Oh, I must tell you!
- Billy Connolly

William 'Billy' Connolly is a Scottish stand-up comedian, playwright, musician, presenter and actor. He is instantly recognisable due to his bright trousers, goatee and colourful language. He also has nipple piercings that were made when he was fifty but these are only seen by the public when he streaks. At first glimpse he may be seen to be a tramp as his wife says 'My husband is a tramp, except he's a windswept and interesting one who tramps around the world on jumbo jets'. He also constantly uses expletives which has been known to put people off. However, given time many people warm to the delightful, delectable 'Big Yin' (The Big One)¹.

When I was 14 or 15 my dad and I listened to a tape of Billy Connolly and for the first time we both actually got the same joke. The sketch was about how 'women demand things - more of this and not half as much of that - and whenever you've met all their demands they'll run away, so stay awake!' Me and dad found this so hilarious that the swearing was overlooked. Connolly has that ability to swear in a very ingratiating way - it's never aggressive and always done with a twinkle in his eye.
- Patrick Kielty

From entertaining the lads at work as a welder to performing as part of The Humblebums, over time Connolly’s work has gone from one liners to more observational. He talks about his views on aging, his upbringing, hobbies, travels and what is going on in his life as if he were a young boy. 'I never really became a man, which is probably why much of my comedy revolves around bodily functions'. He still gets nervous when giving a show, but the adrenaline buzz kicks in when he is on stage and out the comedy comes. He is also renowned for going off on tangents and his memory is one of his greatest assets.

Whereas lots of comedians go out on stage with set material and then go off on a tangent from time to time, Billy has a back catalogue so vast and a memory so good that he can be different every night.
- Patrick Kielty

His tendency to go off on tangents is particularly noticeable in his touring acts. To date the comedian has taken on tours of Scotland, the Arctic Circle, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, Wales and Ireland, with many parts of these tours being shown by the BBC. Connolly has also begun to shed light on his childhood which was once shrouded in mystery through two biographies and a variety of sketches since his dad passed away.

Childhood

This is where the entire story began.
- Billy Connolly

Connolly was born on 24 November, 1942, an 11lb baby, to Mary and William Connolly in Anderston, Glasgow. Soon after, his father was sent away to the war in Burma and his mother, unable to cope, abandoned him and his sister Florence, leaving them to fend for themselves.

It was the middle of the war and I've never held it against her, never. I think I might have done the same. She was a teenager, Germans were bombing the town. My father was in India and we lived in a slum in Glasgow.
- Connolly

After a few days the children were found and sent to live with his father's sisters Margaret and Mona who beat up Connolly². Connolly also shared a sofabed with his father, when his father returned from war. Connolly's father often came home drunk and sexually abused him for five years.

I remember it happening a lot, not every night, but every night you were in a state thinking it was going to happen, you'd be awakened by it.
- Connolly

During this time Connolly also attended St. Peter's Primary School in Glasgow and St. Gerard's Secondary School in Govan. His peers found him weird as he liked visiting graveyards and his teachers believed he was stupid. Connolly was around 10 years old when he first decided he wanted to be comedian. He felt that he would be the new Hank Williams or even Hank Williams’s alter ego Luke the Drifter. One day a teacher asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, Connolly answered 'a comedian'. However, the teacher felt he should be a footballer. He dropped out of school at the age of 15 and became a delivery boy at a bookshop, before joining a bakery. Then in 1960 he took up a 5 year apprenticeship as a shipyard welder, where he made his colleagues laugh with impressions of drunks.

They're not red nosed drunks with broken cigarettes. Not jolly drunks. My drunks were serious - they're proper drunks.
- Connolly

He also joined the Territorial Army's Parachute Regiment, where he made a total of 17 parachute jumps. Connolly remembers his medical vividly: the doctor said 'You're not very big downstairs, are you?', to which he retorted, 'I thought we were only going to fight them.' In 1965 Connolly finished his time as a welder and got a ten-week job helping construct an oil rig in Biafra, Nigeria.

The Humblebums

My name's Billy Connolly, and I'm humble. This is Tam Harvey, he's a bum.

On returning home from Nigeria, Connolly was influenced so much by blues singer Pete Seeger and The Beverly Hillbillies that he bought himself a banjo for £2 10s. He played the banjo and a guitar at venues in and around Glasgow with a variety of different bands including The Skillet Lickers. After a while Tam Harvey (a rock guitarist) and Connolly collaborated to create The Humblebums and eventually the band grew to three members as pop singer Gerry Rafferty joined. Between songs, Connolly would make jokes which were loved by their audiences. In all, The Humblebums created four albums with Transatlantic Records, before they split up in London during 1971 over an argument about Connolly dominating their act with his comedy.

