Billy Connolly announces retirement from performing live

After a legendary career spanning half a century, Scottish comedian Billy Connolly has announced that he is to retire from performing live, admitting that his touring days are behind him to the publication.

Connolly also discussed his health and how it is linked to his decision, though noted that the extent of it has been exaggerated. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2013 - a year in which he also received treatment for prostate cancer - and has insisted that the condition is now manageable despite giving up on using medicinal cannabis to treat the illness.

“I just got bomb happy. Just stoned. It was quite pleasant, but I don’t want to do that every day,” he said, while also revealing that his wife Pamela was now acting as his nurse.

Connolly also made a point of rebutting a claim made by Michael Parkinson that Parkinson's had “dulled” his brain.

“He thought I’d lost track, mentally, but I never remember what year anything was,” he told the Radio Times. “I haven’t a clue. I’ve always been about going forward, not the past. Plus, we were doing the GQ event, I was Inspiration of the Year, and I blew everybody away. He should have remembered that …

“These Yorkshiremen, I don’t think they apologise much. I wasn’t disappointed, it just made my life a bit difficult. People feeling sorry for me, I don’t like that.”

Connolly also went on to discuss politics in the interview, in which he was promoting his travelogue show 'Billy Connolly’s Ultimate World Tour', opining that Donald Trump's rise to prominence has been "part of an international thing" and that Brexit is a “con-job”.

Connolly departs from live performing as one of the most celebrated comedians of all time, famed for his observational and storytelling style...