Why people listened to Billy Connolly

Mad inventor John Ward, of whom it has often been said, told me a true tale today about fans of Billy Connolly.

“When I lived in Northamptonshire,” he tells me, “my neighbours used to sit in the garden during the summer with their Billy Connolly LPs on at full blast in the house with their windows open to ‘hear’ him better.

“As time grew on, I asked them if they ever got bored with hearing him, as I felt sure that I had heard some of the stuff a lot more than once. Their reply was: Well, we don’t understand most of what he says but, as the audience seem to be enjoying it, we like to listen in case we eventually get the gist of it.”

They were serious.