Bill Bailey reveals Strictly anticlimax: They took the trophy back and put it in a bin bag

17 November 2021, 13:47 | Updated: 17 November 2021, 14:28

Bill Bailey talks to Chris Moyles

By Radio X

The comedian and Strictly Come Dancing 2020 winner revealed you're not allowed to keep the big glitterball trophy and are given a small replica instead.

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Bill Bailey appeared on The Chris Moyles Show this week to talk about everything from his stint on Strictly Come Dancing to his new 2021 tour.

The Black Books legend won the celebrity dancing competition with Oti Mabuse last year and although he loved the experience, he also revealed it was a bit of an "anticlimax" because he was unable to celebrate fully because the UK went into lockdown straight after.

Asked if he can believe it's been a year since he won the competition, he told Chris Moyles: "Yes, it is, and I still can’t quite believe it. And do you know what? It still hasn’t really sunk in, even though as you say it’s been nearly a year, because we never really celebrated afterwards.

"We never really had a bit of a ‘waheeeey’… sort of, I don’t know what we would have done, danced in a fountain or something… You know, that seems to be the thing. But we didn’t do any of that because literally we went into lockdown about an hour after we did the live broadcast."

Bill Bailey talks not being able to celebrate his Strictly win due to lockdown. Picture: Radio X

He continued: "And also I’ve got to say, it was a little bit of a kind-of anti-climax afterwards, because we did a final, it’s like big pressure and all the rest of it. And then we win, and we get the big trophy and [cheers] and all the glitter and confetti’s going off, and then the live broadcast finishes and all the lights in the studio came up."

The musical comedian also revealed that winners don't get to keep the glitterball trophy they are seen wielding at the finale, but are instead sent tiny replicas.

Speaking of the final moments of the show, he revealed: "A bloke came up to me from the production and asked for the trophy back. Because you don’t get to keep it, you just, you know, you can hold it, but you don’t keep it."

"They give you a little one," he explained. "Like a little replica one about the size of a grapefruit. So he came over with a black bin bag. I’m not kidding. Literally, he went 'right, give me that!' And he took it off me, he put it in the black bin bag and said 'right, out! Everyone’s got to be out!' So I’ve not really got the full value out of the winning party, so that’s to come…"

Visit Bill Bailey's official website for information on all his tour dates and to buy tickets.