Taskmaster star Phil Ellis has recalled the exact moment he realised he wanted to get a hair transplant.
The 44-year-old comedian, writer and actor won fans over as a contestant on season 20 of the hit Channel 4 show, which aired in 2025.
While Ellis did not win the series, with that honour going to Maisie Adam instead, he did come away from the show with something else: a hair transplant.
Speaking to Metro, Ellis said: “I’d never been that insecure about my hair, to be honest. I’ve been thinning for so long, it was so gradual.
“I was quite lucky really, it sued me, a receding hairline. But it took 20 years and then I went, ‘Right, I’m definitely going now mate.’”
It was when he saw his own head at a bird’s-eye-view on camera for Taskmaster that he really noticed that he was balding, Ellis later recalled on a podcast – which led to him being a gifted a hair transplant in January.
Explaining the process further, Ellis said that when he was asked where he wanted his hairline to start, he brought in a photo of Jude Law, and said he liked his hairline receding – though the doctor warned that he may not look the same as the Hollywood star.
“This is a very different man,” Ellis laughed. On the growth he’s seen since the procedure, he said: “It’s so weird because if I showed you a picture of my hair six months ago, this is insane, like so much thicker.”
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Ellis said that while he had “made peace” with losing his hair, the regrowth has given him “a bit more confidence”.
“I never want to encourage anyone to feel the need to do it, because I like people to feel comfortable how they are anyway. But equally, you should never be discouraged to do something that might make you feel better,” he said.
In recent years, transplants have become more widespread and affordable. The procedure involves moving the patient’s hair follicles to a part of the head that is thinning or bald.
Istanbul has emerged as a popular destination for hair transplants due to competitive prices and medical quality. It is estimated that every year more than a million people who are either bald or receding arrive in the Turkish city.