Big Yin in alliance with auld enemy

SCOTTISH comedian Billy Connolly, famous for his dislike of the Scottish press, has joined forces with Scotland's Daily Record and Chrysalis Radio to bid for Scotland's largest radio licence, writes Paul McCann, Media Editor.

Connolly, who has had numerous altercations with reporters and photographers from the Record and its sister title The Sunday Mail, has become a partner in The Edge, a consortium bidding for a central Scotland commercial licence that has the potential to reach around half of the country's population.

The licence will cover 2.8 million people in Glasgow and Edinburgh and much of the industrial belt in between. The Edge is bidding to provide a music station aimed at 15- to 30-year-olds that will play "indie" or non-mainstream rock and dance music.

Launching the bid, Connolly said yesterday: "This is a brilliant opportunity to make a difference. There have always been millions of reasons for not playing bands and musicians, but great people need to be heard."

The comedian, who now lives in Windsor and Los Angles, has in the past spoken of his "hatred" of Scottish journalists and on his last tour ended up on the front page of the Sunday Mail for hitting one of its photographers.