After three decades as a comedian, musician, actor and performer, Bill Bailey finds it amusing he is now best known as a “ Strictly star”.
He plays the kazoo and bongos (and a zillion other instruments), makes nature documentaries, and tours the world with his eclectic comedy… but to many he will always be “that chap who’s done the dancing”.
The unlikely ballroom hero can’t go anywhere without people asking him to recreate the famous Rapper’s Delight routine that won him and pro dancer Oti Mabuse the glitterball trophy in 2020.
Bill says: “Recently my niece got married and they are huge Strictly fans and I thought, ‘Oh no, Uncle Bill on the dance floor, here we go’.
“Sure enough, as soon as I showed up to have a bit of a dance, I could see them having a word with the band. Then I could hear, ‘I said-a hip, hop...’
“Of course, I did it. I recreated some of the routine and danced with the bride. How could I not?”
Bill, 57, who lives in Hammersmith, West London with his wife Kristin and son Dax, remains great friends with Oti and they have worked on other projects together.
He adds: “Millions watch Strictly and it’s a cross-generational show.
“But I think the year I was involved, we were in the middle of lockdown. There was huge interest so I was under the glare of the spotlight in a way that I’m not most of the time.”
Over the years, Bill has built up a core live comedy following.
But roles in sitcom Black Books, with Dylan Moran and Tamsin Greig, and panel show Never Mind the Buzzcocks, with Phill Jupitus and Simon Amstell, have won him fans across the board.
Bill has also appeared in films Chalet Girl and Hot Fuzz and now his unmistakable voice will be heard on Christmas Day in The Smeds and The Smoos.
The Magic Light animation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s book also stars Rob Brydon, Meera Syal, Sally Hawkins and Adjoa Andoh.
But while Bill says he’s never found fame overwhelming, it’s the moments of unlikely recognition in unlikely places that stand out.
He recalls how he was once spotted by fans while trekking in a remote part of Indonesia.
Bill says: “Everyone spent the night on top of the jungle canopy to watch the wildlife but I was feeling a bit crook.
“So I thought I’d camp at the base of the tree and I was on my own.
“I waded out into the river, I was basically naked. It felt like there was not a soul on Earth and then two Australian blokes suddenly came out of the forest and one said, ‘Jesus Christ, it’s Bill Bailey’.
“They were both massive Black Books fans.
“Can you imagine you’ve gone all that way and trekked to a river and there’s me naked like some kind of weird prophet?”
Bill is thrilled to have a role in The Smeds and The Smoos as the books of Donaldson and Scheffler were a huge part of his son’s youth.
Bill says: “My son is 18 now but he grew up with the books. They were very well-loved. We had a range of them, The Gruffalo, The Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale.
“There’s a rhythm and musicality to them, they are great fun to read and, of course, I performed them.”
The show is an intergalactic adventure about two alien warring families – the Smeds (who are red) and the Smoos (who are blue) – whose children fall in love.
Bill, who plays Grandpa Smed, says: “It’s a beautifully rendered animation. There’s something quite classic about this story.
“It’s Romeo and Juliet or West Side Story. It’s quite relevant and a clear allegory to division now.”
The Smeds and The Smoos, Christmas Day, BBC1, 2.30pm.
