TV Review by Steve Bennett
An earlier broadcast of Billy Connolly after ITV showed him as an emotional milestone marking the end of his career, cut short by the severity of Parkinson’s disease, with celebrities paying close respect to the camera. He suggested that this may have been a mawkish relationship, a premature obituary, lamenting the loss of a comedian who was once so full of life.
Fortunately, this was not the case, for the most part. Like the Big Yin itself, this 75-minute special focused on delight, with plenty of examples of its hilarious clarity amidst the compelling line of talking heads.
And a collection of A-listers came to light, with contributions from the likes of Paul McCartney, Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg and Elton John, who hailed him as ‘the first comedy rocket star’. And while they would touch on the obvious from time to time – such as likening Connolly to ‘your funny partner on stage’ – they would offer personal news. Sir Elton saved the comic to open for him in the US – it didn’t go well – then Goldberg introduced it to an American audience through an HBO special.
Russell Brand, dropping his Artful Dodger bomb for change, offered subtle words on Connolly’s instinctive craftsmanship, likening him to a poet rather than a ‘mathematical’ comedian such as Jerry Seinfeld.
Connolly is a true Platonic idea of a modern stance, with an action defined by his personality and attitude and a humorous, rather than learned, humorous feeling. The complete art form of stand-up has taken shape in this country thanks in large part to his original work tuning the genre from the frilly gag-shirt buyers.
Producers here, including two of his daughters, sensibly understood that the best obedience is to let the work of the comedy speak for itself, and include enough of stand-up practices, not just the truncated cookies you often find in programs like this. No one can be disappointed to watch Connolly at the highest level.
His material shows just how resilient he is to the absence of human failures, once you remove the moving niceties, and his powerhouse, but still natural, is a masterpiece. -class in body and character. He said his favorite practice was the one about wildebeest, and we saw enough of it to appreciate the sex of the delivery, personalizing the animals of the African savannah in a perfect amalgam of the absurd and everyday.
Connolly’s wife, Pamela Stephenson, also emerged from their home in Florida where they now have a relaxed lifestyle, and took a small look into his psyche, revealing – for example – for his experience he was still getting anxious before he went on stage because he is not preparing … leading to concerns that the muse might one day be abandoned.
That view was rather limited, as was biographical detail, noting the brutal construction he escaped through music and comedy but without looking too deep. But one practice that showed Connolly turning trauma into laugher talking books. The comedian has dealt with the past in his honest memoirs, and Stephenson said there is another book in the works.
Yes, at the age of 78, he won’t be on stage and more, and yes, there were a few emotional moments at the end where that loss was noted – with Connolly particularly touching when the show her obedience to him.
But Been A Pleasure – his usual words for signing a stand-up gig – is a lot more about what he brought to the world than we are lost with his career. ‘I wanted to be a funny man, and I got it,’ he said. ‘See [an audience] crying with a smile is an honor. Now it’s time to stop and I’m happy where I am. I have no complaints. ‘
Us ni.
• Billy Connolly: It’s Been A Pleasure available on ITV Hub.
Review date: 29 December 2020
Review by: Steve Bennett