Born 80 years ago today on Dover Street in Anderston, Billy Connolly has become synonymous with the city of Glasgow - and we’ve got the pictures to prove it.
While he may not live in his home city these days, Sir Billy and Glasgow are intertwined in the minds of audiences across the world. He’s had some iconic moments, and we’re looking back on them - stretching right back to the ‘70s.
Before we do that, let’s look back on how the comedian rose from the Glasgow shipyards to the heights of stardom.
READ MORE - The 10 funniest Billy Connolly moments to celebrate the Big Yin's 80th birthday
Back in 1992, he told the host of ITVs The South Bank Show that his interest in entertaining came early on. The Big Yin said: “I can remember the moment in the school playground.
“I was sitting in a puddle and people were laughing. I had fallen in it and people found it funny.
“It wasn’t all that uncomfortable, so I stayed in it longer than I normally would have because I really enjoyed the laughing. My life was very unhappy at the time, and laughter wasn’t something I heard all the time, so it was a joy.
“I realised quickly that if you can have an audience this way, life was rather pleasant.”
In his early 20s, after a stint in shipbuilding, Billy bought his first banjo at the Barrowland markets and never looked back. He formed a folk-pop group, which lasted several years before he went solo.
Nat Joseph, who had signed the folk group, suggested Connolly drop the singing and focus on comedy - and the rest is history. He played the Edinburgh Fringe, recorded a comedy album, and was selling out the Pavilion Theatre in no time.
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One of most famous comedy routines, The Crucifixion, saw Connolly liken Christ’s Last Supper to a drunken night out in Glasgow - which was banned by several radio stations at the time. Despite the controversy, his star power continued to rise and he continued to release albums and hit the stage across the UK.
In the early ‘90s, he burst into notoriety in America after featuring in an HBO special with Whoopi Goldberg. The rest of the decade saw international tours, movie roles and further comedy appearances.
Wherever his career took him, the comedian never lost his Glasgow roots - and has been granted honourary degrees from the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow, as well as being given The Freedom of the City by the Lord Provost.
His main residence may be in Florida these days, but his heart lives in Glasgow.
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