"It's the first time I've done this. Other people have written about me - or for me - but this time, it's just my own life in my own words."

In his first full-length autobiography, comedy legend and national treasure Billy Connolly reveals the truth behind his windswept and interesting life.

Born in a tenement flat in Glasgow in 1942, Billy Connolly was abandoned by his mother as a small child. Living in kinship care with 2 aunties, and later with his father when he returned from WWII, the young Billy was relentlessly abused by his family.

Billy found his escape first as an apprentice welder in the shipyards of the River Clyde. Later he became a folk musician.

As a young comedian, Billy was fearless and outspoken.

It was an appearance on Michael Parkinson's chat show in 1975 - and one outrageous story in particular - that catapulted Billy into a national star.