Bill Bailey reveals new 'sex symbol' hairdo inspired by terrifying accident

Hair-raising moments are not uncommon for stand-up comics similar Bill Bailey. Grumbling astir turning 60 successful “depressing” January, helium smiles arsenic helium explains the crushed for his new, adjacent cropped hairstyle. The “turning-point” erstwhile helium decided to lop-off his ponytail, came erstwhile it astir went up successful flames arsenic helium cooked connected a campfire.

“That was a motion from the universe,” helium tells The Mirror. “I’d had it since my twenties, but past twelvemonth it felt similar it was clip for it to go. “So, it was retired with “Gandalf” and successful with a much blase look, successful clip for his sixtieth. Although this meant much hairy moments for Bill. I went to the barber down the roadworthy from my house,” helium says. “I told him it was a large time for maine and however affectional I felt losing thing that had been my individuality for truthful long.

“He listened to maine and past went, ‘Yeah, whatever,’ and he’d shaved it off—in seconds!” But the restyled Bill drew an approving “phwoah!” from chap comic Dawn French successful a tweet.

“I was rather taken aback by that but flattered, yeah” helium says. “My hairsbreadth was conscionable 1 of the things that grew and I ne'er truly thought astir cutting it.

“I wasn’t bothered astir it and then, doing basal up, radical latched connected to it. ‘He looks similar a wizard,’ ‘he looks similar Gandalf!’ So I kept it. “ Now his 22-year-old lad Dax is his dad’s idiosyncratic groomer.

“He’s large with the clippers, truthful helium does a tidy up each present and then!” Bill laughs. Returning to being calved successful the incorrect month, helium says: “January is ne'er the period for celebrating, is it?

“It’s cold, dark. No 1 wants to spell out. So we stayed astatine location (for his 60th). My woman cooked a fantastic meal and the adjacent nighttime I had immoderate friends round.

“It was a quiescent 1 but I’m readying to bash it decently successful the summer.”

Turning 60 is simply a clip to reflect, but not to dilatory down.

Since his archetypal solo amusement astatine the Edinburgh Festival successful 1996 saw him nominated for a Perrier Award, Bill has raised uproarious laughter successful packed theatres, he’s starred successful the BAFTA winning Channel 4 classical Black Books and has been a favourite of drama sheet shows.

But becoming the oldest victor of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing successful 2020, aged 55, undoubtedly made him a nationalist treasure.

Starting as, unsurprisingly, thing of a gag act, helium went connected to beryllium a precise superior victor - lifting the glitterball trophy with creation spouse Oti Mabuse. And helium says being a comedian was an advantage, explaining: “Comics are beauteous resilient. We basal up successful beforehand of radical trying to marque them laughter and gigs sometimes don’t spell our way. You person to get utilized to things not moving out, oregon radical shouting oregon heckling, oregon whatever.

“We don’t instrumentality disapproval personally. We mightiness person a laughter astir it, but we’re not going to person sleepless nights implicit it. “

Meanwhile, Bill and Oti, 34, were a imagination squad and became large friends.

“There is an alchemy successful getting the concern close connected Strictly,” says Bill. “Oti recognised thing successful maine from the commencement - that I didn’t privation to fto myself down.

“I don’t cognize if I was paired with different dancer, if they’d person recognised that. It tin beryllium deed and miss. You ne'er cognize if radical are going to get on, whether they gel oregon not connected Strictly.

“My acquisition connected Strictly gave maine truthful overmuch assurance to cognize that I tin spell that other mile.”

And truthful helium has, virtually - completing the Cape Wrath way successful the Scottish Highlands, a 250 mile hike from Fort William up to Cape Wrath.

“It’s known arsenic the toughest hike successful Britain and determination were points erstwhile I felt I could not locomotion different step.

“Every day, I walked 20 miles oregon more.There were days I didn’t deliberation I could spell on. Then I’d retrieve sitting successful the rehearsal country with Oti saying, ‘C’mon, bash different dance.’ I’d beryllium exhausted, she’d marque maine get up, and it would crook retired I’d person 3 much dances successful me.”

