He would wander through a comedy routine like an aimless tour guide, sometimes not sure where he was, but always enjoying the view.

Billy Connolly is a master in the art of storytelling. In stand up, he could waggishly reel out hours of outlandish material, ranging from an uncomfortable examination of his prostate to a Glaswegian re­telling of Christ's crucifixion. Nothing was off the table.

On the merits of scatological humour, a subject he has particular affinity for, Connolly once noted: "People think they're childish ­ they're not childish jokes, they're funny. Chaucer, Milton -­ they knew."

Adding to his collection of accolades, Connolly accepted a lifetime achievement honour from the National Television Awards on Thursday.

Here are some of his most memorable lines that will leave fans guffawing for years to come.

Connolly described a 1975 appearance on Michael Parkinson's show as the moment that "changed my entire life."

Despite objections from his manager, the comedian shyly began a rather indelicate gag about a man who murdered his wife, burying her in the garden backside-up.

Billy Connolly once joked that he thought for years that one club's name was "Partick Thistle Nil". He also commented "Ally MacLeod thinks that tactics are a new kind of mint," following the disastrous management of the Scotland World Cup team in 1978.

In 2007, Celtic named Connolly as a patron of the club's community projects arm.

One of Connolly’s most famous comedy routines, The Crucifixion likened the biblical telling of Christ’s final days to a night out in Glasgow.

The recording, which was released on a 1974 double album, was banned by many radio stations at the time.