Other previous winners include Peter Kay, Dylan Moran, Lee Mack, Phil Kay, Tommy Tiernan and David O'Doherty.

BBC: Aisling Bea wins So You Think You're Funny?

She said the mother, nicknamed Geraldine after Peter Kay's character Geraldine McQueen because she is "big and beautiful", was one of her favourite ewes.

BBC: Heavyweight lamb born on Lancashire farm

His last chat show for ITV1, a fortnight later, attracted an audience of 8.3 million, with guests including Connolly, actress Dame Judi Dench and comedian Peter Kay.

BBC: Parkinson bows out with honour

In one example seen by the BBC, people who had used an unauthorised site to see comedian Peter Kay were told they were not getting their tickets.

BBC: Scammers 'using consumer laws'

Peter Kay is among the UK's most popular comedians and is best known on TV for Channel 4 shows like Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

BBC: iPlayer debut for Peter Kay's BBC sitcom

Comedian Peter Kay is to make his first BBC One sitcom, but the show, titled Car Share, will go out on TV only after making its debut on the BBC iPlayer.

BBC: iPlayer debut for Peter Kay's BBC sitcom

Jamie Oliver became the second-highest earner in the book world with his recipe collections, while memoirs from Peter Kay, Paul O'Grady and Jeremy Clarkson all feature in The Bookseller's top 100 books of the decade.

BBC: News - The noughties in literature

Peter Kay, president of the British Orthopaedic Association and a former adviser to the Department of Health, said the sheer numbers waiting longer than 18 weeks meant it was unlikely to be solely for personal or medical reasons.

BBC: Long hospital waits 'on the increase'

CNN's Roger Clark, Per Nyberg, Jonathan Wald, Richard Allen Greene, Laura Perez Maestro, Paula Newton, Devon Sayers, Natasha Maguder, Kim Norgaard, Nana Karikari-apau, Karen Zuker, Kay Jones, Maria Ebrahimji, and journalist Peter Taggart contributed to this report.

CNN: Thatcher: Tributes paid to 'great leader, great Briton'