Comic brands journalists "slime"

Billy Connolly  has turned on the press in the escalating row over his joke about British hostage Ken Bigley.

The comic was hassled by reporters as he flew into Heathrow airport yesterday and asked to apologise for saying he wished Bigley’s captors “would just get on with it”.

He told a TV reporter he had nothing to say, adding: "Don't you feel like a bit of a fucking parasite sometimes? You're fucking slime.”

The 62-year-old Glaswegian then told the press pack to "go away and hassle Elton," referring to Sir Elton John's recent rant against photographers in Taiwan, shouting, "rude, vile pigs" at them

He told another reporter: "Why the fuck would I want to talk to you? I don’t give a fuck if you are asking me a question. I don’t know who you are.”

Connolly was booed and heckled after telling an audience at the Carling Apollo in Hammersmith: "Perhaps I shouldn't be saying this ... aren't you the same as me, don't you wish they would just get on with it?"

Ken Bigley’s brother Paul said: “I don’t like his humour anyway. If you want to be entertained by a person of that calibre, by all means go and queue up in the rain.  That’s my comment; that’s all I’m going to say."

However, in his show last night, Connolly reportedly did not mention Bigley by name, although he did comment on the storm he has provoked.

Connolly’s management TicketyBoo have declined to comment on the incident.

>> Chortle's review of the show

Published: 7 Oct 2004