Tickets for the Big Yin's first stand-up comedy tour in Scotland in five years have been changing hands on websites for big prices.

Billy Connolly's High Horse series of shows are the first since he announced that he is suffering from Parkinson's disease, and tickets were snapped up less than an hour after they went on sale yesterday.

People had queued outside Aberdeen's Music Hall from 4am to get their hands on tickets for his first two shows in the city. The Glaswegian will then move on to Perth's Theatre and Concert Hall, the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and Dundee's Caird Hall before ending with a run in his home city at the Clyde Auditorium.

Tickets were later selling on websites for £200 for a seat in the stalls at the show in Aberdeen on September 29.

Connolly, who was brought up in Partick, is so popular in Glasgow that an extra two dates were last night added at the Clyde Auditorium, on October 29 and 30.

Connolly, 71, also recently revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer but that he has been given the all clear. He has vowed to continue with his stage and acting work.

Aberdeen performing arts manager Joyce Summers said the ticketing website struggled as the 2,600-capacity shows sold out in 50 minutes.

"We knew this was going to be a busy day. The queue outside the Music Hall started at 4.15am," she said.

"We sympathise with those who were disappointed, but we made every effort to maximise box office capacity and continually monitored the situation.

"The website struggled with the sheer volume of traffic at one point.

"We are now looking forward to welcoming Billy Connolly to the Music Hall for two great shows to kick off his High Horse tour."

There were also queues in Edinburgh and Dundee for tickets, while demand caused payment delays online.