IT was in six parts but had just one subject – Billy Connolly – and most of the material had been seen before. Compared to the big budget documentary portraits to be found on Netflix and Amazon, it cost relative bawbees to make.

Yet Billy and Us, part of a Connolly season on BBC Scotland, has proven to be one of the new channel’s biggest hits.

The first two episodes on May 14 and 21 chalked up higher viewing in Scotland than anything else on BBC Two, Channels Four or Five.

With the repeat on Sundays, the episodes have had 270,000 viewers each week, with more than 200,000 requests for the series on BBC iPlayer.

A case of Connolly’s magic touch, or is the “Billy and Us” format a winning idea that could be applied to other prominent Scots?

Dr Andy Dougan, lecturer in film and television studies at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, praised Billy and Us for its “clever and imaginative” use of material.

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Each episode featured Connolly watching excerpts from past interviews and performances and reflecting on them, and life in general.

Other interviewees, including fellow performers Elaine C Smith and Janey Godley, set out what Connolly meant to them in the context of the times.

“Clip shows are very often hackneyed old pieces of often seen film with quotes from people who barely knew the subject,” said Dr Dougan.

“Billy and Us was genuinely reflective, both for him and the audience, and the footage reminded us of how much the comedy scene owes to Billy Connolly.”

Billy and Us was made by BBC Studios Documentary Unit, the department responsible for other recent successes including last year’s Thatcher: A Very British Revolution and Louis Theroux, Life And Death Row.

Connolly was the ideal subject for such an in-depth portrait because there is so much footage of him spanning the decades. As Scotland changed, so Connolly changed. Much of the delight of the series lay in glimpses of the old Glasgow, of dogs wandering the streets and women leaning on window sills, watching the world go by.

The choice of Connolly was key to the success of the films, said Dr Dougan.

“It’s hard to think of a more significant and unifying cultural figure in the past 50 years.”

Yet he agreed there were other prominent Scots whose story mirrors Scotland’s, and who have enough treasures in the archive waiting to be dusted off or discovered.

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Candidates for the “Billy and Us” treatment might include: Fergie and Us Why: At 78, Sir Alex Ferguson is a year older than Connolly. They both have a link to the shipyards: Ferguson Snr worked there, as did Connolly. Sir Alex and Sir Billy typify the working class, self-educated generation of Glaswegians who went out in the world to make their names and fortunes. Sir Alex’s success with Aberdeen and Manchester United makes him a regular on any list of the best football managers of all time.

TV highlights: Lifting the European Cup Winners’ Cup (twice), winning the UEFA Champions League (ditto).

Nicola and Us Why: First Minister of Scotland, and first woman in the job, Nicola Sturgeon’s rise through the ranks has coincided with fundamental changes in Scotland’s political landscape. From devolution to independence referendum and beyond, the 49-year-old and Scotland have come of age together. She was facing a critical point in her career, the push for a second referendum, when the greatest health crisis of the age hit.

TV highlights: The formal stuff, meeting Ministers and the Queen, but the informal too, including the moment she was voted in as FM with her then eight-ear-old niece, Harriet, watching from the gallery of the Scottish Parliament.

Andy and Us Why: Double winner of Wimbledon, greatest ever British tennis player. Travelled the world from a young age, survived baptism of fire from England’s press to become the darling of Murray Mound. Husband, father, feminist, Murray has been as smart off the court as on, investing his fortune in ventures such as Cromlix Hotel. Still in his early thirties, where does he see Scotland’s future?

TV highlights: First Wimbledon victory when he sank to his knees in a mixture of exhaustion, relief, and sheer joy.

Sean and Us Why: Going from Edinburgh milkman to the first and best Bond, and an Oscar winner to boot, surely merits a place in any Scottish documentary hall of fame. Born in Edinburgh in 1930, Sean Connery is another working class Scot made knight of the realm. Approaching his 90th birthday, could have plenty to say about his long career and his equally lengthy support for Scottish independence.

TV highlights: Anything from Bond, plus his speech in The Untouchables (“They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue”). Appearances at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Clare and Us Why: At first glance, Clare Grogan might seem a stretch for a six part series. Why not fellow actor Kelly Macdonald, who has worked with the Coen brothers and Martin Scorsese? But born in the early 1960s, Grogan's experience of growing up in Scotland would chime with that of many another baby boomer. Then there is her starring role in Gregory’s Girl, still regarded by many as the best Scottish movie ever, and her successful career as the lead singer in Altered Images.

TV highlights: The dancing on the grass scene from Gregor’s Girl, singing Happy Birthday on Top of the Pops.

On the possibility of a series on another prominent Scot, a BBC spokesperson said: “We’re always looking for new ways to highlight notable people of Scotland, both famous and those less well known.”

Billy and Us, BBC Scotland, tonight, 10pm, and iPlayer

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