Talk:Bill Bailey

Wikipedia user
According to Press reports, Bill Bailey (the UK comedian) told The Times that he is a occasional reader of Wikipedia (reported here  ). Hi Mr. Bailey, Sir! Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 14:01, 24 Mar 2004 (UTC)
 * If that's true then he should become a little more active in making sure his article is as good as it ought to be!! :) violet/riga

"I go to all the online versions of papers, and to wikipedia.org, an online encyclopedia, which is actually not mad." Confirmed in a Guardian interview. lots of issues | leave me a message 23:08, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

Pink Floyd?
"Unfortunatley Bailey has recived critsism for his inabilty to write his own jokes. He has called upon the help of Alan Car, Eric Prydz (the man behind Pink Floyd) and MC Lars"

What is this? Particularly, what is the reference to Pink Floyd? Eric Prydz appears to be some DJ who released a remix of Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall' so can hardly be referred to as "the man behind Pink Floyd". Or is this just vandalism? NullPainter 20:07, 6 May 2007 (UTC)
 * It's not a very encyclopaedic wording, it sounds like a made-up claim, it was added with an edit summary claiming to be making a different change, "comedian employs writers" is an oddly weak thing to receive criticism for - it's just random vandalism. Unsourced and negative claims about living people should just be deleted under WP:BLP. --McGeddon 20:28, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Duplicated trivia
the trivium about him being is the 2005 HG2G film is in there twice once in the triva and once in the "other aperences" section, which one should be kept? I removed the triva entry and added one to the TV/film Euano 18:05, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

Anti-joke
Hi Bailey interested Wikipedians, you've made a sensible choice by coming to this page. There's a minor point over at Anti-joke that should be of interest to anyone familiar with Bailey's stand-up. Check the discussion page and please do comment if you can contribute. Thanks Coyote-37 15:55, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

Major changes
I added a trivia section because aside from there being large amounts of duplicated data, the list of achievements etc. was getting ridiculously long and was written in note form. I feel the current layout improves upon the original, but the article still needs serious work. --^pirate 22:37, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
 * That seems like a wise move, although a few things do need shuffling around. I'm not sure the bit about audio CDs should be in Trivia, and I would just propose adding them to the list of Selected Works, but I think it's important to make the distinction between the 'Bewilderness' and 'Ultimate Collection Ever' CDs. The Wild West mention shouldn't really be in trivia either - how about a section for guest appearances?


 * Also, I have a Bill Bailey fansite which is linked to at the bottom. I thought it might also be useful to link to the credits section, which is quite comprehensive and would be a quicker way for people to get a full list. However, I don't want to over-promote my own site, so I'll leave the decision to someone else. --Not Josh 17:50, 30 January 2006 (UTC)
 * Well, I completely rewrote the article. There's a lot of material there now and it needs refining, with a better layout, and probably less bias, but I feel it's much more comprehensive now than it was before.
 * Not Josh 16:36, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

Irish descent?
Re: the category "People of Irish descent in Great Britain" just added - can anyone back this up? I've never read or heard anything that gives this impression. Not Josh 18:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

indeed, he's a thorough West Country bloke through and through I always supposed. At least that's what he infers. No trace of Irish I don't think. Nikevs 18:44, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

Minor change?
Does this make sense? "it was later been released in shops as Bill Bailey: The Ultimate Collection" I would have said "it was later released in shops as..."
 * Agreed, fixed it. --- Trench 16:08, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

Shaun of the Dead?
I thought Bill wasn't able to make his appearance in Shaun of the Dead, but can't find confirmation either way. Anyone?


 * You're right, he wasn't in Shaun of the Dead. The confirmation is in the FAQ section of his official website.
 * It says "IMDB used to credit Bill as being in this film, and many people seem to be under the impression that he appeared as a zombie - probably confusing him with one of the two bald, beard-sporting zombie twins that feature prominently. Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright confirm on the DVD commentary that he was unfortunately busy with other commitments at the time, so could not have a role." Halen061088 16:14, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Billy Bragg
Bill Bailey appeared with Billy Bragg onstage at the 2005 Glastonbury festival where they performed Bailey's song "Unisex Chip-Shop", a parody of a Billy Bragg-style song. I feel this is worth mentioning, althoguh I wouldn't know where. Trivia presumably...here is a link to the performance for verification anyway, perhaps it could go in the external links 212.32.11.115 11:52, 26 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I think he also actually performed with Billy Bragg on the streets in ?Salford as a busker taking the michael out of him and Bragg returned the favour and joined in! Si Trew (talk) 21:34, 8 May 2014 (UTC)

Personal life
Now I assume Bill has a personal life, so why no mention? I thought he was married and a father, so I would've thought that would be important information to be included in a biography? I'd add it myself but I really don't know the facts.


