Rosco McClelland wins Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at GICF

Rosco McClelland has been announced as the winner of 2025's Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award, at Glasgow International Comedy Festival's Comedy Gala.

Article Source: Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Last Updated: 31 March 2025 11:15

The comedian collected his trophy onstage at the King’s Theatre, following a touching video message from Sir Billy Connolly himself on the final day of this year’s festival.

The only award given by GICF, Rosco McClelland took home the prize ahead of a seven-strong Shortlist including Craig Hill, Marjolein Robertson, Paul Black, Viv Gee and more. Rosco joins previous winners Susie McCabe (2024) and Janey Godley (2023), as GICF work with Sir Billy for the third year in a row to celebrate all that makes comedy and the city of Glasgow so special and entwined with the Big Yin himself.

Sir Billy Connolly sent a personalised video message from his home in Florida to announce the winner saying: “Hello everybody, it’s Billy Connolly here. I’ve just been enjoying your comedy at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival, the level is very high…”

Addressing the winner directly, Sir Billy Connolly referenced one of Rosco’s most famous jokes, saying: “Congratulations to Rosco McClelland - the slug nudger! Well done - I had a good laugh at your thing about the slugs in the bin. I wish you all the very best, I hope your career goes bouncing from strength to strength and that the Glasgow humour goes bounding from strength to strength, as it will. Congratulations.”

Rosco McClelland was presented with the award in the final minutes of the Comedy Gala saying: “I honestly can’t believe this, I never thought about anything to say but I’m going to Fuerteventura tomorrow so I’m looking forward to that!

“Thank you so much - to join the list of people who have won, Janey and Susie, is incredible. To know that the Big Yin has seen me do my silly wee bits of stand up is insane, that’s the real prize in this. Just to hear him say my name, I can’t believe this, he’s the best to ever do it. Thank you to my family, everybody at Glasgow International Comedy Festival, and my agents. To everybody else who was nominated - they’re fantastic comedian and fantastic people. Cheers!”

Festival Director Krista MacDonald, 2024 winner Susie McCabe and comedy icon Elaine C Smith presented with the award - a glass trophy etched with Sir Billy Connolly’s famous self-portrait, following a hilarious closing set from Susie McCabe.

Festival Director Krista MacDonald said: “Rosco McClelland is one of Scotland’s brightest comedic voices and has been entertaining audiences for over a decade with his unique look at the absurdities of everyday life. After being nominated for awards like Best Newcomer back in 2015, to see a homegrown Glaswegian talent like Rosco be honoured with 2025’s Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award is a real testament to his hard work and commitment to his craft. Rosco embodies all that is exceptional about Glasgow and its comedy scene; a bold and brave brand of comedy, an unparalleled resilience and warmth and, above all else, an unfailing desire to make people laugh.

“Sir Billy Connolly is a comic who has shaped and defined Glasgow’s cultural identity, and reflected the very best of this city back to audiences around the world. To have the Big Yin involved in the Festival in this way and for us to distribute an award in his name is a real honour.

“The GICF team send our warmest congratulations to Rosco as the winner of the third ever Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award, as well as this year’s outstanding Shortlist, who are all a shining representation of the strength of Scottish comedy.”

Rosco McClelland has been entertaining audiences for over a decade, making waves in his hometown of Glasgow as well as at Fringe Festivals around the world and growing into one of the UK comedy industry’s best performing comedians. He will close out this year’s GICF with his hit show ‘Sudden Death’ at Oran Mor on Sunday night.

GICF’s Comedy Gala saw the biggest and best of the fest come together at the King’s Theatre to celebrate a year of showcasing outstanding comedy. Hosted by Susie McCabe, the Gala featured Connor Burns, who sold out two nights at the King’s, rising stars including Alana Jackson, Ayo Adenekan, Scottish comics Chris Thorburn, Viv Gee and Kim Blythe, plus sets from MC Hammersmith, Kate Hammer and Zoe Lyons. As part of Glasgow’s 850 celebrations in 2025, the Lord Provost of Glasgow also issued a special one-off award at this year’s GICF closing Gala. As part of the city’s celebration of outstanding Glaswegians during its 850th year, comedian and comedy skills teacher Viv Gee was honoured with a bespoke trophy, in recognition of an extraordinary contribution to the comedy community in Glasgow.

Previously announcing Janey Godley as the inaugural winner in March 2023, Sir Billy Connolly said: “Glasgow deserves to have an international comedy festival - it’s the funniest town in the world, bar none. The standard is colossal and I’m always amazed when I see TV or live comedy from Glasgow. I’m very proud to be part of the international festival and I’m very proud that my drawing has been part of the trophy.”

A panel of judges from across Scotland’s cultural sphere met to collate the seven-strong Shortlist, before sending a recommendation to Sir Billy Connolly who made the final decision for this year’s winner. 2025’s Shortlist included: Craig Hill, Kim Blythe, Marjolein Robertson, Paul Black, Rosco McClelland, Scott Agnew and Viv Gee.

Introduced in 2023, the award in honour of Sir Billy Connolly looks to reward an individual who most personifies the Spirit of Glasgow. Celebrating the city and its Glaswegian warmth, resilience and humour which is renowned around the world the award, using criteria which both Glasgow and Sir Billy Connolly represent including:

1. Resilient - warm but tough
2. Open - accessible for all
3. Unapologetic - proud and unpretentious; curious and challenging; mould-breaking
4. Gallus - bold and brave; self-starting
5. Funny - above all else, an ability to make people laugh

The 2025 judging panel was comprised of: radio presenter Aarti Joshi; Emmy award winning actor, author and Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre Alan Cumming; Clyde 1 radio presenter and DJ Cassi Gilespie; co-creator of one of Scotland’s most successful sitcoms, Still Game, Greg Hemphill; The Herald journalist Gregor Kyle; Glasgow’s Lord Provost Jacqueline McLaren; entertainment journalist Laura Boyd; Channel 4’s Digital Commission Editor Laura Marks; Lost Glasgow journalist Norry Wilson; actor and comedian Sanjeev Kohli and 2024’s Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award winner Susie McCabe.

The festival’s final day closes out with huge shows across the city including Russell Kane at the King’s Theatre, plus stand out shows at Oran Mor from Jenny Eclair, Liam Farrelly and Rosco McClelland.

This year’s GICF was one of its biggest years yet, with over 560 shows taking place in 40 venues across the city, from East to West, as part of Glasgow’s 850 celebrations. Starring homegrown talent alongside international comedians, the Festival welcomed everyone from Tom Segura at The OVO Hydro to Here Comes the Guillotine Live at the SEC Armadillo, Catherine Bohart at Oran Mor and rising stars including Kathleen Hughes, Jin Hao Li, Dee Allum, Hannah Elizabeth Morton, Limahl Germain and many more.

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