Billy Connolly says men need 'to get a grip of themselves'

Sir Billy Connolly has said "men will have to get a grip on themselves'' in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal gripping the entertainment industry.

The comedian and actor spoke after being knighted at Buckingham Palace.

He said: "I think the air is going to be cleared and a lot of things that should have been done years ago are going to be done to protect young men and women.

"I think that's going to spread to government, to industry, to university, to all sorts of realms, anywhere power is exercised over the powerless.

"Men will have to get a grip on themselves.''

The 74-year-old was knighted by the Duke of Cambridge for his services to entertainment and charity

Connolly, also known as The Big Yin, will celebrate his 75th birthday later this year.

He previously said he wished his late sister and his parents were alive to see him knighted.

"I wish my sister was here,'' he said. "My sister Flo died last year and she would have loved that, and my parents are both dead, so I wish they were here to see it.''

Known primarily for his stand up comedy, Connolly has also had a successful acting career, starring in the films Brave, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Mrs Brown and The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies.

In 2013 he announced he was being treated for the initial symptoms of Parkinson's disease, admitting he had started to forget his lines during performances.

He was in London on Monday for a Downing Street reception, hosted by Theresa May, marking 200 years since Dr James Parkinson's Essay on the Shaking Palsy.

He was joined by actress turned clinical psychologist and author Pamela Stephenson, his wife since 1989.

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