Peter Kay

Peter Kay
Born	2 July, 1973 Bolton, Lancashire, England
Occupation(s)	Actor, comedian, writer and producer

Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973 in Bolton, Lancashire, England) is a writer, producer, actor and comedian. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing (2000), Phoenix Nights (2001 - 2002), Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004), as well as other independent productions. His act is notable for being alternative comedy that still manages to appeal to a working class audience.

In a recent interview he revealed the shocking fact that he finds all his fans repulsive, "They all seem to be drunken overweight northern louts that probably can't even read anything other than heat magasine", and that he thinks he's the funniest man alive. He also admitted that he fancies Noel Fielding and David Mitchell, quite likes Russell Brand, but to him, the most handsome of them all is Harry Hill. "That bald bonce is just so kissable!" He has also starred in a few porn movies abroad, his most famous one being a Moroccan one called "Kram all Mehni Gahlp" wich translates to "Now We Know". Kay was spotted going out clubbing in the club Lè gays personnes in Bolton, his hometown. In the club, one of his gay fans spotted him, and asked him politely if he could have his photo taken with him, and if he could have an autograph. Peter Kay rudely said Look, if you're one of my fat ignorant obeise dumb fans, f**k off and that all his fans were f**king losers that watch Big Brother. Kay, is he gay? that is the question people are asking themselves. Well, no one really cares, as he doesn't have any real friends or many fans, as he hates them all. Kay was even seen in Bolton (he never leaves that town, or country, as he calls it) kicking a dog, calling it Stupid f**king dog and words to rude for wikipedia. Kay, is he cruel? people wont be asking themselves that, though, as it's too obvious! "Kay is a perverted man, and I always knew he was a pervert" says Margaret Kay, aged 32."I'm especially ashamed I share his surname!But no way I'm realated to him, not that paedophile!"

Also in the interview, he admitted to have once weed in a goldfish bowl, killing it, just because he couldn't be bothered to get off his fat arse to go to walk 3 metres to the disgusting, unclean, stinky loo that he normally sleeps in. He said that he'll call his son, when he "gets one", Piggy Leroux... he respects all people with that name, but hates gingers, as he thinks "leroux" means the dark haired one. He's glad he's not related to Vernon Kay, because he wouldn't mind marrying him too. "He's quite handsome, and like that I wouldnt have to bother changing my signature (last name). My middle name is of course "Sexy". My mother could tell I was going to be a sexy beast as soon as I born, she said, "You are the sexiest of all my children", and called my Sexy. Who cares anyway, I never sign anything anyway, not ya f*cking arse. F*cking fans!" His favourite food is a tripple fat burger, the kind you get in "Bolton King".

On March the 23rd 2005, Peter Kay was seen in the pub The fat K (Bolton)drinking some "orange" juice, but it had a weird colour, so we're not sure. In the pub, Kay was sitting next to Ashley Llama, aged 8, who was eating a bar of chocolate. Kay rudely snatched it out of her hands and said repeatedly "RARARA IT'S MINE NOW, YA LIL FAT MIDGET [racist comments]!" Ashley's mum, Sarah Llama, aged 35, says "Kay is a racist man, and rude, calling young children midgets, and me and my family are really offended!" Kay went to prison for 2 hours, but he didn't want this to go on the News. He was very angry when he found out that the site "www.dogshitsthatlooklikepeople.com" had loads of entries under the Peter Kay section. Last spotted in "Bolton King" trying to get a free burger. He lost his temper when the manager refused : "You f***ing tramps! don't you know who I am? This is the whole 'I want a burger named the PPK-BURGER (Peter Prudie Kay, his middle name isn't actually "Sexy" as he wants everyone to believe.) with ingredients such as banana mixed with hundreds and thousands mixed into the beef part, named after me' situation again!!!! On the way out he said to a baby that smiled at him : "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT YA BALD BA$TARD??"

