Billy Connolly, 1977 & 2002

Sir Billy Connolly opened his 1977 interview by telling Roy Plomley which record he definitely wouldn’t want on a desert island – his own.

At the time, his career was booming with shows all over the world but he said: “I have this total aversion to my own stuff. I just can’t play it, I find it absolutely impossible. It’s best to leave them out of the house entirely. I can’t stand it, the records embarrass me.”

As well as his work in the shipyards, he detailed his early forays in music, with Plomley chuckling as Connolly recounted some of the bands he’d been in; The Skillet-lickers, Acme Brush Company and more.

“It became rather obvious music was what I should be doing,” he said. “I was playing at night and working in the day and I was fading away. One had to go and there was no way I wanted to be a welder.”

With his career on the rise, he spoke of his recent move to Drymen: “For a while it was getting really silly in Glasgow. There were people outside my house, it was like Buckingham Palace. When I passed the dining room window a cheer would go up. It was a bit embarrassing.”

He also revealed ambitions to act more and make films, saying the most nervous he’d ever felt was watching the opening night of his first play in Irvine.

Asked if he’d try to escape the island, he laughed: “If I tried to make a boat, there’s nothing surer – I’d be eaten by a shark.”

Connolly’s 2002 appearance with Sue Lawley is an altogether different listen, although still packed with his trademark wit.

He had recently revealed details of the sexual and physical abuse he suffered from his father as part of a traumatic upbringing.

The comedian told how he’d wanted to tell the truth about his younger days, revisit the details and finally shake off the guilt he said he felt: “I feel as if I’m out of jail. It’s a lovely feeling.”

(1977) One Disc: At The Ball That’s All by Laurel & Hardy One Book: Catch 22 by Joseph Heller One Luxury: Electrical device to heat shaving foam