National Galleries of Scotland

Connolly served an apprenticeship as a welder in the Clyde shipyards before embarking on a career in show business. He initially focussed on being a folk singer but gradually made the transition to stand-up comedy. His break-through came when he told his famous bike joke on BBC?s Parkinson talk show in 1975. He has since performed for sell-out audiences the world over, produced three `World Tour? series for the BBC, alongside, more recently `Billy Connolly?s Route 66? (2010) and has acted in films including `Mrs Brown? (1995), opposite Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria. In 2003 he received a CBE and a BAFTA Lifetime Achievement award.