On March the 23rd 2005, Peter Kay was seen in the pub The fat K (Bolton)drinking some "orange" juice, but it had a weird colour, so we're not sure. In the pub, Kay was sitting next to Ashley Llama, aged 8, who was eating a bar of chocolate. Kay rudely snatched it out of her hands and said repeatedly "RARARA IT'S MINE NOW, YA LIL FAT MIDGET !"Ashley's mum, Sarah Llama, aged 35, says "Kay is a -...weird man, and rude, calling young children midgets, and me and my family are really offended!" Kay went to prison for 2 hours, but he didn't want this to go on the News. He was very angry when he found out that the site "www.dogshitsthatlooklikepeople.com" had loads of entries under the Peter Kay section. Last spotted in "Bolton King" trying to get a free burger. He lost his temper when the manager refused : "You f***ing tramps! don't you know who I am? This is the whole 'I want a burger named the PPK-BURGER (Peter Prudie Kay, his middle name isn't actually "Sexy" as he wants everyone to believe.) with ingredients such as banana mixed with hundreds and thousands mixed into the beef part, named after me' situation again!!!! On the way out he said to a baby that smiled at him : "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT YA BALD BA$TARD??"

Peter Kay doesn't approve of these, "new" cars. He finds them obscene : "Ohrr back when I were a young lad, in the 30s, we only rode on slave driven carts. I still do that to this day." He auditioned for a role in that "Take a Break" advert, the one supposed to be the village people singing YMCA, but he was turned down for not having "the right physique" "OHHH IT'S NOT MY FAULT I'M TOO SKINNY!! I DO EAT! I 'AD THREE PPK BURGERS ON THE WAY 'EA!!"

-The other day, Peter Kay was "trying" to buy a new car. He chose a Mini Cooper, the old one, but the man selling them said he was too strong and big. Kay rudely said "OI YA F*CKIN' SH*T! I DO WOT WANT KKZ SO DON'T TELL ME I'M A TALL THIN HANDSOME MAN, 'CAUSE I ALREADY KNOW, AND I'M GONNA BUY THIS CAR ANYWAY, OK, YA LIL SH*T!" Peter Brown, the man selling the cars , aged 23, was really offended. He says "I think I should change my name, after what happened. What he was calling me was so rude! I used to find that man quite funny, but not know. He is a pervert I think." -Peter Kay was found in Tesco's buying some John Frieda hair colouring (along with his 1000000000 ham burgers and 10000000000000000 cheeseburgers and 30000000000000000000000000000000 unknown burgers) so now we know he dyes his hair.

Rise to fame

After leaving Mount St. Joseph High School, Kay took several jobs, many of which inspired episodes or sequences in That Peter Kay Thing. His earliest was an interview with Granada Television in which he listed the contents of his room, as well as detailing his experience meeting Jimmy Savile. This would later be used in That Peter Kay Thing, in the role of Leonard De-Thompkinson.

Most recently Kay's experience working at the Manchester Evening News Arena inspired him to wear the official yellow jacket of the MEN Arena for the final performance of his Mum Wants a Bungalow tour. Kay has said that he sought a career in comedy. During his time working as a cinema usher, he experimented with stand-up, participating in several local events, as well as others at the Comedy Store in Manchester. Eventually, after losing his job at the cinema, he was presented with the choice between finding another relatively meagre position or moving into comedy. After being told by several of his family that he was talented, he swiftly chose stand-up. He also states that he became a comedian partly to clear debt, although this is believed to be a comedic device, referring only to the fact that he was out of work.

After he entered and subsequently won Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny contest in 1997, his first semi-professional stand-up appearances were at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe festival, where he was nominated for the Perrier Award. During this time, he also appeared at various other clubs, such as The Comedy Store, and the Barracuda Club in Lincoln. Although this led to a certain level of public recognition, it was only after his heavily promoted show, Live at the Top of the Tower, in 2000 that Kay attained widespread fame.

During this period, he appeared on several chat shows, such as Parkinson and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, having previously been a warm-up man for the former. Production also began on Phoenix Nights, which was to see him achieve critical acclaim as well as mainstream audience appreciation. Subsequent advertisements for John Smith's Bitter, which imitate the realistic style of Phoenix Nights, saw Kay develop his now much-repeated catchphrases, "Ave 'it!" and "Two Lamb bhunas".

