In The Accidental Artist, the comedian combines his quirky sketches with musings on life and, particularly, death

Billy Connolly has faced more than his share of challenges in life, from being abandoned by his mother and abused as a child to being diagnosed with prostate cancer and Parkinson’s disease in 2013. But humour, he says, has helped him through his darkest moments.

In advance of the publication of a new book of his drawings, the Scottish comedian told the Observer he dealt with his most despairing thoughts by trying to enjoy them. “Well, just don’t try and analyse them,” he said. “You’re wasting your time. Just watch them as they roll by and you’ll be fine.”