 * That's probably a reason why there's not much here - he doesn't seem very public when it comes to details about his family life.--Joseph Q Publique 04:45, 10 March 2007 (UTC)


 * All the same, someone must know some small fact that could be inserted into the trivia section? 86.128.227.223 19:44, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

The Lord of the Rings
Do we have any evidence that Bill really auditioned for the role of Gimli? I know that he says that he did during his act, but, as the article already notes, he makes a lot of claims during his shows, not all of which are remotely substantiated. Unless anyone can actually cite something with more serious substance to it, I'm going to alter that particular sentence, adding "claims to have" in there. --Tailkinker 20:16, 10 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Not sure how true it is but he apparently missed The Lord of the Rings audition and he mentioned this in one of his live shows. A petition was set up online and now he's going to be a dwarf in The Hobbit film.....purely a rumor though 86.7.165.144 (talk) 21:22, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Future
This section states that Bill claimed he would start his next tour in the States. Since Tinselworm has been announced, and no plans for a US tour are mentioned anywhere on his website, I think it is safe to assume that this comment is not longer true and should be deleted. Anyone disagree? Dibbler5 15:32, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Other Bill Baileys
I'm pretty sure that under Wikipedia guidelines that this doesn't belong here, so I'm going to remove it. If anyone disagrees with me, please feel free to discuss it here or to put the text back in. I think perhaps this other Bill Bailey should have his own article? Dibbler5 23:18, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Quite - if the other Bill Bailey is a notable enough figure to have his own article, then it can be linked from this article via a disambiguation link at the top. But if he doesn't have an article and has no direct connection to the comedian Bill Bailey, then he shouldn't be mentioned in an article about comedian Bill Bailey. --McGeddon 08:31, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
 * And it looks like an article has been created, so we'll just wait to see whether it's notability is proven or not. --McGeddon 08:42, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

There are over 10 notable Bill Baileys with their own wikipedia articles and a disambiguation page here William Bailey. With so many people having this name why is the British comedian given the privilege of page that only uses it as a title. I propose it is changed to Bill Bailey (British comedian). This page would then redirect to the disambiguation page. Any comments? Lumos3 (talk) 10:07, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
 * First, we would need evidence that the other William Baileys are commonly called "Bill". Once we have that, we would need to determine whether any of them was significantly more commonly searched for than others. For example, there's no doubt that this person is hundreds of times more notable than an MP from the 15th century. So, the question has to do with relative importance. Qwyrxian (talk) 06:36, 2 December 2012 (UTC)


 * Huh? Bill Bailey is not his real name, but comes from the song Won't you come home Bill Bailey? and stuck. Si Trew (talk) 21:36, 8 May 2014 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Bill bailey.jpg
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Eurovision
Just as a quick point the programme from last nights performance mentions the eurovision song contest but the tour of austrailia is about the same time so may well not go ahead.143.167.10.58 15:05, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

The BBC's Eurovision 'Your Descision' website is now up listing the acts to choose from, and sadly Bill isn't among them. Alexsutton (talk) 10:51, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

Dax or Jadzia Dax?
In the interest of making sure this article is as needlessly pedantic as possible, I think we should ascertain exactly which Deep Space 9 character Bill Bailey's son is named after: Is it the joined Trill Jadzia Dax, or purely the symbiote she carries, known only as Dax? The two characters are technically distinct. --81.158.147.90 (talk) 16:49, 5 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Update: according to the interview here, his son is named after Dax the symbiote and not specifically Jadzia. I'll fix the page accordingly. --81.158.147.90 (talk) 17:30, 5 March 2008 (UTC)

Blogs are reliable when they come from reputable sources
I'm not familiar with this comedian, and only came to this article while following an IP who vandalized the Sherri Shepherd article.

Anyway, that IP tried to add a blog to this article as a source, which was reverted. That blog, however, gives the impression that it is Bill Bailey's blog. Thus I wanted to point out and remind some editors that blogs are considered reliable by Wikipedia when they are coming from reputable sources or the subject him or herself. A TV Guide editor's blog, for example, especially if that editor is interviewing a celebrity/writer/producer/etc., is considered a reliable source.

Is the reason that the Bill Bailey blog source was reverted is because we cannot be sure that that's his official or real blog? Flyer22 (talk) 05:45, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Nope, I just checked, and that blog is from his official site. I don't see the problem in using it as a source. Flyer22 (talk) 05:52, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Also, that source is already used in the lead of this article, anyway. Flyer22 (talk) 23:45, 6 July 2008 (UTC)

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Little funny anecdote: the name 'Bill Bailey' appears in T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (yes, the one on which Cats was based on. It reads, and I quote:
 *  'First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
 * Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
 * Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey―
 * All of them sensible everyday names.' 

