Billy Connolly

Russell Howard: My grandad's the funniest person I know

Good News: the comedian loves Billy Connolly and Eddie Izzard. But hates Loose Women...

Hit Disney cartoon lines up Billy Connolly for role

Billy Connolly is being lined up to star in the biggest kids' cartoon in the world.

Steel mural of Billy Connolly to go up in Glasgow

A huge steel mural of Billy Connolly is being created at a housing development in Glasgow.

Billy Connolly interview

Billy Connolly had a near-fatal crash while shooting Route 66, his new trans-America TV series - but did that dampen his spirits? Not a bit.

Billy Connolly is comedy's great survivor

After 40 years in the business, the Big Yin Billy Connolly still blazes a trail.

Billy Connolly hits the road with Route 66 trip

Billy Connolly swears like a trooper, delights in smoking in a world where it has become increasingly frowned upon and spent weeks thundering across America on a high-powered motor-trike for his new series.

Billy Connolly breaks rib in bike smash

Billy Connolly broke his rib and injured his knee when his giant motortrike fell on top of him while filming in America.

Billy Connolly's amazing road trip

Billy Connolly is lucky to be alive after he was crushed under his trike on America's famous Route 66.

It's Friday night, the pubs have closed and you need some diversion. Nothing too taxing, mind, just a familiar treat, like a bunch of old comedy clips. And here's a cunning way to recycle classic routines and sketches: you intersperse the clips with modern comedians explaining how good they were. So Jack Dee tells us how Billy Connolly's debut on the Parkinson show in 1975 was an inspiration, not least for the tasteless joke Connolly told. The programme slightly ruins the joke by revealing the punchline at the start; and you wish it wouldn't keep cutting into Eddie Izzard's inspired 'learning French' routine so that Rhod Gilbert can enthuse. Yes, we know it's good! So let us watch it!

What can be better than hearing some of our best-loved comedians describe their favourite jokes? What could be better than hearing Rhod Gilbert eulogising about Eddie Izzard learning French? That'd be much better than actually watching the routine itself, wouldn't it? Oh, yes. Miles better. Actually, how about if part of the routine was shown and then cut up for more talking head action? That doesn't sound irritating at ALL. What about setting up a Billy Connolly joke on Parkinson by revealing the punchline FIRST?

Sometimes the internet does things better than television. There's this site called YouTube where you can watch most of the routines. And then you can go on discussion forums like Cookd and Bombd and point out other jokes so funny they make you feel faint. That's a much better thing to do when home from the pub.