It certainly looked like Bill Bailey, but something seemed to be missing as the comedian posed for a portrait photo Thursday morning.
Bailey was a man reborn after making the bold decision to cut off his signature ‘skull’ – a wave of long, graying hair exclusively at the back of his otherwise balding head.
Showing off the results to Instagram followers, the once rugged comedian, 59, looked very different with an evenly shaved head and neatly groomed beard.
With more than a hint of understatement, he wrote, “I cut a little for the summer.”
The radical change prompted mixed reactions from fans, with some claiming that Bailey looked younger as a result of ditching his old appearance, while others demanded that he grow his hair back immediately.
It certainly looked like Bill Bailey, but something seemed to be missing as the comedian posed for a headshot Thursday morning
Bailey was a new man after making the bold decision to chop off his signature ‘skull’ – a sweep of long, graying hair exclusively at the back of his otherwise balding head
‘I loved the skull, but I also love the shaved look just as much. You suit every style!’ wrote one impressed follower.
A second added: “Looking fantastic Bill!”
While a third commented: ‘I wasn’t ready for this today…but looked sharp!’
A less enthusiastic fan wrote: ‘But I thought your hair was the source of your superpowers?? Welcome back as a mere mortal.”
Anther added, “Oh. No no no, stick it back on right away!”
Speak with The guard in 2021, Bailey admitted that his bald-top-long-back hairstyle attracted a lot of attention whenever he was in public.
“I am happy with the fact that, without any effort on my part, I have created a style: the skull,” he said.
‘I’ve had my hair stuck in the electric window of a car a few times and it’s ended up in the door of a subway car. I had to stand with my head at a crazy angle until we got to the next stop and I was freed.
‘I’ve been called a hobbit or a roadie/hippie/wizard, and it’s all because of the hair. It’s my trademark.’
A young Bailey, who as a child had his hair cut by his grandfather, an amateur hairdresser
In January, the comedian, who is best known for his role in Never Mind The Buzzcocks, told Weekend magazine that his hair was often cut by a family member as a child.
He remembers: ‘My grandfather liked to see himself as a hairdresser. He had scissors, a cape, a chair and clippers, as well as hair oil and other products.
“You wouldn’t get a chic new style, it was just a short back and sides.”