I don't know how many of you heard about this but Billy Connolly made a "joke" in a performance in London about the late Ken Bigley (before he was murdered), stating, "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but don't you just wish they'd get on with it?"

This comment was met with boos. I am a big fan of Billy but I can't believe he would say something like that- my opinion of him has fallen.

Your opinions please, do you think he should/will apologize?

read about it here:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3717462.stm

I'm a huge fan of connolly and can see why 'he' thought it would be funny.
However it's blatently not and yes he should apologise.

It's a shame when someone thought of so highly does something that they may not recover from in their career.
At the end of the day the 'joke' he made was a sensitive subject and one which wasn't funny. He misjudged the atmosphere and it backfired - apologise Billy before your career is unrecoverable!

He only made things worse by verbally abusing the journalist who tried to ask him about it at Heathrow a couple of days later.

I love his comedy as a rule, but in recent years he's become a professional celebrity and w***s on about his friendship with the likes of Fergie and Andrew too much.

He was much funnier when he was telling jokes about the Glasgow shipyards

He went down in my estimation after his prolific swearing during his late shows.

Got to agree with mojoworking here (Sorry, mojoworking...I'll get back to disagreeing soon...;) )

He was well out of line. Perhaps the change in his humour is due to him being disconnected from the source of his humour? I guess once you get away from your udience you sort of lose track of what's likely to make people laugh.

I think the Yin will survive the fall out - although Liverpool has a long memory and I doubt he'll get a pleasantly warm reception in that City for a while to come.

On a wider picture - where does the line get drawn between being 'topical and satirical' and being 'bad taste'?

Joe

he is a comedian who took a sensitive matter and hit himself around the head with it.

they all do it sometimes

got his timing somewhat wrong

apologize? not likely

He's a complete ****!
Too long removed from his roots, married to a pretentious pseud,
sucking up to the Royals, living on the Thames, mixing in a world of self-congratulatory celebs such as "professional Yorkshireman" Parkinson.
He's lost touch with the real world.
I used to think he was hilarious, even latterly still funny but increasingly uneasy about all the aforementioned.
This wasn't a joke, not even a sick one.
I'd like to think that his next tour is cancelled through lack of ticket sales.

Crickey! You're all a bit touchy, aren't you?! Years of making us laugh til our sides split, then one wrong joke and BAM! you stab him in the back... I can see where he's coming from, tbh. However, I'll try to stay on topic and not mention it!

Originally posted by ianmitchell
I don't know how many of you heard about this but Billy Connolly made a "joke" in a performance in London about the late Ken Bigley (before he was murdered), stating, "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but don't you just wish they'd get on with it?"

This comment was met with boos. I am a big fan of Billy but I can't believe he would say something like that- my opinion of him has fallen.

Your opinions please, do you think he should/will apologize?

read about it here:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3717462.stm


Billy Connolly is about as funny as a rainy Sunday, when I'm confined to the house with bad toothache, he stands on the stage mouthing obscenities, when there are young boys and girls in the audience and thinks that is funny !!!

I wouldn't pay him out in buttons !!!:loopy: :loopy: :loopy:

I thought that this article (http://www.sundayherald.com/45235) had some very pertinent points to make on Connolly's comments about Ken Bigley, instead of taking the knee-jerk position of most of the media's reporting on the matter.

Originally posted by Fantomas
I thought that this article (http://www.sundayherald.com/45235) had some very pertinent points to make on Connolly's comments about Ken Bigley, instead of taking the knee-jerk position of most of the media's reporting on the matter.
You know that article is spot on.
This passage really summed it up for me:
Originally written in the linked article
There are jokes to be made about the Ken Bigley situation. The sickest, stupidest and most inexcusable ones are already being made by you, the public, privately, to each other, drunk in bars or via e-mails at work, while you simultaneously maintain a high moral tone in judging a professional comic’s attempt to cover the same ground in a more intelligent and responsible fashion. And you know it. Cast the first stone, I dare you.
Even though the joke backfired and I still think that to save this blowing up more in Connolly's face he should just apologise - this passage is 100% correct.

