Sir Billy Connolly CBE to be honoured with Fellowship at the 2022 Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards

Photography is available HERE

BAFTA has announced today that award-winning and iconic comedian, actor, artist, writer, musician and presenter, Sir Billy Connolly, will be honoured with the prestigious BAFTA Fellowship at this year’s Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards.

The Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA in recognition of an individual’s outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, television or games across their career. Fellows previously honoured for their work in television include Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, Jon Snow, Sir Bruce Forsyth, Joanna Lumley, Melvyn Bragg, Michael Palin, Sir Trevor MacDonald, Sir David Attenborough, Dame Julie Walters, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, Katie Adie and Joan Bakewell.

Sir Billy Connolly’s first BAFTA recognition was in 1995 when he won the BAFTA Scotland Entertainment category for Billy Connolly’s World Tour of Scotland. He has since received five BAFTA nominations, and has been presented with a BAFTA Special Award in 2002 and the BAFTA Scotland Outstanding Contribution to Television and Film in 2012.

Sir Billy Connolly said: “I am deeply honoured. Fifty films and… I can’t remember how many TV shows - as well as my stage comedy - added up to something that’s a joy to look back on. A lovely thing. I have no regrets at all. I had no idea the Fellowship existed, but I’m told it’s a big deal! (Laughs). It’s lovely to be recognised and to become a jolly good fellow.” 

Emma Baehr, Executive Director of Awards and Content, said: “We’re honoured to be awarding Sir Billy Connolly with the 2022 BAFTA Fellowship Award. He has made a remarkable contribution to our industry from his first appearance on Parkinson in 1975, through to becoming a national treasure on stage and screen, adored by fans around the world. BAFTA is looking forward to celebrating this award with Sir Billy in due course and thanking him again for his phenomenal career in television.”

Sir Billy Connolly left school at 15 to become a welder at the shipyard in River Clyde in Scotland. Honing his love for performance and music on the side, the young Billy soon decided to try his hand as a musician and a folk duo with Gerry Rafferty called The Humblebums. But it was his ability to spin stories, tell jokes and hold an audience in the palm of his hand that truly set him apart as he forged a hugely successful career on television, as well as in film and on stage.

As a young comedian, Connolly broke all the rules. He was fearless and outspoken - willing to call out hypocrisy wherever he saw it. However, his stand-up was full of warmth, humility and silliness too. His startling, hairy ’glam-rock’ stage appearance - wearing leotards, scissor suits and banana boots - only added to his appeal.

It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson’s chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that helped catapult Billy from cult hero to national star. TV shows, documentaries, international fame and award-winning Hollywood movies then followed, and his standout 1985 TV special ‘An Audience With Billy Connolly’, reducing the audience to tears with his iconic incontinence trousers routine. Billy’s pitch-perfect stand-up comedy kept coming too - for over 50 years, in fact - until a double diagnosis of cancer and Parkinson’s Disease has brought his remarkable live performances to an end. Since then he continues to make TV shows, creating extraordinary drawings and writing.

Connolly currently resides in the USA and is unable to attend the ceremony on 8 May to receive his award in person. A recorded acceptance message is to be played during the ceremony.  

The Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards is the highlight of the British television calendar, recognising the quality and variety of television enjoyed in 2021 with shows such as It’s A Sin, We Are Lady Parts, Landscapers, Help and Time leading the nominations.

The Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 8 May, hosted by Richard Ayoade and broadcast at 18.00 BST on BBC One. Coverage begins on BAFTA’s social channels from 14.00 BST with Sam Thompson, Zeze Millz and Vick Hope, bringing viewers even closer to the action.

The full nominations for this year’s awards, including the winners of this year’s British Academy Television Craft Awards, can be found here.

Notes to Editors

The BAFTA Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, television or games. From 2022 the process through which BAFTA’s honorary awards are selected has been revised to include a new role for members, industry and a new selection co-ordinating committee.

The full nominations for this year’s awards can be found here. Follow BAFTA social channels @BAFTA.  

BAFTA – the British Academy of Film and Television Arts - is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).

Virgin Media O2 launched on 1 June 2021, combining the UK’s largest and most reliable mobile network with a broadband network offering the fastest widely-available broadband speeds. It is a customer-first organisation that brings a range of connectivity services together in one place with a clear mission: to upgrade the nation. Virgin Media O2 is the corporate brand of the 50:50 joint venture between Liberty Global and Telefónica SA, and one of the UK’s largest businesses. 

The company has 48 million UK connections across broadband, mobile, TV and home phone. Its own fixed network currently passes 15.6 million premises alongside a mobile network that covers 99% of the nation’s population with 4G, and more than 300 towns and cities with 5G services targeting 50% population coverage in 2023.  

Virgin Media O2 completed its roll out of gigabit broadband speeds across its entire network footprint in 2021 and plans to upgrade its fixed network to full fibre to the premises with completion in 2028. In January 2022, it also announced that it would be the only major mobile network that isn’t bringing back roaming charges in Europe. 

Virgin Media O2 is a major investor in the UK. It employs around 18,000 people, has more than 425 retail stores and has committed to invest at least £10 billion over the next five years.   

Integration work is progresses at pace, with Virgin Media and O2 launching a joint product - Volt - less than 5 months from coming together. 

Today, the business delivers award-winning broadband and WiFi connectivity to homes as well as providing a connected entertainment service. This brings together live TV, thousands of hours of on-demand programming and a wide-selection of apps to customers through a set-top box and on-the-go through tablets and smartphones.  

It also provides 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G mobile services, and is the network of choice for mobile virtual network operators giffgaff, Sky Mobile and Lycamobile, as well as managing a 50:50 joint venture with Tesco for Tesco Mobile.  

Virgin Media O2 Business plays a leading role in supporting the public sector and businesses of all sizes. This includes a variety of managed connectivity services and flexible working capabilities, security, data insight, 5G private networks and cloud solutions, as well as wholesale services to other operators and partners. 

Awards for Virgin Media and O2’s telecommunications services include recognition by GWS for having the most reliable UK mobile network for three years in a row (2021, 2020, and 2019) and winning the publicly voted Uswitch awards in 2022 as both the Best Network for Roaming and Most Popular Mobile Network. Virgin Media was crowned Fastest Broadband Provider in the Choose Broadband Awards and Best Broadband Provider in the 2021 Trusted Reviews Awards and at  the 2021 Mobile Industry Awards O2 claimed two wins - Network of the Year, and Best Online Retailer.  

Virgin Media O2 is committed to using the power of connectivity to supercharge communities across the UK, taking action to close the digital divide and helping to build an inclusive, resilient, and low carbon economy. The company has an ambition to achieve net zero carbon operations (scopes 1 & 2) by the end of 2025. 

Virgin Media O2 is registered in England and Wales. Registration number: 12580944.  Griffin House, 161 Hammersmith Road, London, United Kingdom, W6 8BS.