• First Collection of Merry Melodies (Transatlantic TRA 186, 1969)
• The Humblebums (Transatlantic TRA 201, 1969)
• Open Up the Door (Transatlantic TRA 218, 1970)
• The Exciting World of Transatlantic (Contour 2870 315, c1972)

Going Solo

It didn't surprise me that he went on to achieve great solo success, but I was surprised by the scale of it. He was so much rooted in the west of Scotland; I imagined he might not travel very far. I was fundamentally wrong.
- Gerry Rafferty

On finding himself a solo performer, Connolly was very nervous. This surprised Rafferty who strongly believed he would become very successful. Connolly's first solo album was Billy Connolly Live! recorded by Transatlantic Records. Connolly created many a spoof from well known songs³ such as the Village People's 'Y.M.C.A.' and Rolf Harris's 'Two Little Boys'. Despite these amusing parodies though, the head of Transatlantic Records believed Connolly would be better off as a stand-up comedian. Connolly took him up on this idea and embarked on several tours, becoming a huge hit among the people of Britain.

Connolly Meets Parkinson

One day a taxi driver met Michael Parkinson and asked him if he had heard of Billy Connolly. Parkinson said no and the taxi driver handed him a copy of Connolly’s sketch 'The Crucifixion'⁴ which is a spoof on Christ’s Last Supper but set in Glasgow and about a drunken night out. However, Parkinson did not listen to the sketch until his son Andrew begged him to. So taken by Connolly was Parkinson that he took the cassette tape to his producer and Connolly was given his first TV break in 1975. Despite his bosses warning not to tell the joke about a man who killed his wife only to end up using her bottom as a bike rack, Connolly couldn’t resist but to his bosses astonishment Connolly’s joke was a huge success. His interview with Parkinson led to a two-month, sell-out solo UK tour called the Big Wee Tour and secured a further eight appearances on Parkinson's show. Once in a while Parkinson and Connolly also share quite a few nights out on the town.

Connolly Meets Elton John

In Washington, some guy threw a pipe and it hit me right between my eyes. It wasn't my audience. They made me feel about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.
- Connolly on Parkinson two years after the event in America.

In 1976 Connolly supported Elton John on his tour of America but his comedy act failed to win over the Americans who could barely understand him and were only at the event for one thing: to see Elton. During his trip around America with Elton, 'Maureen' (Elton's name for Connolly) was offered cocaine. Although the drug helped Connolly to stay focused it also led to addiction. Connolly was a man who liked his drink too and the two combined led him to have blackouts. For a couple of days Connolly wouldn't remember what he had done during the time he was drunk and he scared many a friend including Elton who once found Connolly unconscious. Despite the fact that he frightened and upset his friends Connolly was hooked and dependent on both drugs and drink to keep him going and many of his friends and wife Iris liked to drink too.

Connolly and his Concoctions

After a disastrous trip to America came another one to Australia. Parkinson had accompanied Connolly to Australia and one night they had both got quite drunk and ended up in a brawl with some locals, that left them disliked down under. On returning home to the UK Connolly put in another appearance on Parkinson's show and embarked upon a three-month concert tour called The Billy Connolly Extravaganza. Instead of his tours running for ten nights like most performers Connolly's usually ran for as long as 89. Connolly also tried his hand at play writing, his first being 'An' Me Wi' A Bad Leg Tae', written in 1977, which was a complete disaster. In 1978 he took a rest from stand up comedy to appear in the Scottish Opera production of 'Die Fledermaus'. He also appeared in the thriller Absolution (1979) and participated in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that same year with another play called 'The Red Runner'.

I like the Festival generally, I like the entire Festival, any excuse to be in Edinburgh.
- Connolly

Charitable Connolly

Connolly is estimated to earn so much money that he is among the top earning entertainers in Britain. But rather than spending his earnings solely on himself, he has been known to spend it on others too.

Billy could earn a lot more from this but I suspect some of it will go to the Indian orphanage which he and Pamela support.
- A friend of Connolly's for the Scotsman

Connolly first started contributing to charity in 1979 when he was approached by Martin Lewis to appear in The Secret Policeman's Ball for Amnesty International. Despite not being an Oxbridge alumnus like the other comedians, Connolly was an instant hit and John Cleese and Peter Cook were keen to appear alongside him again in 1981. Connolly also supported Live Aid in 1985 by performing at a concert in Wembley just before Elton John played. He has helped Comic Relief by visiting an African Hospital in Somaliland and was sawn in half by Pamela Stephenson, to make two dwarfs. Connolly also stripped naked and ran around London's Piccadilly one Red Nose Day to raise money for the cause, but more people wanted him to get dressed and put Johnny Depp in his place. Connolly has also stripped naked to do a bungee jump in New Zealand for free and has ridden his motorcycle naked around the world.

