BILLY’S BRAVERY
Frail comic’s plea boosts red nose day to £71m
COMEDIAN Billy Connolly was hailed a Comic Relief hero yesterday after he moved viewers to tears.
Billy, 74, who has Parkinson’s disease and prostate cancer, made a heartfelt plea for the BBC’s red nose day fundraiser.
He highlighted a charity supporting people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. But it was his own frail appearance and self-deprecating humour that touched fans.
Billy, nicknamed the Big Yin, said in a pre-recorded video clip: “Hello, Billy Connolly here, asking for your cash.
“Not for me, obviously. I’ve got cancer and Parkinson’s and I definitely need a haircut, but no…”
One viewer tweeted: “Once again we watch one of the true heroes of #comicrelief.”
Another said: “Heartbreaking to see one of my heroes looking so ill. Hang in there, Big Yin!”
Many said they had donated specifically because of Billy.
It was clear that Parkinson’s – a disease of the nervous system – had increased its grip since his last TV outing in Tracks Across America a year ago. But Billy’s bravery helped Friday’s telethon raise more than £71million.
Many viewers complained that the BBC’s notorious inability to get the sound right had struck again and they could barely hear the show from London’s O2 arena.