Mind your manners,'¨says Sir Billy after scandals

The comedian and actor spoke after being knighted at Buckingham Palace.

He said: “I think the air is going to be cleared and a lot of things that should have been done years ago are going to be done to protect young men and women.

“I think that’s going to spread to government, to industry, to university, to all sorts of realms, anywhere power is exercised over the powerless.

“Men will have to get a grip on themselves.”

The 74-year-old was knighted by the Duke of Cambridge for his services to entertainment and charity.

Known primarily for his comedy, Sir Billy has also had a successful acting career, starring in films including Mrs Brown, Brave, A Series of Unfortunate Events and The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies.

After receiving the honour, he said: “It’s been very, very unfair because they (the perpetrators of sexual abuse) have held their careers as a sort of ransom which is a deeply and desperately dastardly thing to do.

“So they’ve made them feel ashamed of themselves, which is a horrible thing to do to a person. Your ego is so important to an actor or performer of any kind and to smash it that way is unkind in the extreme.”

He said men would have to learn manners.