In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 Funniest British Comedians. In addition, he made an appearance in a 2005 poll of comedians and critics to find The Comedian's Comedian, a search for the 50 greatest funnymen of all time. In March 2005 he also came top in a survey sponsored by the Jongleurs comedy club to find Britain's favourite comedian.

In 2006, a Channel 4 television show voted him as number one in 100 Funniest Moments, most notably for his stand up act, and in particular for his description of a family wedding.

On 18 April 2006, Channel 4 broadcast a "Peter Kay Night", showing out-takes from Phoenix Nights (previously featured on DVD), a behind the scenes documentary of the Mum Wants a Bungalow tour and also the whole Peter Kay Live in Manchester show. During this evening, Kay was seen in character as Max (from Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere & Phoenix Nights) discussing the tribute with Paddy (Patrick McGuinness). Max stated that he did not like Peter Kay, and thought that Channel 4 was going downhill for dedicating a whole night to him. Paddy commented that he wondered why ITV have not snapped up Kay. Max is also seen to be ignorant of current events, from not realising that civil partnerships are now legal and that Elton John has made use of it, to more controversial news stories involving Michael Barrymore, Gary Glitter, Diana, Princess of Wales and Michael Jackson.

On March the 23rd 2005, Peter Kay was seen in the pub The fat K (Bolton)drinking some "orange" juice, but it had a weird colour, so we're not sure. In the pub, Kay was sitting next to Ashley Llama, aged 8, who was eating a bar of chocolate. Kay rudely snatched it out of her hands and said repeatedly "RARARA IT'S MINE NOW, YA LIL MIDGET [racist comments]!" Ashley's mum, Sarah Llama, aged 35, says "Kay is a racist man, and rude, calling young children midgets, and me and my family are really offended!" Kay went to prison for 2 hours, but he didn't want this to go on the News.

He was very angry when he found out that the site "dogshitsthatlooklikepeople.com" had loads of entries under the Peter Kay section. Last spotted in "Bolton King" trying to get a free burger. He lost his temper when the manager refused : "You f***ing tramps! don't you know who I am? This is the whole 'I want a burger named the PPK-BURGER (Peter Prudie Kay, his middle name isn't actually "Sexy" as he wants everyone to believe.) with ingredients such as banana mixed with nutella mixed into the beef part, named after me' situation again!!!! On the way out he said to a baby that smiled at him : "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT YA BALD BASTARD??"

Productions

Kay's first TV project was in an episode of New Voices, a comedy series which showcased up and coming talent. His episode, "Two Minutes", written by Johanne McAndrew, saw him play a getaway driver as two of his mates attempted to rob a pub of its takings. This was broadcast in 1997. After appearing on BBC Two's The Sunday Show presenting his own slot entitled "Peter Kay's World of Entertainment", Kay made an episode of Channel 4's The Comedy Lab, "The Services", in 1998. This served as a pilot for the later That Peter Kay Thing. His idea for this series was to create a testbed for ideas and concepts that he could later use within other series. The idea of having several characters all played by himself was something with which Kay experimented.

That Peter Kay Thing

After a favourable reception to the pilot, That Peter Kay Thing was devised. It was based solely on the experiences of Kay's earlier life working in several menial jobs. The range of characters included the now legendary Brian Potter, who Kay said was a combination of all his bosses' personalities along with the voice of a man he knows, and the eccentric Leonard DeTomkinson, who is based on a real Leonard who used to visit Peter during his working time at the local Majestic Garage. Following continued success, Kay and his co-writers, Neil Fitzmaurice and Dave Spikey, eventually decided to create another series, and settled on "In the Club". This would use the character of Brian Potter, as well as improve other features that audiences were known to enjoy. The cast was slightly altered, elements thought to be unnecessary were removed, and it became reincarnated as Phoenix Nights.

