...and gives fans exactly what they came for

Peter Kay was given a standing ovation that reduced him to tears as he returned to the stand-up stage after 12 years.

The comic last night returned to Manchester's AO arena – where he famously once worked as an usher – for the first of 110 arena dates that will keep him busy until early 2025.

Kay composed himself before telling the 21,000 fans: ‘How am I supposed to do bloody comedy now? You'll have me in bits... I can't believe you made me cry.’

Of the show, the BBC’s entertainment reporter Ian Youngs said: ‘His down-to-earth, cheeky stand-up style and everyday subject matter haven't changed much. There were nostalgic jokes about childhood chocolate bars, TV theme tunes, bingo and baked beans, plus more of his favourite misheard pop lyrics’.

And of course he referenced in his ‘garlic bread’ catchphrase.

In early reviews, The Times awarded three stars with critic Dominic Maxwell describing Kay as ‘a personable, conservative nostalgia merchant and easy observationalist’ who was ‘almost a parody of himself as he led us through singsongs of beloved Seventies and Eighties advertising jingles and TV themes.’

He  adding: ‘This is not a substantial show. It’s not meant to be. It’s a bit of this, a bit of that, getting up-to-date in a second half in which he did nimble-enough material about Netflix, Amazon and choosing your car park on the basis of its Tripadvisor reviews.’

For the Daily Telegraph,Dominic Cavendish gave four stars, saying: ‘Kay delivers the goods all over again, albeit they’re remarkably similar to what came before - the package he offers being one of comfort not edgy challenge…. It’s good to have him back.’

The i’s Emily Baker said in her four-star review: ‘Who can blame him for giving the audience exactly what they wanted: shouts of "garlic bread" could be heard around the arena all night. Kay is a staunch believer of not fixing what isn’t broken.’

The Guardian’s Brian Logan said: ‘The two-hour show scarcely deviated from the everyman formula that has made him such a popular success.  Some of it, indeed, was almost parodically formulaic.’

But his four-star review concluded that the show was ‘ pretty much irresistible’ as  ‘you can’t help but submit, not just to the spectacle, but to Kay’s commitment to celebrating his generational experience

However he may risk an appearance in Private Eye’s Pseuds’ corner for calling the Kay’s nostalgic reference points  ‘Proustian madeleines of our shared youth ‘

Kay had been due to go on tour in 2018, but cancelled the dates soon after announcing them, citing ‘"unforeseen family circumstances’

» Peter ​Kay tickets and tour dates

Published: 3 Dec 2022