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Peter Kay's comeback delights fans | 'It felt like a tour warm-up show (fingers crossed)'

Peter Kay's comeback delights fans

'It felt like a tour warm-up show (fingers crossed)'

Peter Kay delighted fans with his stage comeback yesterday - and hints that Max & Paddy could return.

The comic got a standing ovation when he took to the stage for his charity Q&A sessions at the Manchester Apollo – his first live appearance in four years.

He sold out two shows at the 3,500-capacity venue within minutes of tickets going on sale a week ago.

He told the appreciative audience for the matinee show: ‘I’ve never in my life had a standing ovation when I came on. I’m going to go away for four more years.’

‘I was a bit nervous this morning, when I got here. I was looking at all this and thinking, "Oh my God" but it’s really nice to be doing this. It’s like getting in a hot bath.’

One question concerned Max & Paddy - the spin-off show about the two Phoenix Nights bouncers on the road that Kay made with Paddy McGuinness.

He said: ‘I loved making Max and Paddy. It was one of the best times we ever had filming and we had such a good laugh. We actually wrote two Christmas specials and then we never made them so you never know.’

He also revealed that he was ‘too embarrassed’ to buy garlic bread in the supermarket for fear of fans quoting his catchphrase at him.

And although the events were billed as a Q&A, he couldn’t help but tell some pub gags when on stage. One audience member said it was ‘more of a tour warm up show (fingers crossed) with some questions filled in here and there.’

Others who got tickets for the  gigs tweeted their excitement, with comments such as: ‘Peter Kay is back …..brilliant’; ‘He is on fire!’; ‘Laughed so much and was great to see him back and ‘Giggled my head off, what a guy!

Proceeds from the two £40-a-head sessions yesterday will go to help Laura Nuttall, 20,  from Barrowford  in Lancashire, who has an aggressive type of brain cancer. She has been undergoing experimental treatment in Germany and her family is crowdfunding the £80,000  required for the next batch of treatment.

Those attending yesterday's gigs were asked to provide proof they had been fully vaccinated or had negative Covid tests before being allowed in.

Kay has kept out of the pubic eye since cancelling a mammoth stand-up tour in 2017 because of ‘unforeseen family circumstances’, days after announcing the dates.

Published: 8 Aug 2021

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