Phoenix Nights

Phoenix Nights was his notable TV programme, written by him, Dave Spikey and Neil Fitzmaurice and set in a newly refurbished social club run by wheelchair-bound Brian Potter. The club was based on an episode of That Peter Kay Thing entitled "In The Club". The cast of Phoenix Nights was made up almost entirely of stand-up comics whom the writers had met on 'the circuit'. The show was an immediate hit. It followed the story of the club and the various events that happened there. Expertly written, much of the humour was somewhat implicit - relying on subtle background clues and hints or paradoxes. The first series was partly filmed at St.Gregory's Social Club in Farnworth, Bolton - where the exterior, hallways and function suite were all used. Other sets, such as the Jocky Wilson suite, were built at Granada Studios. For the second series, all filming took place at St.Gregory's.

Peter has said that he has already written series 3.

Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere

Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere was a spin-off of Phoenix Nights. Featuring the bouncer characters from the show played by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuiness and featured numerous occaisions featuring the Phoenix nightclub. Made for Channel 4 to be shown on a Friday, 6 were made and the DVD is available in stores. A spoof workout DVD was created, featuring Patrick McGuiness and Peter Kay (Under Max & Paddy).

Other work

Since 2002, Kay has featured in television advertisements for John Smith's beer, through which his catchphrase — "'Ave it!" — gained popularity.

He has had two cameo roles in Coronation Street. The first, in the late 1990s, was a brief appearance as a shopfitter, but in January 2004 he co-wrote his own scenes, appearing alongside real-life good friend, Sally Lindsay, who plays Shelley Unwin.

On 17 June 2006, Kay appeared in a Doctor Who episode titled "Love & Monsters". His character, the sinister Victor Kennedy, proved to be an alien called the Abzorbaloff in disguise. Although the episode itself was quite comedic, Kay's role was more serious than those he normally plays.

He has also released several DVDs of live performances, including Live at the Top of the Tower, Live at the Bolton Albert Halls, Peter Kay: The Live Collections (The previous two combined) and Peter Kay: Live At Manchester Arena.

Kay's film appearances have included minor roles in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Roddy Smythe Investigates (2003) and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005). He also provided a voice to the character PC McIntosh for the film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).

Kay also appeared at the BBC's televised charity event Comic Relief in 2003 and 2005, sharing the stage with Alan Partridge (actor Steve Coogan) in 2003. As part of the 2005 event, on 14 March , Kay promoted a re-release of Tony Christie's 1971 hit "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo". The song had earlier featured in Phoenix Nights, and Kay performed in the accompanying music video. On Sunday, 20 March 2005, the single reached number one in the UK Singles Charts, and stayed there for seven consecutive weeks. In 2007 he will release "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", originally by The Proclaimers, with Matt Lucas for Comic Relief.

He has appeared on numerous chat shows, including Parkinson and The Paul O'Grady Show. When he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show (ITV 1) at Christmas 2005, he came on in a Christmas tree costume. For his second appearance with Paul on The New Paul O'Grady Show (Channel 4) he was dressed as a Catholic Nun wearing a large mask of himself, mimicking the front cover of his new book, The Sound of Laughter. At Christmas 2006 he made a third appearence, this time dressed up as a snowman. He also co-hosted Top of the Pops in character as Brian Potter alongside Fearne Cotton in January 2006.

Kay also had a cameo role in The Catherine Tate Show, playing an elderly gentlemen called Tommy, a good friend of Tate's character Nana.

Kay appeared on stage at the Queen and Paul Rodgers concert at Manchester's MEN Arena (with Patrick McGuinness) and in Hyde Park in 2005 both as himself and in the persona of Brian Potter.

In September 2006 he co-presented the Edith Bowman afternoon show on Radio 1 where he revealed that he had written a third series of Phoenix Nights. In addition two specials of Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere have been penned.

In November 2006 it was announced that he will be playing flamboyant gay director Roger DeBris in the Mel Brooks musical, The Producers for the Manchester leg of the UK Tour, at the Manchester Palace Theatre from February 19 until May 12 2007.