I have seen emails and text messages come round already about Ken Bigley and his iraq incident (which I wont share here).
Yes there are all in bad taste - but will anyone publically post or even send to the tabliods the original senders of these jokes?
No - it's easy to pick on Connolly for a joke gone wrong because he's in the public eye.

However I hope that this will be moved on and looked past eventually. I truly hope that his career doesn't get hammered for it (I think it might tho if he doens't apologise for a mistake).
It's bad timing at the end of the day and if Ken Bigley would have been rescued people probably wouldn't give a rats about this comment.

Billy Connolly is a true comedy great and I sincerely hope that this doesn't tarnish a fantastic comedic career from a fantastic artist.

In my opinion Billy Connolly has never been funny at all! The best thing he ever did was the single "Supergran".

Originally posted by halevan
Billy Connolly is about as funny as a rainy Sunday, when I'm confined to the house with bad toothache, he stands on the stage mouthing obscenities, when there are young boys and girls in the audience and thinks that is funny !!!

I wouldn't pay him out in buttons !!!:loopy: :loopy: :loopy:

When people book to see Billy they know what's coming, if you don't want your kids exposed to it don't book the tickets....it's not rocket science, it's a bit like booking to see a stripper and then complaining cos she flashed her t*ts at you.:loopy: :loopy: :loopy:

Why do people assume that if someone swears its because they are not witty and are just covering up the fact.

Billy Connolly is very witty, he could be funny without swearing, the swearing is just part of his on stage persona.

Originally posted by owdlad
it's a bit like booking to see a stripper and then complaining cos she flashed her t**ts at you.:loopy: :loopy: :loopy:

Owlad, that made me laugh so much! Thank you!
Was having a bad day until I read that line!


Billy Conolly shouldn't have done the joke he did but he's not the first. I remember a comedian saying "thanks for inviting me to your barbeque" when he went on stage in Bradford the weekend after the Valley Parade fire. He was, quite rightly IMO, booed off stage.

Billy is generally a funny, funny man and I hope this mistake doesn't mean the end of him entertaining us.

Originally posted by owdlad
it's a bit like booking to see a stripper and then complaining cos she flashed her t**ts at you.:loopy: :loopy: :loopy:

t**ts?

Have I been missing something? :suspect:

What annoys me is how Liverpool portrays this holier than thou attitude to the rest of the country :rant:

Originally posted by spook
t**ts?

Have I been missing something? :suspect:

What annoys me is how Liverpool portrays this holier than thou attitude to the rest of the country :rant:
What has Billy Connely got to do with your opinions on people from Liverpool???:confused:

I've always liked Billy Connolly's brand of humour... That joke was bad timing, bad taste and he's probably thought "Oh F**k, why did I say that" a few times in his private moments...

But if he's to apologise to anyone it'll be the family itself... He doesn't owe us anything...

That article linked above said it best though.. There will be loads of bad taste jokes out there at work, between friends and I doubt very much that when your mate says it you'll be getting ready to stone them to death as a result...

In a way what he actually said was quite pertinent. The people who held Ken Bigley had no intention of doing anything other than killing him, once it suited their publicity seeking purposes to do it.

Obviously I would probably not see it that way if it was someone close to me and would probably have been offended. But as Martin says its absolutely nothing to do with us. And of course if the media had not blown it out of all proportion his family would not even know about it.

A lot of people at the moment seem to like wallowing in pseudo-grief (witness hysteria over Diana's death). The least of Ken Bigley's family's worries will be what Billy Connolly did or didn't say.

Originally posted by spook
t**ts?

Have I been missing something? :suspect:

What annoys me is how Liverpool portrays this holier than thou attitude to the rest of the country :rant:

She's got two of em :heyhey:

I am inclined to agree that the press and the public have gone a bit ga ga over Ken Bigleys death. Its one man who didn't really mean anything to any of us. My feelings go out to his family but thats where it ends. Are we going to have a minutes silence for the soldiers that die out there every day??
What exactly did Ken Bigley do for the nation that warranted a minutes silence by everyone??
I'm sure we all have relatives who have passed away and given a lot more throughout their lives that he did...where's their minutes silence??

