Entertainment

Comedian Bill Bailey reveals hair-raising hobby

The comedian was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.
The comedian was crowned the winner of Strictly Come Dancing in 2020.

Bill Bailey has revealed his passion for skydiving, admitting he now jumps “regularly”.

The comedian, who won Strictly Come Dancing 2020 with his professional partner Oti Mabuse, was first persuaded by his 12-year-old son to jump while on tour in Australia.

After his first experience of falling from around 10,000 feet, the actor admitted he has since completed “loads of jumps”.

Appearing on The One Show on Friday, Bailey, 57, said: “My son got me into it.

“I was on tour in Australia and in Australia, the age is a lot younger, you can do it at 12, in the UK it is 16.

“So in Australia when he was 12 he said he wanted to do it, so he got me into it.”

Bailey, who recently joined comedian presenter Joe Lycett in Iceland for Channel 4’s Travel Man, admitted he was “terrified” when he first went up in the plane.

He said: “I went into the plane first thinking I will get to go last and he (my son) will go first and then they switched everyone around in the plane so I was out first, that backfired horribly.

Strictly Come Dancing 2020
Bill Bailey and Oti Mabuse won Strictly Come Dancing 2020 (Guy Levy/BBC)

“It is brilliant.”

“The first one is quite terrifying but then it is such an amazing adrenaline rush and I thought I have got to do this again and I do it regularly now, I have done loads of jumps,” he added.

Co-host of the BBC One show Alex Jones suggested a programme should be made about his experiences.

The presenter added: “I don’t know whether I would do it now, I’m getting a bit more nervous as I get older.”