Billy Connolly is in need of a good heckle – leader comment

We need to find a way to stop making Billy Connolly feel weird about all the praise he’s been getting recently. Time for a spot of heckling?

Billy Connolly said too much praise was making him feel 'kind of weird'. Picture: PA

Oi! Big Yin! Call yourself a comedian? Don’t make us laugh!

Billy Connolly has spoken about the “unbearable burden” of being voted the best-ever comedian and how the level of praise he’s been getting lately is “kind of weird”, making him feel “duty bound to be dead”. So we thought we’d better do some heckling.

Comedy is, after all, a subjective thing. There are, almost certainly, people who don’t find Connolly funny at all – perhaps the sort of folk who, on being left alone with a tea cosy, don’t try it on.

They do exist, you know.

And there are other funny comedians. Connolly cited Chic Murray as one of his biggest influences, so here’s an allegedly true story about him.

Murray was once waiting for a delayed flight at Edinburgh Airport when an American passenger lost his temper and loudly, and inaccurately, declared the airport to be “the ***hole of England”.

“So, you’ll just be passing through then,” quipped Murray.

Now that’s funny! Come on Connolly, what have you got to match that?

Okay, quite a lot, but we’ll not mention that or maybe just try to mention it a bit less.