Editing Bill Bailey (section)

===Television===
Although he did not win the [[Edinburgh Comedy Awards|Perrier Comedy Awards]] in 1996, the nomination was enough to get him noticed. In 1998, the BBC gave him his own television show, ''[[Is It Bill Bailey?]]''. Bailey's television debut had been on the children's show ''[[Motormouth]]'' in the late 1980s&nbsp;– playing piano for a mind-reading dog. Bailey reminisced about the experience on the BBC show ''[[Room 101 (British TV series)|Room 101]]'' with [[Paul Merton]] in 2000. In 1991, he was appearing in stand-up shows such as ''The Happening'', ''Packing Them In'', ''The Stand Up Show'' and ''The Comedy Store''. He also appeared as captain on two [[panel game]]s, an [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] music quiz pilot called ''Pop Dogs'', and the Channel 4 science fiction quiz show ''[[Space Cadets (game show)|Space Cadets]]''. ''Is it Bill Bailey?'' was the first time he had written and presented his own show.

Over the next few years, Bailey made guest appearances on shows such as ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'', ''World Cup Comedy'', ''[[Room 101 (British TV series)|Room 101]]'', ''[[Des O'Connor]] Tonight'', ''Coast to Coast'' and three episodes of off-beat Channel 4 sitcom ''[[Spaced]]'', in which he played comic-shop manager Bilbo Bagshot. In 1998, [[Dylan Moran]] approached him with the pilot script for ''[[Black Books]]'', a Channel 4 sitcom about a cold-hearted bookshop owner, his nice-guy assistant, and their socially awkward female friend. It was commissioned in 2000, and Bailey took the part of the assistant [[Manny Bianco]], with Moran playing the owner Bernard and [[Tamsin Greig]] the friend, Fran. Three series of six episodes each were made.

When [[Sean Hughes (comedian)|Sean Hughes]] left his long-term role as a team captain on ''[[Never Mind the Buzzcocks]]'' in 2002, Bailey became his successor. Host [[Mark Lamarr]] continually teased him about his looks and his pre-occupation with woodland animals. On 18 September 2008, it was announced that Bailey would leave the series and be replaced by a series of guest captains including [[Jack Dee]] and [[Dermot O'Leary]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7623854.stm|work=BBC News|title=Bailey says goodbye to Buzzcocks|date=18 September 2008|access-date=18 July 2012}}</ref> While touring in 2009, Bailey joked that the main reason for leaving the show was a lack of desire to continue humming [[Britney Spears]]' ''[[Toxic (song)|Toxic]]'' to little known figures in the [[Independent music|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, although he has since appeared on ''QI'' many more times and hosted ''Have I Got News For You''.

Bailey has appeared frequently on the intellectual panel game ''[[QI]]'' since it began in 2003, alongside host [[Stephen Fry]] and regular panellist [[Alan Davies]]; he was the winner of the show's unaired pilot episode. Other television appearances include a cameo role in Alan Davies' drama series ''[[Jonathan Creek]]'' as failing street [[Magic (illusion)|magician]] Kenny Starkiss and obsessed guitar teacher in the "Holiday" episode of Sean Lock's ''[[15 Storeys High|Fifteen Storeys High]]''. He later appeared with Lock again as a guest on his show ''[[TV Heaven, Telly Hell]]''. He appeared twice on ''[[Friday Night with Jonathan Ross]]''. Bailey also hosted his own show ''[[Comic's Choice]]'', which aired in 2011.

Bailey presented ''Wild Thing I Love You'', which began on [[Channel 4]] on 15 October 2006. The series concentrates on the protection of Britain's wild animals, and has included re-homing [[Eurasian badger|badgers]], [[owl]]s and [[European Water Vole|water voles]].

Bailey appeared in the second series of the E4 teenage "dramedy" ''[[Skins (British TV series)|Skins]]'' playing Maxxie's dad, Walter Oliver. In episode 1, Walter struggles with his son's desire to be a dancer, instead wishing him to become a builder, which is what he himself does for a living. Walter is married to Jackie, played by [[Fiona Allen]].

