Comedy Legends
- TV documentary
- Sky Arts
- 2018 - 2021
- 40 episodes (4 series)
Barry Cryer pays tribute to the heroes of comedy he has worked with. Also features Tim Brooke-Taylor, Steve Punt, Clive Anderson, Stephen Armstrong, Tony Hawks and more.
Episode menu
Series 2, Episode 11 - Billy Connolly
Further details
From his days as a welder in the Glaswegian shipyard, Billy Connolly was also a banjo player in the folk music band The
Humblebums and found the jokes he told between songs went down well, and eventually formed his entire act. Becoming a fulltime comedian, he rose to fame across the UK through his appearances on Michael Parkinson's chat show in the seventies.
Before long, he broke the USA, with numerous world tours and appearances in blockbuster films like Disney Pixar's Brave and The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.
In 2013 Connolly disclosed he was being treated for initial symptoms or Parkinson's disease, and earlier this year confirmed further that the advance of his symptoms may force his retirement. But as far as legacies, go, there are few comedians who can rival Billy's.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Wednesday 1st January 2020
- Time
- 9pm
- Channel
- Sky Arts
- Length
- 60 minutes
Cast & crew
| Barry Cryer | Host / Presenter |
| Steve Punt | Self |
| Stephen Armstrong | Self |
| Tony Hawks | Self |
| Neil Norman | Self |
| Jo Caulfield | Self |
| Billy Connolly | Self (Archive Material) |
| Lyndy Saville | Director |
| Lyndy Saville | Producer |
| David Byrne | Executive Producer |
| Jack Oliver | Executive Producer |
| Dominic Saville | Executive Producer |
| Ashley Hall | Edit Producer |
| Tim Raggett | Editor |
| Cosmo Hildyard | Director of Photography |
| Nicholas Stylianou | Director of Photography |