Should it be mentioned? Siúnrá (talk) 12:15, 30 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Only via disambig. "Bill Bailey" was a common enough name in music hall etc., and Eliot was presumably using it partly because of this commonness. Andy Dingley (talk) 13:00, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Information from Radio Times for June 7-13, 2008
Some information on Bill Bailey appeared on p134 of the Radio Times, July 7-13 2008. This could be incorporated into the article. The Radio Times says that he was an only child (the article already states this); consistent with the article, the Radio Times emphasises his academic abilities, stating that one year, he won nine out of twelve of the school's prizes. Something which is in the Radio Times but not in this article (at least, not as far as I can see) is that he got Grade 8 for piano. The Radio Times also mentioned how, on a trip to the jungle in Colombia with Sean Lock, he almost died because he did not have enough food or water with him. According to the Radio Times, he dropped out of his drama course after a few weeks, "fell into comedy" and met his wife-to-be at a comedy gig. ACEOREVIVED (talk) 19:53, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Drug use
Should there not be more information about Bill's drug use? S-Britland (talk) 16:50, 14 April 2009 (UTC)
 * If it can be reliably sourced. Jim Michael (talk) 23:37, 31 December 2010 (UTC)

Pitch perfect?
Despite being a big Bill Bailey fan there is mention that he is pitch perfect in the section about his musical interests. I would dispute this. Singing is not his forte (pun not intended), though he is good at guitar and piano! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.134.123.26 (talk) 22:01, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

Pitch perfect doesn't necessarily mean he can sing perfect pitch - rather, he can identify a note by hearing it and can always hit the right note on the instrument. --Jonnymoblin (talk) 22:48, 2 June 2009 (UTC)

In "Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra", it is obvious that he does not have absolute pitch (or whatever the technical term is). He specifically asks the orchestra for an F#, then hums the same note in response, and then tries to find the F# on his theremin. This is not the behavior of someone with absolute pitch. So whichever fanboi added that piece of fake trivia, please grow up. --212.112.179.179 (talk) 13:29, 19 November 2009 (UTC)

You can't play an F# on a theremin just like that; it's not like you can fret a note or hit a key to produce the right pitch - there is no marker to tell you where to hold your hand in order to produce the correct note.79.68.4.132 (talk) 02:56, 20 September 2010 (UTC)

I wouldn't be so quick to point the finger - he wants to be in tune with the orchestra, not with himself... Also, maybe it was part of the act to allow him to take a breather for a second? To show the audience that the theremin is not an easy instrument to play? Maybe he couldn't identify the note exactly because of the overtones of the theremin amplification? Caseykcole (talk) 00:03, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

He is, as it happens pitch perfect. Here's my source. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2004/oct/15/4. discdeath (I've forgotten how to do a signature, and I can't be bothered checking)
 * Thanks, I've added this. It may be only himself saying this, but only he would know. Rodhull  andemu  22:45, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

Twitter as a reliable source
The date of birth is ref'd to Twitter, which is defined in policy as an unreliable source. This ons is written by him though (we assume, at least). What is the consensus on this? SGGH ping! 21:53, 25 March 2010 (UTC)
 * According to Chortle he was born in 1964 not 1965 as it appears in this article.&mdash; Rod talk 17:30, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

Dax
I just had the pleasure of interviewing Mr Bailey and he says his son is named after the French spa town of Dax (and that the name is contemporaneous with the name Jack) 119.15.65.1 (talk) 07:57, 25 June 2010 (UTC)

Further to the above, In an interview on The Rob Brydon show 29.07.11, Bill states Dax was not named after the star trek character, and claimed that Rob Brydon had been reading from "the wikipedia book of lies" when questioned about the source of his son's name.


 * In contrast, I've just come across a 2007 interview where Bailey states that his son is indeed named after the Star Trek character (https://www.list.co.uk/article/4747-bill-bailey-interview/). Feel like the later Rob Brydon appearance should probably take precedent but maybe there's room to add this bit of trivia back in as disputed? Geoffrey Du Babbage (talk) 14:12, 10 February 2022 (UTC)

Programme on baboons
If any one can remember anything about the programme on baboons which, during the Spring of 2011, he is presenting on ITV, that could go in the "Television" section. ACEOREVIVED (talk) 23:27, 11 May 2011 (UTC)

