He certainly looked like Bill Bailey, but something seemed missing when the comedian posed for a headshot Thursday morning.
Bailey was a man reborn after making the bold decision to cut off his trademark ‘skull’ – a lock of long, gray hair exclusive to the back of his otherwise bald head.
Showing off the results to his Instagram followers, the once-hairy comedian, 59, looked very different with an evenly shaved head and well-groomed beard.
With more than a hint of understatement, he wrote: “I’ve dressed up a bit for summer.”
The radical change sparked a mixed response from fans, with some claiming that Bailey looked younger as a result of ditching her old look, while others demanded that she immediately grow her hair out.
He certainly looked like Bill Bailey, but something seemed missing when the comedian posed for a headshot Thursday morning.
Bailey was a man reborn after making the bold decision to cut off his trademark ‘skull’ – a lock of long, gray hair exclusive to the back of his otherwise bald head.
‘I loved the skull, but I also love the shaved look. You adapt to any style!’ wrote one impressed follower.
A second added: ‘Looking fabulous Bill!’
While a third commented: “I wasn’t prepared for this today… I looked good though!”
A less enthusiastic fan wrote: ‘But I thought your hair was the source of your superpowers?’ Welcome back to being a mere mortal.’
Anter added: ‘Oh. No, no, no, put it back on immediately!’
speaking to The Guardian In 2021, Bailey admitted that her bald-on-top, long-in-the-back hairstyle attracted a lot of attention whenever she was in public.
“I am happy with the fact that, without any effort on my part, I have achieved some kind of style – the skull,” he said.
‘I’ve gotten my hair caught in the power window of a car a couple of times and I’ve caught it in the door of a tube. I had to stand with my head at a crazy angle until we got to the next stop and they let me go.
‘They call me a hobbit or a roadie/hippy/wizard, and it all comes down to the hair. It’s my trademark.’
A young Bailey, who had his hair cut by his grandfather, an amateur barber, when he was a child.
Bailey’s new look (left) is in stark contrast to the unusual man bun he attempted while attending the Avatar: The Way of Water premiere in 2022 (right).
The radical change sparked a mixed response from fans, with some claiming that Bailey looked younger as a result of ditching her old look, while others demanded that she let her hair grow.
The comedian previously admitted that his bald on top and long back hairstyle attracted a lot of attention whenever he was in public.
In January, the comedian, best known for his long-running role in Never Mind The Buzzcocks, told Weekend magazine that a member of his family used to cut his hair during his childhood.
He recalled: ‘My grandfather thought he was a hairdresser. He had scissors, a cape, a chair and clippers, as well as hair oil and other products.
“You wouldn’t get a fancy new look, it was just a short bottom and sides.”
Bailey remains Strictly Comer Dancing’s oldest celebrity winner after claiming the Glitter Ball with professional dancer Oti Mabuse in 2020.
Speaking to Loose Women in September, she admitted This experience was very ‘strange’ because it occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bailey spent around 12 hours a day with Mabuse before returning home and repeating the process throughout the competition because people had to stay in their specific social bubbles.
To date, Bailey is the oldest winner of Strictly Come Dancing, having won the show with her professional dance partner Oti Mabuse in 2020.
