Irish night out was a Bridges too far...

Scottish comedian tells of his drunken arrest

COMIC Kevin Bridges has told how his arrest after a drunken night out in Ireland made him clean up his act.

The Scottish star, 30, was detained by gardai after being chucked out of a pub in 2012. Bridges woke up in a cell just hours before he was due to meet Billy Connolly for the first time to present him with a lifetime achievement gong. He said: “I got far too drunk and got involved in an argument with a bouncer. “They let me go and I had to fly home and present Billy Connolly with an award. “I would have liked to have met him under different circumstances but it was still an amazing feeling. I felt as if I could have told him the story because he was a bit wild back in his day.” Bridges told a radio station in New Zealand, where he is on tour, he was arrested after he went on a drinking session following a run of gigs. He said: “I fell asleep in a pub and got manhandled off a bouncer. “I overreacted a bit and he threw me into a car and the guy’s wing mirror came off. “Then it was just 90 seconds of pandemonium and the wing mirror lost its life. “I had to pay for the wing mirror and then met Billy Connolly the next night. It was one of those decisions you are left with in life – ‘Which path do I want here, the guy who is in the prison cell or the guy who is handing Billy Connolly a lifetime achievement award?’ “I have never seen a prison cell since so that’s good.” Bridges, who later quit boozing and embarked on a health kick, was accused of criminal damage and being drunk in a public place in Killarney, Co Kerry. The charges were later dropped after he apologised and paid for a new wing mirror.