By HOLLY LENNON

FOLLOWING a tumultuous 2016, comedian Billy Kirkwood is set to head out on a tour which will see him relive it all.

With everything from a near-death experience, second child and a new radio show under his belt, he has a lot to talk about.

Billy will be putting a humourous spin on events as part of the upcoming Glasgow comedy festival.

Over the past decade, the Irvine-based comedian has performed around the world and has been part of the boom in popularity of Insane Championship Wrestling.

Having now had time to reflect, he explains: “It’s probably taught me to savour the moments. I will never look back until I think my career is over”.

“It has always been “ahead, ahead, ahead. What’s the next challenge?” And that’s the thing about the car accident, looking at it and saying “well I didn’t die.” So why approach things with fear?”

Over a year on from the accident, Billy is under no illusions about how lucky he was to survive.

The father-of-two was driving home from a gig in 2015 when the brakes in his car failed.

In a bid to stop other people getting hurt, he crashed into a roundabout at 60 miles per hour but miraculously walked away with no serious injuries.

Minutes before the crash, his wife told him she was pregnant with their second child.

Parenthood is something which features in Billy’s work.

He explains: “It has so many rewards. It has made me more focused in terms of my career: I now work harder to make sure I get home to spend time with my kids.

“I love them with all my heart, I love my wife even more (I didn’t think it was possible) for making me a dad. It’s trying: certainly when you’re away from home.

“I test any man of any heart or real worth for his heart not to melt and sink if your son is crying because he’s realised you’re going away.

“It’s great. It’s trying. It’s aged me horribly (laughs). It has made me appreciate people more, there is nothing more humbling than becoming a parent.

“Parenting is really just trying to be a better person.”

Despite having a career that takes him all over the country, the comedian has started tailoring his work to suit the family and is currently working on kids comedy and a kids books.

He has also recently made the move into radio, as West FM’s breakfast DJ.

Speaking on his new career move, Billy explains that it is like “learning a whole new set of skills”.

“It’s about trying to find that happy medium, I’ve done comedy for kids and non-swearing comedy for adults, but trying to do that every morning, in a live situation, is very difficult: trying to be entertaining while still getting people up in the morning and getting them the information that they need, it’s being a broadcaster in a way I never have before.

“Everyone I know who does this has five or six years behind them, I’m four months in! I’m aiming to get the basics down and add the sparkle later.

“It is very different from stand-up, it’s like being a learner driver again. I’m just trying to get looser and keep developing, to get “through the gears” to allow me to add more of myself into the role.”

Having admittedly ‘cut his teeth’ in Glasgow, the comedian has become a popular face in the city, especially amongst fans of the cult wrestling shows Insane Championship Wrestling which saw Billy commentating for at at the Hydro last year.

Now bringing in crowds of over five thousand, it has given the comedian one of his most valuable platform.

“To go out there, to hear them chant your name, to feel that excitement, to let them know we’re gonna have a good time, and to let them know how much we appreciate them being there, was just unbelievable”, he says.

“You know, it’s a real success project. To be the wee schemey guy from Irvine, who shouldn’t be where he is, who shouldn’t be able to get these unique experiences that I’ve got from Insane Championship Wrestling, I am so grateful to be a part of that and to do it with people I now consider as friends. It’s very hard not to be humbled by it all.

As part of this year’s Glasgow comedy festival, Billy will be involved in a few different kinds of shows, which will include giving audiences the world premiere of his new material.

“It (the festival) led to the birth of Watch Bad Movies with Great Comedians, Show Me Your Tattoo, and even me doing solo shows! It’s about bringing these unique concepts because I feel they’re the people that will give you honest feedback without throwing you under the bus.

“I cut my teeth in Glasgow, and I just want to keep giving it something different; I very much like the idea of not being settled, of always scrambling with something different. So that’s why I’ll keep coming back, every year...until I’m dead!”

Billy Kirkwood’s new solo Sheer Utter Chaos debuts at the Stand Comedy Club on March 20.