As for Billy Connelly. Well his comments were in bad taste. The thing that annoys me about it all is his inablity to ever admit he was out of line. This guy has a history of being unable to accept criticism and yet is happy to dish it out. Hopefully we will never see this fraud again on Parkinson.

I do think the press have really overreated, and it's all about politics, they don't really care about one bloke from Liverpool at all, they just care about selling papers and manipulating people. Why don't we have this kind of reaction everytime a soldier is killed, or a civilian in a car-bombing? People are just the sheep of tabloids.

Billy Connelly, well it was probably a bad judgement call, but he's only doing what he's paid for, and his comments weren't THAT bad... I bet the audience laughed.

I say that my opinion of him has fallen, I would say for the time being. I'm sure next time I watch one of his performances I'll love him again. I do wish he'd apologize..... even if it's not in his character.

Originally posted by spook
What annoys me is how Liverpool portrays this holier than thou attitude to the rest of the country :rant:
Fair does. They have got two cathedrals after all:P

Why should he apologise? That's the most common call you've all made... yet no explanation. I believe he has a right to say whatever he feels like. We don't call for the BNP to apologise when they chuck racist comments around, do we?

I am a Connely fan but I don't agree with his cheap joke - shame on him.

he is the funniest man on earth!!!

i will see him in concert before he dies!!!

Well, it's a far cry from actually causing someone's death, like Mike Lush.

Mr Blobby Anyone?

Originally posted by Ned Ludd
Fair does. They have got two cathedrals after all:P

So does Coventry and that is full of scallies also..

:hihi:

Originally posted by wibbles
Are we going to have a minutes silence for the soldiers that die out there every day??


No. we don't do that because our soldiers join the army in full awareness of the risks and are trained to reduce those risks as much as possible.
Civilians likewise know what the risks are in working in a "hostile" environment, but unlike soldiers are not housed in barraks, are not provided with weapons, defensive protection and combat training.

And without them there doing the job he was doing, the soldiers lives we have lost would be meaningless.


What exactly did Ken Bigley do for the nation that warranted a minutes silence by everyone??


Its not what he did - it is what was done to him. If anybody has any doubts as to what that death was like feel free to download the footage and report back.
Why should it be felt outside of his family? Well unlike say the backpacker Ms Tuttle who was randomly attacked for cash in a foreign country, Ken Bigley was abducted and beheaded for one reason - he was british. Therefore all british subjects should share that grief.

Originally posted by Agent Dan
Why should he apologise? That's the most common call you've all made... yet no explanation. I believe he has a right to say whatever he feels like. We don't call for the BNP to apologise when they chuck racist comments around, do we?

no, we call for the BNP to crawl up their own asses and die.... :P

I don't think there is a place for this kind of sick humour. Its an outrage.

On a more positive note I did get a red cape and a wheelchair on ebay for ten quid - bargin!!:D

Maybe Connolly's joke was in bad taste, but that was the point. He was saying the unsayable, and there will always be a place for that. There will always be an audience for "sick humour", as it appeals to the sadistic side of the human species. Some, like the Socio-biologist E.O.Wilson relate humour to latent, repressed sadism. Maybe this causes some discomfort for those of the liberal/left consensus. Personally, I find Bigley's death rather sad, even though the press reaction and two minutes silence is over the top.

Anybody would have thought he was doing some self-less act in Iraq - he wasn't he was feathering his own nest and being paid mighty well for it too - he ignored the warnings and has paid the price.

The two minutes silence for him is a disgrace when you consider others who have died in the conflict with little or no mention - was his contribution worth more than theirs?

Originally posted by ianmitchell
I don't know how many of you heard about this but Billy Connolly made a "joke" in a performance in London about the late Ken Bigley (before he was murdered), stating, "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but don't you just wish they'd get on with it?"

This comment was met with boos. I am a big fan of Billy but I can't believe he would say something like that- my opinion of him has fallen.

Your opinions please, do you think he should/will apologize?

read about it here:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3717462.stm

Originally posted by ianmitchell
I don't know how many of you heard about this but Billy Connolly made a "joke" in a performance in London about the late Ken Bigley (before he was murdered), stating, "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but don't you just wish they'd get on with it?"

