Having seen Billy Connolly on a number of occasions it’s interesting watching Big Banana Feet to see how his style changed over the years.

In Big Banana Feet (1976), newly restored by The BFI from a 16mm print, he is, as he states himself, “a folk singer telling jokes”. Whereas as he moved into the 80s, as can be seen in the oft repeated ITV programme An Audience with Billy Connelly, his style changed to out and out stand-up comedy.

Filmed as a fly on the wall documentary, Big Banana Feet follows Connolly as he performs two stand up gigs, one in Dublin and the other in Belfast. Filmed at the height of the troubles in Ireland Connolly’s gigs takes place against the back drop of the sectarian trouble, Connolly himself is warned that his life could be in danger if he does the gigs.

Superbly restored in 2K the image probably looks better now than it did when it was first released back in 1976.

Big Banana Feet is a million miles from his stand up shows that more modern audiences are probably familiar with, profanity is limited and he sings more then he tells jokes but as a look back to the early career of arguably one of Scotland’s greatest comedians Big Banana Feet comes highly recommended.