Comedians Bill Bailey and Lee Mack pay tribute to their ‘genuine and loyal’ friend Sean Lock with a 100-mile hike

Bill Bailey and Lee Mack took on a 100-mile charity walk in honour of their “genuine and loyal” friend Sean Lock, who tragically died from cancer.

Comedian and TV star Bill Bailey explained that he would go on walks and hikes with Sean Lock, so he knew this would be a great way to honour him.

The comedians, 57 and 54, set out to walk from Bude in Cornwall to Combe in Devon - a route they knew was one of Sean’s favourites.

The 8 out of 10 Cats team captain, died on 16 August 2021, at home surrounded by his loved ones, after a quiet battle with lung cancer.

Bill Bailey said: “He loved the outdoors and one of his favourite things was to go on walks. We used to walk for miles.

“We’d talk about everything, Sean was brilliant company. I’ll be going with Sean’s family and his pals that have known him for many years.

“It’s a chance for us to tell stories and remember him.”

Lee Mack joined Bailey on the 100-mile hike, in tribute to one of his closest friends. Earlier this year, Mack left fans sobbing as he paid tribute to Sean Lock at the National Comedy Awards.

He said: “There was one moment when I went to see him where he just said to me – and he didn’t say this in a ‘I want to make you feel better’ or ‘I’m trying to convince myself’ way; I just knew it was 100 percent true – he just said to me: ‘I’ve had a really good life, you know.”

Bill Bailey set up a JustGiving page to raise money for Macmillan, he wrote: “Every penny donated will help Macmillan to provide emotional, physical and financial support for people living with cancer in the UK.’”

Before the walk had even begun, the duo managed to raise more than £35,000 and Bailey was “knocked out” by the response. So far the page has raised more than £77,000, of the £100,000 target.

Bill Bailey was among the few close friends who were aware that Sean was secretly battling lung cancer.

When news of his death was revealed, it sparked a host of tributes from across the comedy and entertainment industry.

Sean Lock continued to work, despite his illness and reports revealed that the popular comic left a fortune of £3 million to his family.

Sean Lock

Comedian

Sean Lock was an English comedian and actor, best known for performing stand-up comedy and appearing on a multitude of television shows, including Channel 4’s 8 Out of 10 Cats,  BBC’s Have I Got News for You, and QI.

After going to comedy clubs to watch performances, from the likes of Paul Merton and Alexei Sayle, he decided to pursue comedy as a profession.

Having visitied various comedy shows in London pubs and performed at open-mic spots, he finally booked his first official stand-up gig, at a pub in Stoke Newington, London.

In 1990, Sean Lock was diagnosed with skin cancer, which was the result of overexposure to the sun while he worked as a builder in the early 80s. After a doctor referred him to a dermatologist, he managed to make a full recovery.

His notable early television work includes working as a support act, alongside comedians David Baddiel and Rob Newman in the 1993 series, ‘Newman and Baddiel in Pieces’.

Sean Lock began to write comedy material for popular comedians, Bill Bailey, Lee Evans and Mark Lamarr, and by the year 2000 he had won a British Comedy Awards in the category of Best Live Comic.

In 2007, Sean was voted the 55th greatest stand-up comic, on Channel 4’s ‘100 Greatest Stand-Ups’, and when the list was updated in 2010 - he became the 19th-greatest stand-up comic.

On 16 August 2021, news broke that Sean had died of advanced lung cancer, which he had been diagnosed with a few years earlier.

Lock kept the news of the cancer diagnosis to his family and close friends, and made sure it wasn’t public knowledge.

• Sean Lock was born on 22 April 1963, in London, England.
• Lock’s comedy routines are known for being delivered in a deadpan style.
• He is married to Anoushka Nara Giltsoff, and they have two daughters and one son.
• The Lock family lived in the Muswell Hill area of London.
• It was reported that Sean left an estimated net worth of £3 million, to his loved ones, after his death.

Connections

Bill Bailey

Bill Bailey knew Sean Lock since his early days on the comedy circuits, and they had a strong, loyal friendship for around 30 years.

Over the years, Lock wasn’t only a great comedy writer for Bailey, they also appeared on multiple television shows together.

Bill is a 57-year-old British actor, comedian, musician and singer, from Bath, England.

Lee Mack

Lee Mack has hosted many episodes of Live at the Apollo for the BBC, and they regularly included Sean Lock’s popular stand-up routines.

They also crossed paths on shows like, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. Mack has described his friend, Sean Lock as a "true original in both comedy and life."

Lee is a 54-year-old British comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter, from Merseyside, England.

Jimmy Carr

Jimmy Carr hosts Channel 4’s comedy panel show, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and Sean Lock was a team captain on the show from series one to 18.

Carr tweeted: “Remembering Sean Lock - one of our greatest comedians and a much-loved part of the Channel 4 family.”

Jimmy is a 49-year-old British-Irish comedian, presenter, writer, and actor, from London, England.

Personal Life

As Sean Lock has always been deeply private about his personal life, it is unknown when he met his wife or when they married.

However, it is known that his wife, Anoushka Nara Giltsoff, is around 48-years-old, and is a businesswoman.

The couple have three children together, a daughter born in 2004, a second daughter born in 2006, and a son born in 2009. All their names are unknown.