Arise, Sir Big Yin! Connolly knighted
IN his homeland, he will forever be known simply as the ‘Big Yin’.
But Billy Connolly officially became a ‘Sir’ yesterday after being knighted for services to entertainment and charity, with the honour given by the Duke of Cambridge.
Sir Billy – who turns 75 on November 24 – attended the ceremony at Buckingham Palace with his wife of nearly 30 years, psychologist and author Pamela Stephenson.
The Glasgow comic said: ‘I wish my sister was here. My sister Flo died last year and she would have loved that. My parents are both dead, so I wish they were here.
‘I should be called Lancelot or something. Sir Billy doesn’t quite have the same ring.’
He added: ‘I’m kind of stunned by it, I’m kind of numb. But it means a great deal to the people around me and the fans.’
Asked what he and Prince William talked about, Sir Billy said it was, ‘Am I still funny?’, adding: ‘It was lovely. It was kind of personal.’
After the investiture Sir Billy – who shot to fame in the 70s – spoke out about the sexual harassment scandal in the entertainment industry, saying: ‘A lot of things that should have been done years ago are going to be done to protect young men and women... men will have to get a grip.’
He said he had no special birthday plans but added: ‘In Glasgow they have big murals of me on the side of buildings – that’s the most sensational birthday present.’