History of Bill Bailey in Timeline
Bill Bailey is an English musician, comedian, actor, and television presenter. He gained recognition for his role as Manny in the sitcom *Black Books* and for his appearances on panel shows like *Never Mind the Buzzcocks*, *Have I Got News for You*, and *QI*. A key element of his comedy is his musical talent, incorporating various instruments into his stand-up performances.
1 day ago : Bill Bailey Spotted, Raises Money Walking South Downs Way for Macmillan Charity.
Bill Bailey was spotted at a Hampshire restaurant and raised £12,500 for Macmillan with a South Downs Way walk. He also passed through East Hampshire on his City to Sea walk.
January 1965: Mark Robert Bailey Born
In January 1965, Mark Robert Bailey was born in Keynsham, Somerset, the son of Christopher and Madryn Bailey.
1982: Captain of the KES 2nd XI cricket team
In 1982, Bill Bailey was the captain of the KES 2nd XI cricket team and 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.
1984: Formation of The Rubber Bishops
In 1984, Bill Bailey formed a double act called The Rubber Bishops with Toby Longworth, where he began developing his style of mixing musical parodies with deconstructions of traditional jokes.
1989: Longworth Leaves The Rubber Bishops
In 1989, Toby Longworth left The Rubber Bishops to join the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and was replaced by Martin Stubbs.
1991: Stand Up Shows
In 1991, Bill Bailey was appearing in stand-up shows such as The Happening, Packing Them In, The Stand Up Show and The Comedy Store.
1995: Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam
In 1995, Bill Bailey created his show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam.
1995: Formation of Beergut 100
In 1995, Bill Bailey founded the punk band Beergut 100 with comedy writer Jim Miller, also featuring Martin Trenaman and Phil Whelans, with Kevin Eldon as lead singer.
1995: Supporting Donna McPhail
In 1995, Bill Bailey supported Donna McPhail.
1995: Shop Opening
Since 1995 Bill Bailey has had his own webpage and offers a shop, including a list of his musical accomplishments.
1996: Perrier Comedy Award Nomination
In 1996, Bill Bailey returned to Edinburgh with a show that was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award.
1997: Broadcast of Bill Bailey Live
In 1997, Bill Bailey's one-man show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam, performed at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London, was broadcast on Channel 4 as a one-hour special called Bill Bailey Live.
1998: Marriage to Kristin
In 1998, Bill Bailey married Kristin in Indonesia.
1998: Is It Bill Bailey?
In 1998, Bill Bailey wrote and presented the BBC television show, Is It Bill Bailey?
1998: Black Books Pilot Script
In 1998, Dylan Moran approached Bill Bailey with the pilot script for Black Books, a Channel 4 sitcom. It was commissioned in 2000.
1999: Best Live Stand-Up Award
In 1999, Bill Bailey won Best Live Stand-Up award at the British Comedy Awards.
2000: Room 101 Appearance
In 2000, Bill Bailey reminisced about his experience on the children's show Motormouth on the BBC show Room 101 with Paul Merton.
2000: Role as Manny in Black Books
In 2000, Bill Bailey took on the role of Manny Bianco in the Channel 4 sitcom Black Books. He starred alongside Dylan Moran and Tamsin Greig in this series about a bookshop owner and his friends.
2001: Bewilderness Tour
In 2001, Bill 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.
2002: Never Mind the Buzzcocks Team Captain
In 2002, Bill Bailey became a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, succeeding Sean Hughes.
2002: Bewilderness CD
In 2002, Bill Bailey released a CD of a recording of Bewilderness at the WestBeth Theatre in New York City.
2003: Premiere of Part Troll
In 2003, Bill Bailey premiered his show Part Troll at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A critical and commercial success, he then transferred it to the West End.
2003: One of the 50 Funniest Acts
In 2003, Bill Bailey was listed by The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.
2003: QI Appearance
Since 2003, Bill Bailey has appeared frequently on the intellectual panel game QI, alongside host Stephen Fry and regular panellist Alan Davies; he was the winner of the show's unaired pilot episode.
2004: DVD Release of Part Troll
In 2004, a DVD was released of Bill Bailey's show Part Troll.
2004: Final Series of Black Books
In 2004, the final series of the sitcom Black Books, in which Bill Bailey played Manny, aired. The show, which premiered in 2000, ran for three series.
2005: Glastonbury Festival
In 2005, Bill Bailey performed Unisex Chip Shop, a Billy Bragg tribute, with Billy Bragg himself at the Glastonbury Festival.
2005: Release of Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam
In 2005, Bill Bailey's 1995 show Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam. was released. The two-disc set also contained a director's cut of Bewilderness.
2005: Death of his Mother
In 2005, Bill Bailey's mother died. He has since been a cancer fundraiser and walked 100 miles for cancer fundraising in honour of her, as well as raising awareness for prostate cancer.