One TV professional described latest Strictly champion Chris McCausland, who won Strictly with creation spouse Dianne Buswell, arsenic the astir invited bid victor since Bill dazzled audiences 4 years earlier

Of Chris, a chap comedian, who is unsighted owed to retinitis pigmentosa, Bill says: “It’s a marvel however helium was capable to larn the steps. The sheer magnitude of spot helium would person had successful Dianne’s teaching is conscionable extraordinary.

“I had to springiness Oti each my spot and I’m not blind. He was doing that and not being capable to spot what the effect was.

“And not being capable to spot the heights of things that helium was jumping disconnected … gauging the region connected the creation floor...

“All those things are truly hard to bash if you’re sighted!”

Strictly, Bill says, gave him the assurance to bash much TV presenting.

“You’re being interviewed a batch of the time, truthful it makes you comfy connected camera,” helium says.

And this week, helium volition beryllium presenting a caller bid of Extraordinary Portraits connected BBC One - which matches talented artists with inspiring individuals, to make breathtaking works of art.

Bill meets the radical down the portraits, who archer their backmost stories, up of them being exhibited successful the outpouring successful Bradford, arsenic portion of the UK City of Culture celebrations.

He says: “My occupation is to effort and enactment these radical astatine easiness - arsenic it tin beryllium daunting having a camera unit astir you.

“It’s thing that I person recovered I person immoderate benignant of installation for. I bask it precise much.

“It’s a precise rewarding TV bid to beryllium portion of and I emotion drafting myself - though it’s much wildlife … birds, butterflies, bugs, beetles.”

A large quality lover, the funnyman’s West London location is shared with his wife, Kristin, his begetter Christopher, lad Dax, 22, and a menagerie of animals including cockatoos, frogs and lizards:

“We are similar a foster attraction location for animals. We look aft them for a spot and effort to rehome them successful a postulation oregon zoo,” helium says.

And they don’t restrict their carnal rescues to location turf.

Recalling helium and Kristin’s ngo to prevention an owl during a vacation successful China, helium explains: “We went to a edifice successful the Guangdong province. There were a full clump of animals successful determination that shouldn’t person been successful captivity - immoderate of them were rare, immoderate were communal - but nary of them should person been successful a restaurant.

“We thought if we tin prevention 1 carnal we will, truthful we bargained with them and bought the owl. “

Paying 400 Yuan - astir £40 for the pistillate Eurasian eagle-owl - helium continues: “ We drove it to immoderate woodland and it flew into the night. We each stood astir and cheered.”

Now it’s his crook to beryllium cheered by appreciated audiences during his acclaimed Thoughtifier tour. Described arsenic a “magical, philharmonic enigma circuit of the quality mind,” it finishes its tally astatine London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket connected February 15.

One of his biggest fans is his erstwhile GP dada Christopher, whose emotion of The Goons introduced Bill to comedy.

“Dad is successful his nineties but he’s conscionable amazing. He loves the societal facet of going to gigs. And he’s precise sharp, “ says Bill.

Hugely household orientated, 2025 marks 20 years since Bill’s mum Madryn’s decease from bowel crab - which prompted him to enactment with Macmillan Cancer Support. The origin is adjacent person to his bosom pursuing the crab decease of his comedian person Sean Lock successful 2021.

“Mum was 74 erstwhile she died, and her day is connected the VE time day - truthful we volition beryllium reasoning astir her a lot,” says Bill. “Her ashes are up connected a elevation overlooking a beauteous vale adjacent wherever we lived adjacent Bath. My dada planted a histrion determination truthful we volition spell and accidental hullo to her.”

On his 60th enactment plans helium says: “I’m going to person a due ding dong this summer. It’s fortunate we are present erstwhile others are not.”

Extraordinary Portraits with Bill Bailey begins Friday February 7 astatine 7.30pm BBC One.