Billy's Windsor Years
Although Billy left off the writing for a while, he still wanted to try his hand at acting. A chance to play in the film Absolution gave him a taste of real acting, and the film won an award at the Miami Film Festival.

 Billy was back on Parkinson for a fourth time in 1978, and after a much more enjoyable American tour in February, Billy had the chance to return to America followed by Australia. He was still very much on the road.

 In 1979, the Big Wee Tour took in the smaller venues around the country, but already Billy was starting to feel that he was becoming a little jaded. His style and format had not changed now for years, and a new brand of alternative comedian was emerging, making Billy's style look a little like yesterday's thing.

 In July, Billy announced to a shocked Evening Times readership that he was considering moving to London. Billy seemed determined to make it as an actor. 
'I've been thinking about it for some time, and I suppose it's almost inevitable. London is where the action is - I mean, what's here? The Apollo? Down there they have got all the facilities for an actor.'

 
1979 was the year that he was approached the Not the Nine O Clock News team, at that time looked upon as the bright young things of alternative comedy, comprising of Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones, and perhaps most portentously, Pamela Stephenson. They wanted him to appear as a hard-man in a pub sketch.

 Billy wrote a pantomime for Christmas 1980, called The Sleeping Dumpling. After some bad reviews of his previous three plays very soon before, he decided not to appear in his own panto, and the result was that they were poory attended, and were eventually cancelled.

 These failures, and perhaps the beginnings of marital upset behind the scenes made Billy say to the local papers: 
'I'm finished with Glasgow. I'll never appear on stage again in the city. I've nothing against the people of the city. It's the press. They just won't leave me alone. Perhaps if I had gone to London like so many others, things would have been different. But I really don't want to move. I like living here. Sure, the people have their faults. And there are some things that really annoy me about them too. I mean, they demand to have my autograph when I'm right in the middle of a meal. They don't have the manners to wait until I'm finished.'

 
Billy regretted these harsh words in later years, and admits that he was under severe pressure at the time - the press were giving his plays really bad reviews, even to the point of telling outright lies. It appeared to Billy that he just couldn't win.

The On Yer Bike Tour of Britain and the Bite Yer Bum world tour of 1981 kept Billy away from Drymen and Iris and the kids, but by that time there was trouble at home. In February of 1981, Billy and Pamela were photographed 'at a lively gathering in Chelsea', and press rumour was rampant about the couple.

 The split eventually came in August 1981. Iris sold her story to The Daily Mirror, blaming the break-up on 'showbusiness' and Billy being away from home so much. Billy confirmed the story a while later, but insisted that the break-up had been looming for some time, and that Pamela Stephenson was not involved. This did not stop the papers having a field day, however. The rumours seemed to have some substance, however, as Billy moved into Pam's Knightsbridge home.

 Pamela had a strong influence on Billy. He gave up the drinking, with the help of counselling at the London Buddhist Centre, where Billy learned how to meditate. He became semi-vegetarian (he still eats some fish). The couple set up home in Fulham, where Billy started to enjoy ordinary life again with Pamela.

But comedy work continued, and he appeared in The Secret Policeman's Ball at The Theatre Royal in Drury Lane. When leaving the all-night party which celebrated the closing performance, Billy chased photographer Stuart Bell down the street and tried to wrestle the camera out of his grasp. Harvey Goldsmith separated them and drove Billy away.

 Pamela was already pregnant when in August 1983, Billy went to court to get custody of Jamie and Cara. A rather brutish exchange of accusations led to Billy and Pamela being granted temporary custody. Pamela gave birth to Daisy on New Years Eve at the Portland Hospital. The divorce was finally settled in 1985, and official custody of the children was granted to Billy.

Billy and Pamela bought a five-bedroomed house in 'millionaires row', at Bray-on-Thames in Berkshire for £500,000, but in 1988 were forced to move to Windsor to get more privacy. They bought a 7-bedroomed Victorian mansion, which they named Grunt Futtock Hall, to the dismay of his neighbours.

 It was around this time that Billy and pamela became involved with the jetset young royals, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and to a lesser extent Princess Diana. Billy went to Andrew's stag night, and the young Connolly's regularly played with the young princesses. To many in Scotland, this was the ultimate sell-out, but Billy defended his position by pointing out that if he pretended to still be working class, with all his money, he would be a hypocrite.

Pamela, at this time was doing Saturday Night Live in the States, and Billy was making the odd guest appearance. He appeared with Whoopi Goldberg on an HBO special, and appeared on NBCs Letterman five times.

 In September 1989, Billy shaved off the beard for his part in the movie The Big Man with Liam Neeson, about Scottish bare-knuckle fighting, and to the dismay of many of his fans, decided to remain bare-faced.

 On 20th December of that year, Billy and Pamela got married in Fiji, and their daughters, Daisy (5), Amy (3) and Scarlett (18 months) were the bridesmaids. Iris sued for more alimony as a result.

 It was then that Billy was offered the US show 'Head of the Class'. America beckoned.

 

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