I thought I may be a convert to biographies/autobiographies when delving into the first few chapters. Reading this book gave me so many more insights into his life and work and made me respect him all the more.

I decided to listen to the audiobook of this autobiography and I have to say, compared to when I heard his voice as a child, I can understand every word. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman. In many respects the book is a chronicle of the people he met along his journey to self-acceptance, those individuals that impacted his life and his career in a positive and creative sense.A little bit of the Psychology from Pam about why Billy is who he is, but still, if you are a fan, a must in the reading cannon. There is a water stain to the top corner on the reverse side of the dustwrapper and a corresponding stain to the boards (not affecting the content). I now understand why this had been highly rated, it was an absolutely brilliant autobiography and possibly the best one I've actually read. Signed Exclusive Edition which has stencilled edges with Billy's signature plus hand drawn endpapers by Billy, and pink foil embossing on the hardback case.

If you are a Billy fan then you will know a lot of this already but there is enough in the book to certainly keep you happy. In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life. Personally I prefer to think of him as a comedian, actor and observer of life who for a while was trapped in a welders body.I have to admit that the constant allusion to famous people, the casual remarks about having dinner with so and so etc. There was jokes in it I'd heard before, he's previously used them in concert; I'm not saying it's a bad thing because they were essential to the stories of his background he was describing. Connolly only mentions it again fleetingly, though other memories of his father surface such as family holidays. Ultimately Billy delivers something that falls short of the substance that might faithfully chronicle his remarkable career for posterity. The Parkinson’s disease he contracted in 2013 restricts his banjo-playing but not his shouting at the TV.

It is often true that behind humour is great pain and parts of Billy’s story were devastating to read. If you are not a fan then it is an interesting read in its own right, but there are likely to be several references throughout that you will perhaps not understand. I would say read this book it’s one of the best books I’ve read A compelling read very interesting, he had a rough up bringing and worked hard to get to were he is now.Now a 'welder statesman', he is the recipient of a BAFTA Lifetime Achievement Award and is regularly voted the nation's favourite stand-up comedian. The title of his autobiography, which he wrote during lockdown, refers to the way his flamboyant appearance was described to him by a friend early on in his entertainment career. Stephenson goes over his previous marriage to Iris who he had two children with and the relationship with his mother who abandoned Billy and his sister Florence when they were very little. Billy had a difficult childhood, and then went to work in his teens, but slowly he moved away from his original welding job and ended up in firstly, a folk group, and then, eventually - as we all know - he became a world-famous comedian.