Filmography

• New Voices [episode "Two Minutes"] (1997)
• The Comedy Lab [episode "The Services"] (1998)
• Live at the Top of the Tower (2000)
• That Peter Kay Thing (2000)
• Phoenix Nights (2001)
• Live at the Bolton Albert Halls (2003)
• Roddy Smythe Investigates... (2003)
• Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004)
• Live at the Manchester Arena (2005)
• Peter Kay — Driven to Distraction (2005)
• Max and Paddy's Power of Two (2005)
• The Catherine Tate Show (Guest Star) (2005)
• Doctor Who - Love & Monsters (Aired 17 June 2006)
• Little Britain Abroad (Christmas 2006 Specials)

Trivia

• Kay stated that he was extremely good at art in his youth, but that he stopped it in favour of Comedy performances.

• At the British Academy of Film and Television tribute to comedian and actor Ronnie Barker in December 2004, Kay spoke of the influence he had drawn from him in his own work.

• Kay has performed at the Reebok Stadium in his home town Bolton as an opening act for Elton John. In addition, Bolton Wanderers F.C.'s fans have adopted "Amarillo" as a theme song, with Tony Christie's recording played at the home ground whenever the team scores.

• Kay appeared at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London on 2 July 2005, where he introduced The Who, after joining the audience in a rendition of "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo". He played a gag on the crowd by first announcing that the Spice Girls were the next act. However, the greater part of his performance was not shown on the live broadcast, producers instead opting to interview George Michael.

• Despite raising his profile in a series of advertisements for John Smith's bitter, Kay rarely drinks. On the 'Top of the Tower' DVD he speaks about a time he was drunk at a Four Tops tribute concert after drinking just a single Baileys. His father died of alcohol poisoning.

• His mother, Deirdre, often goes to his performances.

• His father, Michael, used to work in the food department of Marks & Spencer in Bolton.

• He supported Queen at the Hyde Park gig in Summer 2005 after appearing on stage at the Manchester leg of the tour, coming on for the encore.

• Kay introduced both Texas and Doves at the V2005 festival in Weston Park, Staffordshire.

• He tried to buy the rights to the name Chorley FM from the real station based in Chorley for just £80.

• Kay is sometimes receptive to fan letters. This apparently stems from an occasion when, in his youth, he wrote to Ronnie Barker and received a reply.

• Kay appeared at the Carling Weekend : Leeds Festival in 2006 on the Saturday Night. He introduced Kaiser Chiefs by using his classic one-line "Garlic ... Bread" but replaced it with "Kaiser ... Chiefs"

| caption = Peter Kay during one of his stand up routines. | birth_date = 2 July, 1973 | birth_place = Bolton, Lancashire, England | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Actor, comedian, writer and producer | spouse = }}

Peter Kay (born 2 June 1973 in Bolton, Lancashire, England) is a writer, producer, actor and comedian. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing (2000), Phoenix Nights (2001 - 2002), Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004), as well as other independent productions. His act is notable for being alternative comedy that still manages to appeal to a working class audience.

Rise to fame

After leaving Mount St. Joseph High School, Kay took several jobs, many of which inspired episodes or sequences in That Peter Kay Thing. His earliest was an interview with Granada Television in which he listed the contents of his room, as well as detailing his experience meeting Jimmy Savile. This would later be used in That Peter Kay thing, in the role of Leonard De-Thompkinson.

Most recently Kay's experience working at the Manchester Evening News Arena inspired him to wear the official yellow jacket of the MEN Arena for the final performance of his Mum Wants a Bungalow tour. Kay has said that he sought a career in comedy. During his time working as a cinema usher, he experimented with stand-up, participating in several local events, as well as others at the Comedy Store in Manchester. Eventually, after losing his job at the cinema, he was presented with the choice between finding another relatively meagre position or moving into comedy. After being told by several of his family that he was talented, he swiftly chose stand-up. He also states that he became a comedian partly to clear debt, although this is believed to be a comedic device, referring only to the fact that he was out of work.

After he entered and subsequently won Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny contest in 1997, his first semi-professional stand-up appearances were at the 1998 Edinburgh Fringe festival, where he was nominated for the Perrier Award. During this time, he also appeared at various other clubs, such as The Comedy Store, and the Barracuda Club in Lincoln. Although this led to a certain level of public recognition, it was only after his heavily promoted show, Live at the Top of the Tower, in 2000 that Kay attained widespread fame.

