Sir Billy Connolly has been cleared by television watchdog Ofcom over a joke about a cat that some viewers deemed as cruelty towards animals.
As reported by the Daily Record, Ofcom surveyed a segment from the legendary comedian's new documentary 'Billy Connolly: An Absolute Pleasure', on ITV, after two viewers complained about a joke that involved a cat being run over by a car.
The tale discussed a man who accidentally collided with a cat while driving through the Highlands in Scotland.
Connolly noted that the joke was explained to him by actor Liam Neeson, and was rumoured to have occurred on 1995 film Rob Roy, and involved a crew member on the movie.
He said: “It’s very encouraging that you can take reality and dress it up and make people fall about laughing.
READ MORE - Garage in Edinburgh is put up for sale at same price as average Scottish home
“Shock is an intrinsic part of comedy. The shock of the punchline from nowhere just gets people, they love it.”
In 2021, Connolly said he wouldn't make it as a comic in today's society, mostly due to the 'woke culture'.
He joked that he'd most likely be 'cancelled' because of his 'fearless' material that people would say was too offensive for the modern audience.
The 79-year-old, who is suffering from Parkinson's disease, announced his sad retirement from the stand-up scene in 2018.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: "We had two animal welfare complaints on this, related to a joke about a cat being run over.
"After careful assessment, Ofcom has decided not to pursue the complaints because they did not raise issues warranting investigation."
