My grandfather came to Glasgow when he was ten years old. It must have been very hard for him. Even my father – when he was old enough to apply for jobs – was greeted by “Apprentices wanted. Boys’ Brigade welcome”. That was a Protestant organisation. En route to begin filming Water (1985) in Saint Lucia, Connolly drank an excessive amount of alcohol on the plane. Upon arriving on the island, he had dinner with the cast and crew, including Michael Caine. As of 2017, Glasgow has at least three large-scale gable murals commissioned by BBC Scotland and one metalwork mural commissioned by Sanctuary Scotland Housing Association depicting him. [100] Willoughby, Roger (2 May 2011). "Charles Mills (c1795-1870) at Bayleek etc". Coastguards of Yesteryear Forum . Retrieved 30 April 2018. Bryant, Corrina (22 January 2018). "Steve Brown obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2 June 2019.

In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. [79] He once again topped the list on Channel 5's Greatest Stand-Up Comedians, broadcast on New Year's Eve 2013. [80] Stanford, Peter (11 March 2020). "Billy Connolly: 'My art is about revealing myself – like being a flasher in a park' ". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022 . Retrieved 16 March 2020. The enthusiasm for which Billy has lived life is infectious. His perspective on various subjects is always refreshing and guaranteed to be laugh-inducing. He makes me want to live my own best life and make the most of it. Hell, he’s even got me appreciating dreary, rainy weather now. The Irish . . . from whence I sprang – were very much under the thumb of the Catholic Church. They were all "God bless you" and had come to Scotland as very poor, potato famine immigrants.I love Ireland. There's something very alive about the people there, something lovely and crazy and intelligent and strange about the whole culture

In the mid-1960s, Flo was on holiday in Dunoon with her husband and two children. "My mother said, 'I saw Florence walking along, and I followed her.'" [16] "I said, 'Did you speak to her?' 'Oh, no, I didn't,' she said. I thought, 'Oh, my god. It's like being a ghost while you're still alive.' Walking behind your own child. Having a look. I couldn't bear that." [16] I truly enjoyed reading Billy Connolly's autobiography, which took me on a journey through his life in his own words. It was as if we were sitting down together enjoying a cup of tea and a biscuit [cookie], while he told me about the good and the bad and what he really cares about, his family and having the time and space to contemplate his own thoughts. I really enjoyed the passion for which Billy spoke about Scotland and its culture – I learnt a lot! I only wish I had been a guest at one of his epic Highland parties! Reading of his life as a welder in the shipyards, and his love for my country were highlights which made me smile too. In this joyful new book, Billy explores this philosophy and how it has shaped him, and he shares hilarious new stories from his lifetime on the road. From riding his trike down America's famous Route 66, building an igloo on an iceberg in the Arctic, playing elephant polo (badly) in Nepal and crashing his motorbike (more than once), to eating witchetty grubs in Australia, being serenaded by a penguin in New Zealand, and swapping secrets in a traditional Sweat Lodge ritual in Canada, Rambling Man is a truly global adventure with the greatest possible travel companion. On 4 June 1992, Connolly performed his 25th-anniversary concert in Glasgow. Parts of the show and its build-up were documented in The South Bank Show, which aired later in the year. [35] In early January 1994, Connolly began a 40-date World Tour of Scotland, which would be broadcast by the BBC later in the year as a six-part series. It was so well received he did Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia for the BBC in 1995. The eight-part series followed Connolly on his custom-made Harley Davidson trike. Also in 1995, Connolly recorded a BBC special, entitled A Scot in the Arctic, in which he spent a week by himself in the Arctic Circle. He voiced Captain John Smith's shipmate, Ben, in Disney's animated film, Pocahontas. [36]

In 1965, after he had completed a 5-year apprenticeship as a boilermaker, Connolly accepted a ten-week job building an oil platform in Biafra, Nigeria. Upon his return to the United Kingdom, via Jersey, he worked briefly at John Brown & Company but decided to walk out on a Fair Friday to focus on being a folk singer.

Connolly, Billy (12 October 2021). Windswept and Interesting (autobiography). Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 978-1-52931-826-5. I get upset because certain things go wrong with you, your brain goes adrift, and it affects your body. So you walk differently, you walk like a drunk man sometimes, and you’re frightened you’ll be judged on it." In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his "windswept and interesting" life. Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, orphaned by the age of 4 and a survivor of appalling abuse at the hands of his own family, Billy's life is a remarkable story of success against all the odds.I went onstage to start my show, but the place was only about two-thirds full, and people were still pouring in. Not only that, but a fight had erupted to the left of the stage. About six rows up there was a man in the aisle, trying to hit a man five rows in. “Ya fooking gobshite!” Biff! Boof! This guy was half man, half beetroot, covered in tweed clothes, with fists like hams. Biff! Boff! Bash! ... I went over and said, “Hey, hey HEY!! What’s the story here, big man?” and the full story unfolded. Another very enjoyable autobiography from a comedian – this time a British National Treasure: Sir William Connolly – aka The Big Yin. In December, he told the PA news agency he feels "happy in his skin" after making the "obvious" decision to retire following his diagnosis.

Connolly married Iris Pressagh in 1969. They separated in 1981 and divorced in 1985. In 1981 he began living with Pamela Stephenson; they were married in Fiji on 20 December 1989. [1] "Marriage to Pam didn't change me; it saved me," he later said. "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." [7] Connolly has two children from his first marriage and three from his second. He became a grandfather in 2001, when his daughter Cara gave birth to Walter. [7] On 30 December 2007, Connolly escaped uninjured from a single-car accident on the A939 near Ballater, Aberdeenshire. [43] 2010s [ edit ] On 20 August 2010, Connolly was made a Freeman of Glasgow, with the award of the Freedom of the City of Glasgow. [96] In November 1975, his spoof of the Tammy Wynette song, " D-I-V-O-R-C-E" was a UK No. 1 single for one week. Wynette's original was about parents spelling out words of an impending marital split to avoid traumatising their young child. Connolly's spoof of the song played on the dog owners using the same tactic to avoid worrying their pet about an impending trip to the vet. Connolly's song is about a couple whose marriage is ruined by a bad vet visit (spelling out "W-O-R-M" or "Q-U-A-R-A-N-T-I-N-E", for example.) His song, "No Chance" was a parody of J. J. Barrie's cover of the song, " No Charge".

NABD Patrons". NABD.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011 . Retrieved 1 September 2011. Later he discovered a real talent for playing the banjo and became a rambling man. What set him apart however was his comedic talent - his ability to hold an audience, tell jokes and stories that set him on the path to fame and fortune. He was outspoken and unfiltered - calling out hypocrisy at every turn. His stand-up was warm and silly and audiences fell in love with witty charm. His wardrobe was as famous as his joke-telling with leotards, scissor suits, and banana boots adding to his allure. Stars of stage and screen among honorary graduates of Nottingham Trent University". Nottingham Trent University. 22 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010 . Retrieved 1 September 2011. O'Toole, Emer (22 June 2017). "Sir Billy Connolly to receive honorary degree from University of Strathclyde". The Sunday Post . Retrieved 28 November 2017. Connolly, without any malice, simply as if it’s the only subject he ever has in mind, says: “Yeah.” It all feels behind you, in a good way. You’re telling the whole story