During this period, he appeared on several chat shows, such as Parkinson and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, having previously been a warm-up man for the former. Production also began on Phoenix Nights, which was to see him achieve critical acclaim as well as mainstream audience appreciation. Subsequent advertisements for John Smith's Bitter, which imitate the realistic style of Phoenix Nights, saw Kay develop his now much-repeated catchphrases, "Ave 'it!" and "Two Lamb bhunas".

In 2003, he was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 Funniest British Comedians. In addition, he made an appearance in a 2005 poll of comedians and critics to find The Comedian's Comedian, a search for the 50 greatest funnymen of all time. In March 2005 he also came top in a survey sponsored by the Jongleurs comedy club to find Britain's favourite comedian.

In 2006, a Channel 4 television show voted him as number one in 100 Funniest Moments, most notably for his stand up act, and in particular for his description of a family wedding.

On 18 April 2006, Channel 4 broadcast a "Peter Kay Night", showing out-takes from Phoenix Nights (previously featured on DVD), a behind the scenes documentary of the Mum Wants a Bungalow tour and also the whole Peter Kay Live in Manchester show. During this evening, Kay was seen in character as Max (from Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere & Phoenix Nights) discussing the tribute with Paddy (Patrick McGuinness). Max stated that he did not like Peter Kay, and thought that Channel 4 was going downhill for dedicating a whole night to him. Paddy commented that he wondered why ITV have not snapped up Kay. Max is also seen to be ignorant of current events, from not realising that civil partnerships are now legal and that Elton John has made use of it, to more controversial news stories involving Michael Barrymore, Gary Glitter, Diana, Princess of Wales and Michael Jackson.

Catchphrases

Peter Kay is notable for the cult following some of his sayings garner. Many of these strike a chord with people due to their down-to-earth nature, reflecting the manner in which people speak in the north of England.

• "Bolton, Tenerife!" (Talking about people pointing in different directions for different locations)
• "Booked it. Packed it. Fucked off!" (Talking about booking a holiday through Teletext)
• "Garlic...Bread?" (An impersonation of Kay's father who, on holiday in Spain, was bamboozled by garlic bread, wondering how the two ingredients could be combined)
• "Cheesecake?" (A sort of sequel to "Garlic bread")
• "It's spittin'!" (Dinner lady cry heralding a shower of rain before herding kids into school)
• "It's that fine rain that soaks you through", or "It's that fine rain that gets you wet" (Bungalow tour)
• "We're not playing games now" (Used in live shows after telling a sequence of one liners).
• "How dare you." (Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere)
• "Put t' big light on" (Mum Wants a Bungalow tour)
• "'Ave it!" (John Smith's Bitter advert)
• "I've not lost it" (After flicking the microphone in the air, and then catching it by the handle.)
• "Wanna brew?" (While miming a cup in his hand, continuously tipping it towards his mouth. A brew is a northern English word for a cup of tea.)
• "Phone for ya" (While shaping his hand into a phone, putting his thumb by his ear and little finger by his mouth.)
• "Thatcher's Britain!" (Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere)

In August of 2006 a poll of 4,000 people was commissioned by UKTV Gold for the best comic one-liner. In first place was a line from Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights - "Garlic bread, it's the future, I've tasted it" [2]

Peter Kay is also well known for using and repeating stereotypical Lancastrian grammatical quirks for comedic effect. These include 'T'internet', 'Th'ambulance' and 'T'Egypt' (referring to a holiday in Egypt).

Productions

Kay's first TV project was in an episode of New Voices, a comedy series which showcased up and coming talent. His episode, "Two Minutes", written by Johanne McAndrew, saw him play a getaway driver as two of his mates attempted to rob a pub of its takings. This was broadcast in 1997. After this, Kay made an episode of Channel 4's The Comedy Lab, "The Services", in 1998. This was a pilot for the later That Peter Kay Thing. His idea was to create a testbed for ideas and concepts that he could later use within other series. The idea of having several characters all played by himself was something with which Kay experimented.

