He is the Scots legend who made his name with a banjo, a pair of banana boots and a place to park a bike.
But as Billy Connolly celebrates his 70th birthday today (24 Nov), he shows no signs of slowing up.
Named earlier this year by modern stand-ups as the most influential comic of all time, he is as loved by young stars as by veterans.
Billy went from shipyards to folk music to comedy and his career took off after an appearance on the Michael Parkinson show in 1975 – when he told a gag about a man who buries his wife and uses a part of her anatomy as a bike stand.
Pals and fans tell Brian McIver of their admiration for the Big Yin.
Read more at Daily Record
Billy Connolly wins Outstanding Contribution award at Scottish BAFTAs
Scots comedian Billy Connolly was honoured at the Scottish BAFTAs for his Outstanding Contribution to Television and Film.
'The Big Yin' couldn't attend the ceremony at Glasgow's Radisson Blu hotel, but actor Brian Cox was still delighted to be making the announcement – if a little surprised.
"I'm shocked actually," Cox said on the red carpet. "I thought Billy had probably already got something here. So I was a wee bit taken aback that they hadn't honoured him before.
"Once you've seen Billy on stage and you've seen him perform he's unbeatable. And he started it all. Every comedian today owes something to Billy. I'm sorry he's not here, but I'm glad he's working."
Connolly couldn't accept the award in person because he was working in San Francisco, but said before the event: “I’m really pleased and proud to receive this trophy from BAFTA in Scotland, because I know you probably think we luvvies get shiny prizes all the time. But actually, sometimes we don’t."
Among Connolly's many film and TV credits are The Man Who Sued God, Mrs Brown and Brave.
He also regularly presents travel programmes and is due to appear in The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Brian Cox added: "It's a great honour for me, and it's a great honour for Billy Connolly to have something presented by me… I'm only joking."
On December 10, an event will be held in Glasgow exploring Connolly's life in pictures*, with tickets available from the BAFTA website nearer the time *
Source (with video): STV
Billy Connolly's acceptance speech can be seen here
Also reported by Contact Music and (with video interview) The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Official Channel
* Tickets are now on sale for the Billy Connolly BAFTA Scotland event - see here for details
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