Billy Connolly plots stand-up tour dates in Canada

The Big Yin, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, has announced a string of dates in Canada.

He will perform 13 nights in cities including Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Calgary for his latest comedy show, the High Horse Tour.

He will travel round the country in October and November with tickets for his gigs expected to sell out quickly when they go on sale later this week.

In 2013, Connolly, 72, announced that he had had surgery for prostate cancer and was being treated for early symptoms of Parkinson’s.

However, the Glaswegian funnyman was told by doctors the following month that he had beat the cancer and he vowed to continue performing.

He has completed sell-out stand-up tours of Scotland and Australia since his diagnosis.

In a recent interview, he said: “I’m starting to have problems remembering things but who doesn’t when they get to my age?

“Sometimes you get blanks, like jetlag. The curtains fall down in front of your eyes so you just keep on talking until you remember your material.

“It’s something that comes with age. I’ve had a good run of it, to get to my 70s and still be standing upright.”

Connolly also recently announced he is to swap his famous Harley Davidson motor trike for the train in a new television travel series.

He has been signed up for a documentary where he journeys across America by railroad.

It will see him travelling on US national rail operator Amtrak while stopping off in US towns and cities.

And the show, called ‘Tracks Across America’ is set to see him visit Glasgow - not his home city but its namesake in Montana.

The travelogue will be filmed later this summer and will be shown on ITV next year.