Bill Bailey paid moving tribute to his “great friend”, late comedian Sean Lock.
The Strictly Come Dancing champion made an appearance on Channel 4’s Stand Up to Cancer special, which aired on Friday 15 October.
Introducing Bailey, presenter Alan Carr described Lock’s death as “cancer getting personal”. Lock died of lung cancer in August, aged 58.
Delivering his tribute to the camera, Bailey recalled the first time he met Lock at a comedy club in west London.
“Like so any times after that, wherever Sean was there were people laughing,” he said.
“I remember the first sight of him was this tall, rangy bloke – a bit of a natty dresser in a white shirt with a floral pattern – and he was larking about on stage engaging with the crowd with his easy blokeish charm, bantering with the audience,” Bailey remembered.
“The whole place was in gales of laughter, and we became friends.”
Bailey called Lock “utterly original” and “a man of boundless creativity”.
“I miss him greatly, my oldest and dearest friend,” he said. “I’m grateful for the time we spent together and I’m so glad that so many people got to see how funny he was.”
After Bailey’s tribute, Channel 4 played clips of some of Lock’s best moments, including his panel appearances on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and his critically acclaimed sitcom 15 Storeys High.
“Bill Bailey’s tribute to the late, great Sean Lock had me in tears,” one viewer wrote on Twitter. “What an incredibly missed talent. Few people could ever make me belly laugh harder than him. There will never be anyone like Sean again.”
“Such a touching tribute to Sean Lock from Bill Bailey tonight for #SU2C,” a Lock fan account tweeted. “It’s almost unfathomable, but still apparent, that Sean was an even better man off-stage than on. A genuine, kind hearted guy as well as a comical legend – he will be cherished forever. Thank you Bill.”
Another fan wrote: “Bill Bailey, that was the most thoughtful, considered and touching tribute to Sean Lock.”