This comment was met with boos. I am a big fan of Billy but I can't believe he would say something like that- my opinion of him has fallen.

Your opinions please, do you think he should/will apologize?

read about it here:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3717462.stm

It was the horrible joke that I invented last Saturday, about the new Ken Bigley Beer being full of body and having no head that made me realise what an unfeeling person I am.

It just came to me. Sorry.

Originally posted by Internetowl
Anybody would have thought he was doing some self-less act in Iraq - he wasn't he was feathering his own nest and being paid mighty well for it too - he ignored the warnings and has paid the price.

The two minutes silence for him is a disgrace when you consider others who have died in the conflict with little or no mention - was his contribution worth more than theirs?

The way he died was fairly horrific though, don't you think...? I think that's part of the reason why people mourn him. Not only did he know for a considerable length of time that he was going to die in a horrific way, but by all accounts it wasn't as quick as you'd imagine either. His family must be mortified thinking about these things.

And I agree with some points of view on here - the media love to whip up a frenzy, and the public are more than happy to fulfil this role (ie: Diana's death). But I (privately) ultimately feel really sorry for the family.

im going to answer the subject title...cant be arsed with the rest :)

he has only made me laugh once...recently when he was on parkinson..apart from that..just dont find him funny at all

also, lee evans, harry hill & peter kay..........dont get any of them!!! and i am sooooo into comedy in any form that people find it odd that i dont like these people. if it makes u laugh fine...but i think there is more comedic value in a copy of gardeners world.

saw harry hill tonight.... god he was awful....5minutes saying `why do they have holes in biscuits' wow....the genius..

Originally posted by ianmitchell
I don't know how many of you heard about this but Billy Connolly made a "joke" in a performance in London about the late Ken Bigley (before he was murdered), stating, "I probably shouldn't be saying this, but don't you just wish they'd get on with it?"

This comment was met with boos. I am a big fan of Billy but I can't believe he would say something like that- my opinion of him has fallen.

Your opinions please, do you think he should/will apologize?

read about it here:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/3717462.stm
Don't you think this was a comment on the overdramatisation of this particular case by the media? We're sick of the media selectiveness and hype with particular stories. It's called bandwaggoning. They're making money out of somebodyelse's misery. Didn't notice any paper offering the increased revenue to the family, did you?

well said strixx.

Originally posted by Internetowl
Anybody would have thought he was doing some self-less act in Iraq - he wasn't he was feathering his own nest and being paid mighty well for it too - he ignored the warnings and has paid the price.

The two minutes silence for him is a disgrace when you consider others who have died in the conflict with little or no mention - was his contribution worth more than theirs?

You can observe a 2 minites silence for who you like whenever you like.

I'm starting to think the reason it annoys people so much that Ken Bigley is getting attention and not our troops is because you don't actualy give either of them much thought really - While they are dieing in *small* numbers out there. The same as nobody did when we were getting bumped off a few at a time in Ulster for years.
Where you all crying for 2 minutes silence "for the boys" then?
Smacks of guilty conciences to me....

Here it comes! The next waggon! The new dangerous dogs!

Don't get me wrong, I think the iraqi aid worker story has far more merit than bigley, but the media hype is trivialising it with sensationalism. The real issue is being lost in the 'story'.

Originally posted by kilauea
You can observe a 2 minites silence for who you like whenever you like.

I'm starting to think the reason it annoys people so much that Ken Bigley is getting attention and not our troops is because you don't actualy give either of them much thought really - While they are dieing in *small* numbers out there. The same as nobody did when we were getting bumped off a few at a time in Ulster for years.
Where you all crying for 2 minutes silence "for the boys" then?
Smacks of guilty conciences to me....

No one wants to see "our boys" (copyright The Sun) killed naturally, but I'm amazed when troops start complaining about being shot at. That's what happens in the army, guys!

Did it not occur to them that there may just be a slim possibility of this happening when they joined up and someone put a gun in their hand? Or did they all sign up just for the water skiing and travel?