Show for those who witnessed Ted Robbins' collapse

An extra show has been added to the run of Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights Live for the audience who witnessed Ted Robbins collapse on opening night.

Fans who paid up to £50 to see the first night of the run on Saturday had been asking via social media about whether they would get a chance to see the aborted second half of the show.

Now the Manchester Arena has announced that an extra matinee has been added on February 15 for ticket-holders.

The situation has been resolved after ‘much investigation’, the venue said. The original cast of the Channel 4 show are all performing the run for free to raise money for Comic Relief.

In a joint statement, with promotes SJM Concerts, the arena said: ‘All ticket holders from the show on Saturday January 31 will be entitled to attend this performance. It is advised that they contact their ticket agent ASAP in order to get a new ticket for this show. The deadline for this is midnight Monday February 9.’

It is expected that leftover tickets from those unable to make a return trip to Manchester will be made available to the general public after that.

The statement added: ‘It was a very distressing night for all the people involved in the show and indeed the audience, the cast and crew would like to thank them for their patience whilst these arrangements have been made.

‘Most importantly Ted is on the mend and the whole team send their best wishes to him and his family.’

Robbins’s sister, the singer and impressionist Kate Robbins has said her brother is ‘doing great’ in Wythenshawe Hospital – thanks to ‘the really quick thinking of a doctor and a paramedic in the audience’.

They rushed to the aid of the 59-year-old comedian, actor and warm-up man when he suffered a cardiac arrest while performing on stage as Den Perry, the nemesis of Kay’s club owner, Brian Potter.

Kate told Radio 5 Live this week: ‘People think he’s a big guy so he must have had a heart attack. It not as simple as that. He’s always had a dodgy valve. He’s actually been quite a fit man most of his life. This has just been an horrendous thing for us all.’

Published: 4 Feb 2015