That Peter Kay Thing

After a favourable reception to the pilot, That Peter Kay Thing was devised. It was based solely on the experiences of Kay's earlier life working in several menial jobs. The range of characters included the now legendary Brian Potter, who Kay said was a combination of all his bosses' personalities along with the voice of a man he knows, and the eccentric Leonard DeTomkinson, who is based on a real Leonard who used to visit Peter during his working time at the local Majestic Garage. Following continued success, Kay and his co-writers, Neil Fitzmaurice and Dave Spikey, eventually decided to create another series, and settled on "In the Club". This would use the character of Brian Potter, as well as improve other features that audiences were known to enjoy. The cast was slightly altered, elements thought to be unnecessary were removed, and it became reincarnated as Phoenix Nights.

Phoenix Nights

Phoenix Nights was his notable TV programme, written by him, Dave Spikey and Neil Fitzmaurice and set in a newly refurbished social club run by wheelchair-bound Brian Potter. The club was based on an episode of 'That Peter Kay Thing' which was titled 'In The Club'. The cast of Phoenix Nights was made up almost entirely of stand-up comics whom the writers had met on 'the circuit'. Phoenix Nights was an immediate hit. It followed the story of the club and the various events that happened there. Expertly written, much of the humour was somewhat implicit - relying on subtle background clues and hints or paradoxes. The first series was partly filmed at St.Gregory's Social Club in Farnworth, Bolton - where the exterior, hallways and function suite were all used. Other sets, such as the Jocky Wilson suite, were built at Granada Studios. For the second series, all filming took place at St.Gregory's.

Peter has said that he has already written series 3.

Max & Paddy's Road to Nowhere

Max & Paddy's Road to nowhere was a spin-off from Phoenix Nights. Featuring the bouncer characters from the show played by Peter Kay and Patrick McGuiness and featured numerous occaisions featuring the Phoenix Night club. Made for Channel 4 to be shown on a Friday, 6 were made and the DVD is available in stores. A spoof workout DVD was created, featuring Patrick McGuiness and Peter Kay (Under Max & Paddy).

Other work

Since 2002, Kay has featured in television advertisements for John Smith's beer, through which his catchphrase — "'Ave it!" — gained popularity.

He has had two cameo roles in Coronation Street. The first, in the late 1990s, was a brief appearance as a shopfitter, but in January 2004 he co-wrote his own scenes, appearing alongside real-life good friend, Sally Lindsay, who plays Shelley Unwin.

November 2004 saw the launch of the Phoenix Nights spin-off series, Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, in which Kay reprised his role as bouncer Max, along with his real-life best friend, Paddy "Eight Grand" McGuinness.

On 17 June 2006, Kay appeared in a Doctor Who episode titled "Love & Monsters". His character, the sinister Victor Kennedy, proved to be an alien called the Abzorbaloff in disguise. Although the episode itself was quite comedic, Kay's role was more serious than those he normally plays.

He has also released several DVDs of live performances, including Live at the Top of the Tower, Live at the Bolton Albert Halls, Peter Kay: The Live Collections (The previous two combined) and Peter Kay: Live At Manchester Arena.

Kay's film appearances have included minor roles in 24 Hour Party People (2002), Roddy Smythe Investigates (2003) and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse (2005). He also provided a voice to the character PC McIntosh for the film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).

Kay also appeared at the BBC's televised charity event Comic Relief in 2003 and 2005, sharing the stage with Alan Partridge (actor Steve Coogan) in 2003. As part of the 2005 event, on 14 March , Kay promoted a re-release of Tony Christie's 1971 hit "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo". The song had earlier featured in Phoenix Nights, and Kay performed in the accompanying music video. On Sunday, 20 March 2005, the single reached number one in the UK Singles Charts, and stayed there for seven consecutive weeks. In 2007 he will release "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", originally by The Proclaimers, with Matt Lucas for Comic Relief.

He has appeared on numerous chat shows, including Parkinson and The Paul O'Grady Show. When he appeared on The Paul O'Grady Show (ITV 1) at Christmas 2005, he came on in a Christmas tree costume, further reinforcing his uniqueness and eccentricity. For his second appearance with Paul on The New Paul O'Grady Show (Channel 4) he was dressed as a Catholic Nun wearing a large mask of himself; this was mimicking the front cover of his new book, The Sound of Laughter and then he appeared a third time at Christmas 2006, this time dressed up as a snowman. He also co-hosted Top of the Pops in character as Brian Potter alongside Fearne Cotton in January 2006.

