Bill Bailey is known for his role as Manny in the sitcom Black Books and his 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.
56 Facts About Bill Bailey
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Bill Bailey plays a variety of musical instruments and incorporates music into his performances.
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In 2017 Bailey read Billy and the Minpins by Roald Dahl, In 2020 Bailey won the 18th series of the televised BBC dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing with his professional partner Oti Mabuse.
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In 2022 Bill Bailey voiced Grandfather Smed in the Christmas adaptation The Smeds and the Smoos.
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Mark Robert Bill Bailey was born on 13 January 1965 in Bath, Somerset, the son of a medical practitioner father and hospital ward employee mother.
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Bill Bailey spent most of his childhood in Keynsham, a town between Bath and Bristol.
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Bill Bailey's maternal grandparents lived in an annexe built on the side of the house by his maternal grandfather, who was a stonemason and builder.
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Bill Bailey was educated at King Edward's School, an independent school in Bath, where he was initially a highly academic pupil.
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Bill Bailey 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.
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Bill Bailey started studies for an English degree at Westfield College of the University of London, but left after a year.
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Bill Bailey received an Associate Diploma from the London College of Music.
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Bill Bailey was made an honorary member of the Society of Crematorium Organists.
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Bill Bailey performed with a boy band called The Famous Five.
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Bill Bailey began touring the country with comedians such as Mark Lamarr.
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Stubbs later quit to pursue a more serious career, and in 1994 Bill 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.
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Bill Bailey almost gave up comedy to take up a telesales job.
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Bill Bailey went solo the next year with the one man show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam.
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Bill Bailey won the Best Live Stand-Up award at the British Comedy Awards in 1999.
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Bill Bailey reminisced about the experience on the BBC show Room 101 with Paul Merton in 2000.
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Bill Bailey 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.
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When Sean Hughes left his long-term role as a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2002, Bill Bailey became his successor.
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Bill 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.
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Bill Bailey later appeared with Lock again as a guest on his show TV Heaven, Telly Hell.
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Bill Bailey has appeared twice on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
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Bill Bailey hosted his own show Comic's Choice, which aired in 2011.
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Bill Bailey presented Wild Thing I Love You which began on Channel 4 on 15 October 2006.
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Bill Bailey appeared in the second series of the E4 teenage "dramedy" Skins playing Maxxie's dad, Walter Oliver.
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Bill Bailey appeared on the first episode of Grand Designs Live on 4 May 2008, helping Kevin McCloud build his eco-friendly home.
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In 2009, Bill Bailey appeared in the BBC show Hustle as the character "Cyclops", a side-line character.
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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.
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In 2009, Bill Bailey presented a project about the explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, in the form of an Indonesian travelogue.
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Bill Bailey said in an interview that Wallace had been "airbrushed out of history", and that he feels a "real affinity" with him.
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Bill Bailey travelled around producing and filming the series in Indonesia and Borneo.
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Bill Bailey took part in the eighteenth series of the televised dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing, broadcast in late 2020.
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Bill Bailey won the competition with his partner, Oti Mabuse, becoming the show's oldest winner at 55, displacing the previous oldest winner Joe McFadden.
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Bill Bailey premiered his show Part Troll at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
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Bill Bailey continued to tour it all over the UK as well as in Australia, New Zealand and the US.
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Bill Bailey expanded on subjects such as the war on Iraq.
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Bill Bailey performed a show at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe entitled Steampunk.
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Bill Bailey appeared at the Beautiful Days festival in August 2007.
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In September and October 2018, Bill Bailey toured his show, The Earl of Whimsy, to seven venues within New Zealand.
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In December 2021, Bill Bailey started touring his new show, En Route To Normal, to venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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In 2022 Bill Bailey will take the tour to venues in Europe, and later in the year Australia.
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Bill Bailey plays numerous musical instruments, and incorporates music into his comedy.
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Bill Bailey mentioned in an interview that he has achieved Grade 6 Clarinet.
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Bill Bailey was part of punk band Beergut 100, which he founded in 1995 with comedy writer Jim Miller and featured Martin Trenaman and Phil Whelans, with Kevin Eldon as lead singer.
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In February 2007, Bill Bailey appeared twice with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Anne Dudley in a show entitled Cosmic Shindig.
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Bill 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.
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In July 2011, Bill Bailey performed at the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, headlining the Saturn Stage.
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Bill Bailey released an album, In Metal, using songs played at Sonisphere, later that year.
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In June 2014, The Music House for Children announced Bill Bailey would become their patron alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor in celebration of their 20th anniversary.
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Bailey has a carnivorous pitcher plant named after him, Nepenthes x Bill Bailey, created by Borneo Exotics in Sri Lanka.
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Bill Bailey is a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party and appeared in its fifth party election broadcast of the 2010 general election campaign.
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Bill Bailey is a feminist ally and a supporter of the Fawcett Society.
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Bill Bailey is a prominent advocate of men's issues, most notably raising awareness of prostate cancer and the Men United campaign.
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Bill Bailey is a patron of International Animal Rescue and has been instrumental in the organisation's campaign to rescue dancing bears.