Billy Connolly Cleared After Dead Cat Joke

Sir Billy Connolly has been cleared by Ofcom after viewers complained about his hilarious 'dead cat' story.

The legendary Scottish comedian, who retired from stand-up in 2018 due to his Parkinson's diagnosis, recounted a story first told to him by Liam Neeson during the documentary Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure, which aired on ITV over the holidays.

It ranks among Connolly's 'all-time favourites', and even though it was originally meant to be a sad tale, he couldn't resist 'taking reality and dressing it up and making people fall about laughing'.

Billy Connolly didn't see the story as a 'sad tale'. (Alamy)

The story dates back to when Neeson was filming Rob Roy, a film about the 18th century Scottish clan chief who went on to become a folk hero. As they were being 'eaten alive by midgies', the movie's armourer was driving his van through a small village when a cat ran in front of the vehicle. He slammed on the brakes and skidded to a stop, but it was unfortunately too late.

He got out of the van to check on the cat, and found it in the gutter twitching. 'Oh sh*t,' he said, before grabbing a hammer from his toolbox and putting the animal out of its misery.

Suddenly, a woman came running out a nearby cottage, furious that he'd just killed her cat. He explained that he'd just hit it with a car, but she didn't believe him. 'No it wasn't, that's a lie! Ya animal, ya psychopath!' she screamed, before calling for Archie, the local policeman.

The armourer explained the story again, and the officer seemed to be more receptive to his claims. 'I can understand, let's go down and we'll see the skid and whatever,' Archie said. However, he then checked under the rear wheel – and there was a dead cat. The other cat was presumably 'dreaming about chasing mice and aw that', Connolly said.

Billy Connolly first heard the story from Liam Neeson. (Alamy)

It's an staggering story, but two viewers felt it broke broadcasting rules on animal welfare. Fortunately, the TV watchdog has dismissed the complaints. 'After careful assessment, Ofcom has decided not to pursue the complaints because they did not raise issues warranting investigation,' a spokesperson said, per Chortle.

Connolly said, 'The cat story is one of my all time favourites. It's joined the pantheon of things I'm proud of. It’s very encouraging that you can take reality and dress it up and make people fall about laughing. Shock is an intrinsic part of comedy. The shock of the punchline from nowhere just gets people, they love it.'

Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure is available to stream on ITV Hub. You can watch Connolly performing the story here.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

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