Bill Bailey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bill Bailey
Bailey performing at the Royal Albert Hall in 2008
Birth name	Mark Robert Bailey
Born	(1965-01-13) 13 January 1965 (age 60) 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

Mark Robert Bailey (born 13 January 1965), known as Bill Bailey, is a famous English musician, comedian, actor, and TV presenter. He is well-known for playing Manny in the TV show Black Books. You might also have seen him on popular panel shows like Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Have I Got News for You, and QI. Bill is also a fantastic stand-up comedian. He plays many musical instruments and often uses music in his shows.

In 2003, The Observer newspaper named him one of the 50 funniest people in British comedy. He was also voted the seventh greatest stand-up comedian on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups in both 2007 and 2010. In 2020, Bill won the 18th series of the BBC dancing show Strictly Come Dancing with his dance partner Oti Mabuse. At 55, he became the oldest winner in the show's history.

Bill also helps raise money for cancer research. He walked 100 miles to honor his mum, who passed away in 2005. He also helps spread awareness about prostate cancer through different ads. In 2018, the University of Bath gave him an Honorary Doctorate. Bill has also written several books, including Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to British Birds and My Animals, and Other Animals. He has his own website where you can find out more about his music and shows.

Bill Bailey's Early Life

Mark Robert Bailey was born on 13 January 1965 in Bath, Somerset, England. His dad was a doctor, and his mum worked at a hospital. For a long time, people thought his birthday was February 24th, but he corrected it in 2018. He grew up mostly in Keynsham, a town between Bath and Bristol. His grandparents lived in a small building attached to their house. His grandpa was a stonemason and builder.

Bill went to King Edward's School in Bath. He was a very good student at first. Around age 15, he found his love for performing. He was part of a school band called Behind Closed Doors. Bill is a trained musician and was the only student at his school to study A-level music, getting an A grade. He was also good at sports and captained the school's cricket team. His music teacher gave him the nickname "Bill" because he could play the song "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" so well on the guitar.

After school, Bill started studying English at Westfield College in London but left after a year. He also got a diploma from the London College of Music. He even performed with a boy band called The Famous Five!

Becoming a Comedian

Starting Stand-Up Comedy

Bill Bailey began performing comedy around the country. In 1984, he formed a comedy duo called the Rubber Bishops with his old school friend, Toby Longworth. Bill started to develop his unique style, mixing music parodies with funny twists on traditional jokes. Toby left the group in 1989, and another friend, Martin Stubbs, joined.

After Martin left, Bill went solo in 1995 with his one-man show, Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam. This show was recorded and shown on Channel 4 in 1997 as Bill Bailey Live. It was the first time Bill really brought together his music, jokes, and rambling style that he's famous for today.

In 1996, his show was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This award is a big deal in comedy! He didn't win, but the nomination helped him get noticed. In 1999, Bill won the Best Live Stand-Up award at the British Comedy Awards.

Bill Bailey on TV

Getting nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award helped Bill get his own TV show in 1998, called Is It Bill Bailey?. Before that, he had appeared on a children's show called Motormouth in the late 1980s, where he played piano for a mind-reading dog!

Bill also made guest appearances on many shows, including Have I Got News for You. In 1998, comedian Dylan Moran asked Bill to be in a new TV show called Black Books. It was about a grumpy bookshop owner, his kind assistant, and their awkward friend. Bill played the assistant, Manny Bianco. The show was very popular, and they made three series.

From 2002 to 2008, Bill was a team captain on the music quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks. He was known for his funny comments and for being teased by the host. He later left the show to focus on his tours. Bill has also appeared many times on the clever panel game QI since it started in 2003. He was even the winner of the show's first, unaired episode!

Bill has presented wildlife shows too, like Wild Thing I Love You on Channel 4, which focused on protecting British wild animals. He also presented Baboons With Bill Bailey for ITV1. In 2011, he played Droxil in the Christmas episode of Doctor Who, called The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.

In 2013, Bill presented a two-part documentary called Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero. He traveled through Indonesia and Borneo to learn about the explorer Alfred Russel Wallace. Bill felt that Wallace, who helped develop the idea of evolution, had been "airbrushed out of history."

As mentioned, Bill won Strictly Come Dancing in 2020. In 2022, he voiced Grandfather Smed in the animated film The Smeds and The Smoos (film).

Music and International Tours

Bill Bailey performing in concert, 2007

Bill is a talented musician and uses music a lot in his comedy. He has perfect pitch, which means he can identify musical notes just by hearing them. His shows often feature music from different styles like jazz, rock, and classical. He plays instruments like the keyboard, guitar, theremin, kazoo, and bongos. He can even play the clarinet!

In 2007, Bill performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra in a show called Cosmic Shindig. They played orchestral versions of his songs and explored different instruments. In 2008, he performed Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Bill has toured his comedy shows all over the world.

• In 2001, he started his Bewilderness tour. A recording of this show was released on DVD.
• In 2003, he premiered Part Troll at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This show was a huge success, selling out tickets very quickly. He toured it across the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
• His Tinselworm tour in 2007 had three sold-out nights at the MEN Arena in Manchester, one of Europe's largest indoor venues!
• He has continued to tour with shows like Dandelion Mind (2010), Qualmpeddler (2012), Limboland (2015), and En Route To Normal (2021).

Beyond Comedy

Personal Life

Bill Bailey lives in Hammersmith, London, with his wife, Kristin. They got married in 1998 while traveling in Indonesia. Bill said they decided to get married "there and then" when they saw a beautiful lagoon and volcano. Their son, Dax, was born in 2003.

Bill is a big fan of the Queens Park Rangers football team and loves Star Trek. There's even a special carnivorous pitcher plant named after him, called Nepenthes x Bill Bailey! He also enjoys standup paddleboarding (SUP).

Activism and Views

Bill Bailey is a supporter of the Labour Party in the UK. He believes in honest and principled speaking in politics.

He is also a feminist and supports the Fawcett Society, which works for women's rights. Bill also helps raise awareness for men's health issues, especially prostate cancer. He is a patron of International Animal Rescue and has worked to help rescue "dancing bears." He also supports the Sumatran Orangutan Society. For all his work in environmental conservation, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia in 2014.

Tours and Releases

Bill Bailey has had many successful tours and released several DVDs and CDs of his shows.

Tours

DVD Releases

CD Releases

Film and TV Appearances

Bill Bailey has appeared in many films and TV shows. Here are some of his notable roles:

• Maid Marian and her Merry Men (1992) – A cameo as a court jester.
• Spaced (1999–2001) – Played Bilbo Bagshot, a comic-shop manager.
• Saving Grace (2000) – A film role.
• Black Books (2000–2004) – Manny Bianco.
• Jonathan Creek (2001, 2003) – As a failing street magician.
• Hot Fuzz (2007) – A role in this action-comedy film.
• Run Fatboy Run (2007) – A small cameo.
• Skins (2008) – Maxxie Oliver's father.
• Hustle (2009, 2012) – Played a character called 'Cyclops'.
• Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (2010) – A role in this family film.
• Doctor Who – The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (2011) – Droxil.
• The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... (2018) – Voice role.
• Strictly Come Dancing (2020) – Contestant and winner.
• The Smeds and The Smoos (2022) – Voice of Grandfather Smed.

Images for kids

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  Bill Bailey hosting So You Think You're Funny

See also

In Spanish: Bill Bailey para niños