I FEAR MY DEAR OLD FRIEND BILLY DOESN’T RECOGNISE ME ANY MORE, SAYS MICHAEL PARKINSON
SIR Michael Parkinson has spoken of his sadness that his friend Sir Billy Connolly’s ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease has left his ‘wonderful brain dulled’.
The veteran broadcaster, 83, said he believed the comedian no longer recognises him, despite the pair being close friends for decades.
The Big Yin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013 following minor surgery for prostate cancer.
Sir Michael revealed a ‘sad and awkward’ moment at an awards dinner as the condition takes its toll on the Glasgow-born star’s ailing health.
On Saturday Morning with James Martin, he said: ‘The sadness of Billy now is that his wonderful brain is dulled.
‘I saw him recently – he’s now living in America – and it was very sad because I was presenting him with a prize at an award ceremony.
‘We had an awkward dinner together, because I wasn’t quite sure if he knew who I was or not.
‘We were walking out after the presentation to go down and have our picture taken and turned to me and put his hand on my shoulders. He said to me, “How long have we known each other?”. I thought, “Oh God, he doesn’t really know me”.’
Speaking about the realisation that Sir Billy no longer knew him, the chat show host added: ‘And to know someone as long as I knew and loved Billy... it was an awful thing to contemplate, that that had been taken from him, in a sense.
‘He was just a genius and the best thing that happened to me on the show.’
The pair have enjoyed a close friendship for years, with Sir Billy, 75, appearing as a regular guest on Sir Michael’s eponymous chat show, which ran from 1971 to 2007.
As well as a successful career in stand-up comedy, Sir Billy has also starred in such films as The Hobbit, Brave and The Last Samurai.
He received his knighthood last October for his services to entertainment and charity – only weeks before his 75th birthday.
His knighthood came just a day after Sir Billy raised awarehe ness of his condition at Downing Street.
In April last year, he explained: ‘When I’m in front of people and performing, I don’t give it much attention. And I perform in spite of it. That’s why I put on the song A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On – just to stick two fingers up to it.
‘There’s a whole lot of shaking going on. It’s kind of weird, this instability. The only time it stops is when I’m in bed and then I can’t roll over. I’m like a big log. It’s the first thing I think about in the morning because getting out of bed is quite hard.’
He added: ‘It’s a weird thing because it stopped me playing the banjo and it stopped me smoking cigars.
‘It seems to creep up on everything I like and take it away from me. It’s like being tested: “Cope with that, cope with life without your banjo. Now I’m going to make your hand shake so you can’t tie your fishing flies any more”. It’s weird. I’m trying to stay on the light side because the dark side is unthinkable.’
Parkinson’s is a chronic neurological disorder, characterised by a deficiency of dopamine. The main symptoms are slowness of movement, stiffness of muscles and shaking.
Sir Billy has been recognised for his work in entertainment, both as a comedian and a TV personality – though he started his career as a singer, originally performing with The Humblebums. After going solo, he released Billy Connolly Live in 1972, the first of more than 30 albums.
After first appearing on Parkinson in 1975, he made regular appearance on the show until it ended.
One of his most iconic performances was in the period drama Mrs Brown, playing the Highland servant of Queen Victoria, John Brown. He was nominated for a BAFTA for his performance.
‘It was an awful thing to contemplate’