Connolly served an apprenticeship as a welder in the Clyde shipyards before embarking on a career in show business. He initially focused 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.