Billy - Pamela Stephenson

~ ~ This is an autobiography of arguably the greatest comedy talent to emerge from Scotland in the last 40 years. Billy Connolly, or as he is more affectionately known the world over, “The Big Yin”. It’s written by his second wife, Pamela Stephenson, herself a comedienne in her own right, and probably best known for her part in the comedy spoof show from the late 1970’s period, “Not The Nine O’clock News”. These days though she is a Doctor of Psychology, having got tired of life on the boards, and going on at a late stage of life to obtain her doctorate. You might be forgiven for thinking that the book is therefore going ...  Read the complete review

Question: You are sitting in the A&E Department of your local hospital watching your wife writhing in agony on the doctor's couch and knowing that she is about to be rushed by ambulance to the county hospital. You are told that you have sufficient time before the arrival of said ambulance to dash home and collect some essential items. Do you bring: a) Nighties, Dressing Gown and Slippers? b) Toothbrush, toothpaste and other toiletries? c) Loose change for telephones, newspapers etc? d) Cigarettes and a large bar of chocolate? e) An enormous cardboard box containing an unopened delivery from amazon? Well, in our case, it was items d ...  Read the complete review

I have always laughed my socks off at the Big Yin. I have always had a bit of a crush on him if truth be told, with his wild hair and his wit and I even watched the very dubious Debt Collector because I think he's shaping up to be a rather fabulous actor. So to sum it up my impressions of Billy Connolly before this book were that he is a very funny talented man with a strange taste in clothes and the ability to swear more than me,(which is an accomplishment by itself!) And so when I saw 'Billy' by Pamela Stephenson on sale as part of the two books for a tenner promotion at WH Smith I thought it would be the ideal travelling companion during ...  Read the complete review

I have liked Billy Connolly's stand up shows for years, and I particularly enjoyed the slant he took with the 'World tour of Scotland' and 'World Tour Of Australia' series, where hobbies and local history and culture were interspersed with clips from the shows he did, visiting smaller towns instead of the big cities in the UK, as his previous tours had been. I have never managed to see Billy live though, although it has not been for the lack of trying. The first time, the CEO of the company I worked for in Australia had arranged for tickets at the Sydney Opera House, however another senior manager didn't think the American half of our ...  Read the complete review

This is an amazing book written about a true genius by the one person who knows him best, his wife Pamala Stevenson. Billy Connolly has to be one of the funniest comedians of our time. He makes us laugh by talking about everyday occurances and embarrasing subjects like sex or piles. In his stand up shows he talks a lot about his childhood and comes accross as beng a happy, funny character. This book outlines the truth behind Billy's exterior. His wife who has studied to become a psychiatrist is definatly the most qualified person to write this biography. She explains the psychological reasons for his behaviour, his drinking problems and ...  Read the complete review