley Holt
* Kylie Jones
* James Jordan
* Hanna Karttunen
* Paul Killick
* Natalie Lowe
* Iveta Lukošiūtė
* Tristan MacManus
* Janette Manrara
* Jared Murillo
* Hazel Newberry
* Oksana Platero
* AJ Pritchard
* Kristina Rihanoff
* Gleb Savchenko
* Vincent Simone
* Katya Virshilas
* Ian Waite
* Trent Whiddon
* Robin Windsor

Related|

* Come Dancing (1949–1998)
* It Takes Two
* Tour
* The Strictly

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

People|

* Deutsche Biographie

Other|

* IdRef

*[m.]: married
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