October 2006: Presentation of Wild Thing I Love You
On October 15, 2006, Bill Bailey presented Wild Thing I Love You, a series on Channel 4 that focused on the protection of Britain's wild animals.
2006: Steampunk at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
In 2006, Bill Bailey performed a show entitled Steampunk at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
2006: Beergut 100 performance at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
In 2006, Bill Bailey's band Beergut 100 performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
February 2007: Cosmic Shindig performances
In February 2007, Bill Bailey performed Cosmic Shindig twice with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Anne Dudley, once on February 24th in Watford and again on February 26th at Queen Elizabeth Hall. The show featured orchestrally accompanied versions of Bailey's songs and new musical pieces.
August 2007: Beautiful Days Festival
In August 2007, Bill Bailey appeared at the Beautiful Days festival.
2007: The Hobbit Films Petition
Early in 2007, a petition was started to express fans' wishes to see Bill Bailey cast as a dwarf in The Hobbit films, after his stand-up routine mentioned auditioning for Gimli in The Lord of the Rings.
2007: Seventh Greatest Stand-Up Comic
In 2007, Bill Bailey was voted the seventh greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups.
May 2008: Appearance on Grand Designs Live
On May 4, 2008, Bill Bailey helped Kevin McCloud build his eco-friendly home in the first episode of Grand Designs Live.
September 2008: Departure from Never Mind the Buzzcocks
On September 18, 2008, it was announced that Bill Bailey would leave Never Mind the Buzzcocks and be replaced by a series of guest captains.
October 2008: Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra performance
In October 2008, Bill Bailey performed "Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra" at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Anne Dudley.
2008: Planned Eurovision entry
In 2008, Bill Bailey considered putting himself forward as Britain's Eurovision entry following fan petitions.
2009: Appearance in Hustle
In 2009, Bill Bailey appeared as Cyclops in the BBC show Hustle, and presented Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza in the autumn.
2009: Alfred Russel Wallace Project
In 2009, Bill Bailey presented a project about the explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, in the form of an Indonesian travelogue.
2009: Statement on marriage
In 2009, Bill Bailey shared details about his spontaneous marriage to Kristin in Banda, Indonesia.
2009: Touring and Panel Game Retirement
While touring in 2009, Bill 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.
November 2010: Dandelion Mind DVD Release
On November 22, 2010, the DVD of Bill Bailey's show Dandelion Mind was released.
2010: Appearance in Labour Party election broadcast
In 2010, Bill Bailey appeared in the Labour Party's fifth party election broadcast of the general election campaign, indicating his support for the party.
2010: Seventh Greatest Stand-Up Comic
In 2010, Bill Bailey was again voted the seventh greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups.
July 2011: Performance at Sonisphere Festival
In July 2011, Bill Bailey performed at the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, headlining the Saturn Stage.
2011: Host of Comic's Choice
In 2011, Bill Bailey hosted his own show Comic's Choice.
2011: Doctor Who Christmas Special
In 2011, Bill Bailey played Droxil in the Christmas Special of Doctor Who, titled The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe.
September 2012: Qualmpeddler Tour
In September 2012, Bill Bailey's world tour entitled Qualmpeddler toured the UK as well as returning to Australia and New Zealand.
June 2014: Appointment as patron of The Music House for Children
In June 2014, Bill Bailey became a patron of The Music House for Children, alongside Sophie Ellis-Bextor, in celebration of the organization's 20th anniversary.
October 2014: Honorary doctorate in conservation and sustainability
In October 2014, Bill Bailey received an honorary doctorate in conservation and sustainability from the Australian University of the Sunshine Coast for his environmental conservation work.
2015: Endorsement of Jeremy Corbyn
In 2015, Bill Bailey endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election, citing a desire for honesty and principled plain speaking in politics.
July 2018: Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bath
On July 11, 2018, Bill Bailey was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bath.
October 2018: The Earl of Whimsy Tour
In September and October 2018, Bill Bailey toured his show, The Earl of Whimsy, to seven venues within New Zealand.
2018: Correct Birthday Revealed
In 2018, Bill Bailey revealed that his correct birth date was January 13. Until then, the media had wrongly recorded it as February 24.
2020: Won Strictly Come Dancing
In 2020, Bill Bailey won the 18th series of the televised BBC dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing with his professional partner Oti Mabuse. At 55, he is the oldest winner in the show's history as of 2024.
2021: En Route To Normal Tour
In 2021, Bill Bailey toured his new show, En Route To Normal, to venues in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
2022: Grandfather Smed
In 2022, Bill Bailey voiced Grandfather Smed in the short film The Smeds and the Smoos.
2024: Patron of the Musical Comedy Awards
In 2024, Bill Bailey became a patron of the Musical Comedy Awards.
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