He’s met Muhammad Ali, Neil Armstrong and Nelson Mandela but comic Patrick Kielty admits Billy Connolly is the only person to ever make him go weak at the knees.
The Northern Irish comedian said the Big Yin is a forever connection to his dad Jack, who was murdered by Loyalist paramilitaries in 1988 when Patrick was just 16.
The 51-year-old, who is back doing stand-up for the first time in seven years, revealed he used to listen to Connolly tapes in his dad’s car and they would laugh together until they cried.
Speaking ahead of the Scottish leg of his UK tour, Patrick, who is married to TV presenter Cat Deeley, said: “The only time I have ever been starstruck was meeting Billy Connolly. My legs turned to jelly and I couldn’t speak.
“I’ve met legends Muhammad Ali, Neil Armstrong and Nelson Mandela but coming face to face with my comedy hero was much more exciting and left me a quivering wreck.
“Billy was such a huge part of my childhood. My Da was a builder, so the language in our house was pretty colourful at the best of times. His ‘f words’ were openly tolerated.
“I would give anything to go back to being 14 and sitting in my Da’s car listening to Connolly tapes and laughing so hard we ended up crying. Those are such special memories. He’s a massive link to my Da.”
The dad of two, who is bringing his new show Borderline to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen in June, added: “I couldn’t believe when I met him that he actually knew my name.
“He asked me if I was still playing in goals because the last time he saw me in 2011, I was playing for Manchester United against Celtic at Parkhead in The John Kennedy testimonial.
“My legs nearly went from under me. Not only did the great Billy Connolly know who I was, he had watched me play against his beloved Celtic. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Patrick, dad to Milo, six, and James, three, also credits the Big Yin with inspiring him to open up about growing up in Ulster in his new show.
The former Fame Academy presenter, who grew up in Dundrum, County Down, said: “There is a lot of stuff in this show about my childhood in Northern Ireland and how that made me look at the world and that’s thanks to Billy Connolly.
“He used to sit in London beside Michael Parkinson and tell him what it was like growing up in Glasgow. That was a big lesson to me.
“For a long time, I thought no one would be interested in hearing about my past but he gave me the courage to talk about it and, it turns out, people do want to know.
“Until now, I have never spoken about what happened to my Da in my stand-up but when you are doing a show about division, you have to have to mention the s**t stuff that happened when your country was divided.”
Borderline sees Patrick return to his satirical roots with a personal take on borders, national identity and the future of the union in a post-Brexit landscape.
As a Northern Ireland native, who grew up close to the Irish border, the show delves into his homeland’s recent history to try to make sense of what Brexit’s new borders and political upheaval means for our shared identities.
Patrick, who married Cat in Italy in 2012, said: “The world’s been turned on its head the past few years and, thanks to Brexit, we’re more obsessed with borders and national identity than ever.
“With Northern Ireland at the centre of it all, it feels like the right time to get back on stage and try to make some sense of where we’re heading.
“I grew up in a country where people wanted to kill each other because of a border. We fixed this place and made peace by letting go of the borders and realising things aren’t all black and white.
“We were in the s**t and got ourselves out of it, so why go back there? It really is crazy times when the UK is more fractured than ever.”
The entertainer, who is hoping to get in a round of golf with his brother while in Scotland, added: “It will be interesting to play the show in Scotland in a time when the Conservative and Unionist parties might end up causing the break-up of the union.
“It’s incredible to think if there is an independent Scotland, and Scotland joins the EU again, there is going to be a land border at Hadrian’s Wall. How is that going to work?
“Growing up here, I thought we were bats**t crazy but I have realised we were ordinary people going through bats**t crazy times and sometimes people who were crazier than us were making crazy decisions that they hadn’t thought through and it is happening again. I love Scottish audiences and I can’t wait to get their reaction.”
Patrick admitted getting back into the live stand-up saddle has not been easy.
He said: “My last stand-up show was seven years ago, when we were living in the States and we were just about to have our oldest fella Milo.
“Performing was like putting high heels on again. It was pretty uncomfortable to start with but I learned to walk in them and now I’ve got my sea legs back and it feels great.”
Borderline comes to Scotland June 1-4. Tickets from: www.mickperrin.com
