After Dinner Speakers: Billy Connolly, Charlie Magri, Elvis Costello

Comedian, actor, playwright and presenter Billy Connolly started work as apprentice welder before beginning his show business career with Gerry Rafferty and The Humblebums. As a playwright his work includes ‘The Red Runner’ (Edinburgh Fringe) 1979 and ‘The Beastly Beastitudes of Balthazar B’ (West End) 1982. However it is as a stand-up comedian that Billy is best known and loved and he has been reducing audiences to hysterics with his irreverent Scottish humour for many years now. Numerous television appearances have helped to elevate him to the superstar status he enjoys today; they include a HBO special with Whoopi Goldberg in 1990, a South Bank Show Special (25th Anniversary commemoration) in 1992, ‘Head of the Class’, ‘Billy Connolly's World Tour of Scotland’ in 1994, ‘Billy Connolly's World Tour of Australia in 1996’ and ‘Gentleman's Relish’ for the BBC in 2000. Billy has also crossed over to become a successful film actor, notably putting in a moving performance as Queen Victoria’s faithful retainer in ‘Mrs Brown’ with Dame Judi Dench. Billy’s numerous video releases of his live performances are constantly on the best-seller lists and include ‘Bite your Bum’ in 1981 (winner of the Music Week and Record Business Award 1982), ‘An Audience with Billy Connolly’ in 1982, ‘ Live at Hammersmith’ in 1991, ‘Two Night Stand’ in 1997, ‘Erect for 30 Years’ in 1998 and ‘One Night Stand/Down Under (Live 99)’. As if this wasn’t enough Billy has even had a number one hit single! Billy is married to ‘Not The Nine O’clock News’ comedienne Pamela Stephenson and is constantly in demand for corpo