After the war, Kimber resumed a career touring in theatre shows, and also appeared in the 1947 Royal Variety Performance; according to historian Richard Anthony Baker, this was "the first time a female impersonator had been selected". He appeared as an "ugly sister" in pantomimes, began performing with a new dummy, Augustus Peabody, and started appearing more regularly on BBC television. Kimber's gender was not disclosed publicly by the BBC, or to audiences. In 1952, a front-page report in the Daily Mirror suggested that "Britain’s TV audience was hoaxed into thinking it was watching a woman. But it was not. For Bobbie Kimber is a man...”. In response, Kimber said: "I’ve always been careful to see that the BBC never used any pronouns about me – just Bobbie Kimber, no 'he' or 'she'"; and elsewhere said: "I decided to keep my sex a secret. And I did, very successfully..". Reports generally suggest that most fellow performers were aware of Kimber's gender, though Roy Hudd wrote that "we were all totally shocked when 'she' announced she was actually a man."
