Billy Connolly to appear in new BBC One series

Billy Connolly will reflect on his amazing career in a new BBC One documentary series called In My Own Words.

The 81-year-old comedian affectionally nicknamed the Big Yin, first found fame in the 1960s and in 2022 he was awarded a Bafta Fellowship, one of the entertainment industry's highest awards.

The BBC says Billy will "briefly put his fishing rod down" to look back on his life on screen for the series which airs this autumn. He will explore his personal archive, rarely-seen performances and classic stand-up moments. Billy will be completely honest in what they bill as an "illuminating, poignant and thoughtful programme".

Also featured in In My Own Words are author Jilly Cooper; poet and novelist Jackie Kay; playwright, screenwriter and author Hanif Kureishi and artist Alison Lapper.

Suzy Klein, Head of Arts and Classical Music TV says: "This country boasts some of the most super-charged creative minds anywhere in the world — our artists, writers, actors, comedians and poets are second to none. But we rarely get the chance to get up close to them and discover what fires their imaginations, and the forces that have shaped their extraordinary lives. In this fresh, contemporary series of unmediated interviews, we will get inside the creative minds of some of Britain's leading lights — prepare for a thought-provoking and often emotional ride."

The Dame Jilly Cooper episode comes as Disney Plus is adapting her classic book Rivals. David Tennant, Aidan Turner, Alex Hassell, Katherine Parkinson and Danny Dyer are among the cast.

Speaking about the casting, Jilly said: "Featuring some of the best acting talent that the British Isles has to offer, I couldn't have dreamed of a better ensemble cast. I cannot wait to be on set and see them bring the characters I love so much to life!"

We don't yet have a release date for In My Own Words. It will be five parts and will air on BBC One this autumn and will also be available on iPlayer.