Billy Connolly has admitted that he thinks about death "quite a lot" and has predicted that he may die soon.

The Scottish comedian retired from performing last year after his long battle with Parkinson's disease led to him losing his short-term memory.

"I think about death quite a lot now that I am 78," he told The Times. "I don't think I've got that long."

He added: "There's a thing that they teach in Buddhism when you see a dead animal in the street - a pigeon, a little bird or a rabbit. You say to yourself, 'That is the way of all life and that is the way it will be for me.' And it makes you lose your fear of death.

"I think you go to the same place you were before you were born. Nowhere.

"You die. It's over. You should have done it when you were alive. Get on with it."

Connolly will reflect on his career in a one-off documentary for ITV, Billy Connolly: It's Been a Pleasure, airing next Monday at 9.30pm.