Kay also had a cameo role in The Catherine Tate Show, playing an elderly gentlemen called Tommy, a good friend of Tate's character Nana.

Kay appeared on stage at the Queen and Paul Rodgers concert at Manchester's MEN Arena (With Patrick McGuinness) and in Hyde Park in 2005 as a cabaret act both in his own right, and in the persona of Brian Potter.

In September 2006 he co-presented the Edith Bowman afternoon show on Radio 1 where he revealed that he had written a third series of Phoenix Nights. In addition two specials of Max and Paddy have been penned.

In November 2006 it was announced that he will be playing flamboyant gay director Roger DeBris in the Mel Brooks musical, The Producers for the Manchester leg of the UK Tour, at the Manchester Palace Theatre from February 19 until May 12 2007.

Filmography

• New Voices [episode "Two Minutes"] (1997)
• The Comedy Lab [episode "The Services"] (1998)
• Live at the Top of the Tower (2000)
• That Peter Kay Thing (2000)
• Phoenix Nights (2001)
• Live at the Bolton Albert Halls (2003)
• Roddy Smythe Investigates... (2003)
• Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004)
• Live at the Manchester Arena (2005)
• Peter Kay — Driven to Distraction (2005)
• Max and Paddy's Power of Two (2005)
• The Catherine Tate Show (Guest Star) (2005)
• Doctor Who - Love & Monsters (Aired 17 June 2006)
• Little Britain Abroad (Christmas 2006 Specials)

Criticisms

Kay has attracted criticism for labelling Phoenix Nights as "Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights" even though the writing duties were divided three ways. When the series won a BAFTA award, the star insisted on collecting it alone. However, it was Channel 4's idea to call the show, in listings and promotional material, "Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights" in order to sell their star and draw attention to the show. The title sequences of the shows themselves just read "Phoenix Nights"

Kay has also been censured for several DVDs that have arguably harmed his reputation. After the success of the spin-off comedy, Kay also issued a Max and Paddy fitness DVD in December 2005, a disc comprising unsuccessful early material as well as a stand-up DVD based on earlier releases and material.

Kay refuses autographs when with his children.

In 2006, Kay was asked by Marks & Spencer to open their new Middlebrook store in his home town of Bolton, but for a half hour appearance, Kay wanted a fee of £35,000 and a 2 hour shopping spree before the store's official opening. Bolton Middlebrook declined, and had their manager, Jo Cresswell open the store instead .

Kay's Manchester Arena DVD has apparently attracted the most serious complaints due to the fact that the performance was of exactly the same material as released on his Bolton Halls disc just a year earlier — although the new version was in fact around half the length of the first, despite being labelled 'Special Edition'. Having made a reputed £4.5 million from the tour itself, some have questioned why Kay felt the need to take the almost unprecedented step of releasing two copies of the same show.

Kay's official website concentrates entirely on selling merchandise, and contains nothing of a biographical nature. This has perhaps further contributed to the charge levelled at Kay that he has 'sold out' — doing anything to make more money, at the cost of his art. This impression was possibly instrumental to his being voted the "most overrated comedian" in a poll held on the comedy website Chortle.

Kay has commented on criticisms of his reliance on catchphrases. In an interview with Sue Barker during the 2005 Grand National he sarcastically remarked on his "Garlic Bread" catchphrase, "I don't regret saying that one", and on his "Amarillo" fame, "Can't get away from that one". Another notable occurrence came when he was playing Max (from Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere) in clips played during Channel 4's "Peter Kay Night", broadcast April 18 2006. On the listing for Peter Kay: Live at the Manchester Arena, Max noted, "He's just brought this out on DVD last Christmas, the money grabbing bastard." This was a reaction to the criticism that Kay received for releasing two DVDs from the same tour.

Kay has sometimes been accused of plagiarising other comedians' material.

External links

• Peter Kay's Official Website & Merchandise Store

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