It's great fun on the motorbike and all that. I love meeting the bikers, like the Hells Angels, especially in Australia. They're a jolly bunch.
- Connolly

Connolly and Stephenson

Marriage to Pam didn't change me, it saved me, I was going to die. I was on a downwards spiral and enjoying every second of it. Not only was I dying, but I was looking forward to it.
- Connolly

Connolly first met New Zealand-born comedian Pamela Stephenson when he was interviewed by her in the guise of Janet Street-Porter on Not The Nine O'Clock News. When Connolly's first marriage⁵ came to a close in the 1980s, resulting in Connolly winning custody of his children, he grew closer to her and on 20 December, 1989 the couple tied the knot in Fiji. Together they have three children Daisy, Amy and Scarlett.

Recovery From Drink

Stephenson was aware of her partner's love for alcohol and encouraged him to stop drinking. He did, but a year into being completely sober his wife's help nearly backfired when she gave him a gift to celebrate.

I stopped for a year and she gave me a bottle of champagne and I was one glass into it and thought: this is a mistake, I was enjoying not drinking, So I stopped again a month later and that was it, that was 21 years ago.
- Connolly

Fortunately for Connolly, he was happier when not drinking. He was so scared at the thought of being compared to a Jekyll and Hide character and was frightened by the loss of memory, that he didn't want to consume alcohol again. Today (2007), Connolly has been free from alcohol for 22 years. Also in 2007 Connolly topped a Channel 4 poll as Britain's best stand-up comedian.

Connolly as an Actor

Anyone can do what I'm doing now: all you've got to do is want it.
- Connolly on Parkinson

Not content on just being a stand-up comedian, Connolly has become an actor both on television and in films.

On Television

When Connolly appeared in 'Freedomfest: Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Celebration' in 1988 he caught HBO an American TV Channel's eye and embarked on a trip to America where he appeared alongside Whoopi Goldberg in 'Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Connolly in Performance' at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Finally, Connolly was accepted by the Americans and when Howard Hesseman left ABC sitcom Head of the Class, Connolly was asked to replace him. Connolly acted as an Oxford-educated professor capable of handling the geniuses in class. However, very few Americans could understand his thick Scottish accent and thus interest in him waned. Before returning to his home country though Connolly did appear in 'Billy Connolly: Pale Blue Scottish Person' an HBO stand-up act that enabled him to have his own sitcom 'Billy' in 1992.

In the Movies

Back in Britain Connolly furthered his acting career by appearing in the period drama Mrs Brown, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA award. He then went on to play the starring role in Deacon Brodie, which tells the story of a man who is sentenced to death on the gallows, having been found defrauding the city's Customs and Excise offices in Edinburgh. Connolly's acting career has continued into the noughties too, such as White Oleander about a woman coming of age in foster care, Timeline in which history and modern day life intertwine, The Last Samurai (2003) a martial arts film co-starring Tom Cruise, and A Series of Unfortunate Events that tells the tale of orphaned children and their villainous uncle.

Connolly as an Author

When Connolly first rose to fame with The Humblebums little was known about the background of the performer, but by 2001 wife Stephenson was willing to dispel the myths surrounding him and reveal the truth about his life in Billy and a sequel called Bravemouth: Living with Billy Connolly. In writing the books Stephenson argues that she was able to look back at her husband's roots and found in writing about his true life story that it 'brought us closer together by allowing us to discuss things that were unspoken for so long'. Connolly also found it a release.

I am out of jail. It's a lovely feeling. It's difficult to describe - it's like there was a film over me and it's gone.
- Stephenson

Wife Stephenson is not the only one in the marriage to have written a book, Connolly has written two: Billy Connolly and Gullible's Travels that reflects on his work. He has also written books about his travels reflecting heavily on the 'World Tours' he has undertaken with the BBC. However, Connolly believes his comedy doesn't work on the printed page and is therefore rather shy about being called an author.

Finally

In October 2004, Connolly did a stand-up comedy act at the Hammersmith Apollo which was to make front page news due to his jokes about an Iraq hostage called Mr Kenneth Bigley. In his act he reportedly said 'Don't you just wish they would just get on with it?' and 'What is it with him and that young Asian wife?' that left many of his fans disgusted by him. Despite this, Connolly was voted 8th in The Comedian's Comedian, by fellow comedians and came first in a poll called 'Britain's Favourite Comedian' by Channel Five.

In 2004 he also put on benefit concerts at the Oxford New Theatre in rememberance of his tour manager and sound engineer Malcolm Kingsnorth, made the last 'World Tour' for the BBC and in the year that followed sold his home in Hollywood and bought a place in Aberdeenshire and a yacht. As of 2006 Connolly embarked on the 'Too Old To Die Young' tour.

Awards

• Honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the University of Glasgow on 11 July, 2001.
• BAFTA Lifetime Achievement award (2003)
• CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List (2003)
• Honorary doctorate by Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) for his service to performing arts. (4 July, 2006)