Yogscast views count
Does it makes sense to sum the views here? Currently this special, which is split into two parts(not two episodes), has 402k / 195k views for the respective parts. Oversimplifying one could say that 402k people seen the first part and only 195k continued seeing the second part. You can argue for any number between 195k and 402k, but you can't really sum the views up here, suggesting that many people seen the show. RainyAfternoon (talk) 04:42, 18 February 2014 (UTC)
 * Not WP:RS in my view. Othes might disagree. Si Trew (talk) 21:41, 8 May 2014 (UTC)

Involvement with the Workers Educational Association
I recall someone (can't remember who) interviewing Bill on TV a few years ago and mentioned that he was involved with the Workers Educational Association (WEA - there's an entry for them in Wikipedia), which Bill confirmed. If my memory serves me, Bill said that he actually worked for the WEA BEFORE he became a comedian. It may well tie in with is on-stage appearance with Vanessa Redgrave for the WRP. Can anyone confirm, and is it worthwhile including this?

Taff Hewitt (talk) 23:30, 3 January 2015 (UTC)

Religious views
The interview cited in regard to his religious views actually mentions his admiration for the work of Richard Dawkins, but criticism of Dawkins himself. Also, contrary to the statement in this article that Bill is an atheist (which isn't discussed in the originally cited reference), in an interview at he expressly states otherwise. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bananananananana (talk • contribs) 00:23, 4 January 2015 (UTC)


 * Good points, thanks. I've removed that sentence entirely, as saying "he is not an atheist and has expressed admiration for the books of Richard Dawkins, while criticising his [style? public persona?]" doesn't really seem to have that much to do with Bailey's personal life, which is the section heading. Bailey has voiced his opinions on a wide variety of topics, we can't mention them all, and documenting positions he doesn't subscribe to could be never-ending. Qwfp (talk) 07:29, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

DOB (date of birth)
Strange, but the BFI source used says his DOB is 24th February 1964.

That does NOT tie up with the text of the article, and which I have just reverted an IP on.

I reverted as the BFI says 1964, the IP had only changed the year to 1965 though.

I cannot find a decent source so far, so have emailed for an answer. Chaosdruid (talk) 16:34, 19 January 2015 (UTC)

I also tend to see his birthday being on January 13th, not on February 24th. 47.20.209.239 (talk) 02:23, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20141014091739/http://www.usc.edu.au/university/news-and-events/events-calendar/2014/october/bill-bailey-honorary-doctorate-ceremony-at-university-of-the-sunshine-coast to http://www.usc.edu.au/university/news-and-events/events-calendar/2014/october/bill-bailey-honorary-doctorate-ceremony-at-university-of-the-sunshine-coast
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20080104022358/http://www.wiredmag.co.uk/archive-feature.php?issue_id=50 to http://www.wiredmag.co.uk/archive-feature.php?issue_id=50&feature_id=69

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Date of birth
Yet again, Bill Bailey himself has written on Twitter that his DOB is 13 January 1965, not 24 February 1964 (wherever that date came from). It might not be in a "reliable" source but clearly 13 January 1965 is the correct one if that's what he says himself. Can we either change it to that, or just remove his DOB completely, since 24 February 1964 is clearly wrong? Ollie231213 (talk) 19:15, 24 February 2018 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 December 2020
In the first paragraph, please change Fletcher to Bailey, as the article currently confuses the last two winners of Strictly Come Dancing and mistakenly refers to Bill Bailey as [Kevin] Fletcher. Xgoodall (talk) 22:36, 19 December 2020 (UTC)

Citation needed?
"'According to comedy folklore, after a reviewer once criticised his act for its lack of jokes, Bailey returned the following night, at Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh, to perform a set composed entirely of punchlines.'"

It's a very fun fact, but is there any citation for this? Not josh made a lot of quite good edits to the article around the time that he added that fact, but he last edited in 2016. Really hope we can find a source for that. I hope it's true. --SeparateTitan92 (talk) 15:48, 20 April 2022 (UTC)
 * It was added to a trivia section in this edit by User:Not josh in 2006.
 * It was marked 'citation needed' in this edit by User:McGeddon the next year.
 * This tag was removed in this edit by 86.10.215.209 with no edit summary on the 25th of May.
 * Later in 2007, it was moved in this edit to the main article body, again, by User:McGeddon.

Hair
Still something children's TV presenter, about his hair. 2A00:23C6:F680:2C01:60F9:4DDC:935B:E1C2 (talk) 21:04, 6 December 2023 (UTC)


 * Probably a bit of Brian Cant. Possibly the middle bit? You might struggle to find a source for that. But here's a source that supports Male pattern baldness: Wow, who knew?! Martinevans123 (talk) 21:11, 6 December 2023 (UTC)