Bailey appeared on the first episode of ''[[Grand Designs|Grand Designs Live]]'' on 4 May 2008, helping [[Kevin McCloud]] build his eco-friendly home. In 2009, Bailey appeared in the BBC show ''[[Hustle (TV series)|Hustle]]'' as the character "Cyclops", a side-line character. In autumn 2009, Bailey presented ''[[Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582688/|publisher=IMDb|access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref>

Continuing his foray into [[natural history]], Bailey presented [[ITV1]]'s half-hour wildlife mini-series ''Baboons With Bill Bailey''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billbailey.co.uk/latestnews/2011/04/something-hairys-on-the-telly-tonight-also-features-baboons/|title=Something hairy's on the telly tonight! Also features baboons|publisher=Bill Bailey|date=8 April 2011|access-date=26 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001234602/http://www.billbailey.co.uk/latestnews/2011/04/something-hairys-on-the-telly-tonight-also-features-baboons/|archive-date=1 October 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The series was filmed in [[Cape Town]] and spanned eight episodes, with exclusive content available on itvWILD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itvwild.com/tvshows/baboons-with-bill-bailey|title=ITV&nbsp;– Baboons with Bill Bailey|publisher=itvWILD|access-date=26 August 2011}}</ref>

Bill Bailey played Droxil, a Harvest Ranger from the Planet Androzani Major, in the 2011 Christmas Special of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', titled ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]''.

In 2009, Bailey presented a project about the explorer and naturalist [[Alfred Russel Wallace]], in the form of an Indonesian travelogue.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://wallacefund.info/comedian-bill-baileys-new-show-about-alfred-russel-wallace|title=Comedian Bill Bailey's new show about Alfred Russel Wallace|access-date=9 November 2010|work=The Alfred Russel Wallace Website}}</ref> Bailey said in an interview that Wallace had been "airbrushed out of history", and that he felt a "real affinity" with him. In 2013, to coincide with [[Alfred Russel Wallace centenary|the centenary of Wallace's death]], Bailey presented a two-part documentary, ''Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero'', first broadcast on [[BBC Two]] on 21 and 28 April 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0160p0s |title=Bill Bailey's Jungle Hero |publisher=BBC |date=7 June 2013 |access-date=26 May 2014}}</ref> He travelled around producing and filming the series in [[Indonesia]] and [[Borneo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/media/s3584589.htm|website=Abc.net.au|title=ABC Triple J interview with Bill Bailey|date=June 9, 2012}}</ref>

Bailey took part in the [[Strictly Come Dancing (series 18)|eighteenth series]] of the televised dancing competition ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'', broadcast in late 2020. He won the competition with his partner, [[Oti Mabuse]], becoming the show's oldest winner at 55, displacing the previous oldest winner [[Joe McFadden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2020/12/13/strictly-come-dancing-2020-semi-final-results-live-updates/|title=Strictly Come Dancing 2020, semi-final results: Ranvir Singh waltzes home after dance-off defeat to Jamie Laing|author=Michael Hogan|date=13 December 2020|website=The Telegraph|access-date=14 December 2020}}</ref> Their win made Mabuse the first dancer to receive the title two years in a row.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Morgan|first=Lucy|date=2020-12-21|title=Oti Mabuse shared the sweetest tribute to her husband after Strictly Come Dancing win|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a35028343/oti-mabuse-husband-strictly-win/|access-date=2020-12-22|website=Cosmopolitan|language=en-GB}}</ref>

Bailey voiced Grandfather Smed in the 2022 short film ''[[The Smeds and the Smoos]]''. <ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2022 |title=Bill Bailey joins The Smeds and The Smoos |url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2022/05/16/50796/bill_bailey_joins_the_smeds_and_the_smoos |website=Chortle}}</ref>