'It's all the same' Sir Billy Connolly says Scottish humour does not exist

SIR Billy Connolly has said he thinks Scottish humour does not exist.

Scotland's most famous comedian insisted the idea that his homeland has its own unique brand of humour is a myth.

Scotland's most famous comedian insisted the idea that his homeland has its own unique brand of humour is a myth.

The Big Yin dismissed the concept of regional comedy and said jokes which are considered Scottish could be transported to anywhere in the world.

Connolly, 76, who was brought up in Glasgow, admitted his comments may get him in trouble with his fellow Scots.

He made the remarks in a new interview released by Two Road Books, who are publishing a book of his best loved stand-up routines called 'Tall Tales and Wee Stories' in October.

He said: "I will get in trouble for this but I don't think there is such a thing as Scottish humour.

"I have bought books of Scottish jokes and then I go through them and there is nothing Scottish about them.

"There's humour and there's humour.

"It's just the same old Irish jokes and the geographical position of them is different.

"There's funny and there's not funny and that's the beginning, the middle and the end of it."

Connolly, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, announced his retirement from stand-up last year.

In the interview, he also told how he missed the thrill of live performing.

He said: "The one thing I do miss is the invention side of it and that comes with the original applause when they say 'Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Billy Connolly,' and the big roar goes up.

"That launches you from one thinking mode into another. I can't describe it, you just start to think differently.

"It's like changing from one pair of jeans into another. To anybody else it makes no difference but that act of changing to go on puts you into a different mode.

"It's an exciting life, it's like being a tightrope walker."

Connolly was diagnosed with Parkinson's seven years ago after a doctor spotted him walking strangely through the lobby of a hotel in Los Angeles.

He recently moved from New York to Florida as his doctors had advised him to live in a warmer climate.

He has also just finished filming a series for ITV called Billy Connolly's Great American Trail where he follows the route Scottish immigrants took in the 18th century.

Connolly's comments on comedy came after an exhibition was opened at the Edinburgh Fringe showcasing the best of Scottish humour on Twitter.

The Scottish Twitter visitor centre featured tweets reimagined as oil paintings and a stained glass window of singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi.

Marc Simpson took the title of Scotland’s funniest tweet at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Fighting off competition from other shortlisted Scots, Simpson’s prize-winning tweet reads: “wis walkin home n someone threw a block of cheese oot their windee n it hit me on the head, i turned n shouted that wisna very mature wis it”.