Comic issues a statement about 'chaotic' Manchester gig

Peter Kay has has said he had no option but to throw hecklers out of his  Manchester gig, saying they were spoiling the show for others.

The comic was criticised by several members of the audience at  AO Arena on Saturday saying he over-reacted – and slamming him for likening one woman he ejected to Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley, suggesting he was body-shaming her.

In a statement released to Good Morning Britain, the comedian said: ‘I didn't realise it was an insult. She did look remarkably like Lisa Riley.’

The soap star also defended Kay, writing on Instagram: ‘Please draw a line under this now, I am not offended, never was offended. I love Peter Kay to pieces. Laughter is my favourite medicine… It’s a laugh, it's funny.’

In his statement, Kay explained: ‘There comes a point when dealing with repeated hecklers simply isn't enough. It's not something you ever want to do but it becomes a point when it's no longer fair to everyone around.’

Mail Online tracked down one of the men thrown out of the show, which has been described as 'chaotic'.

 Philip Peters, 54, claimed he was treated ‘like a terrorist’ by security staff for shouting ‘garlic bread’ during the show.

He said he was left with bruises after six security officers physically removed him from the auditorium, with another three taking his adult son.

Peters told the site: ‘The security guards came over to me and said "you are going to have to leave - Peter Kay doesn't like people shouting out". 

'I thought they were going to warn me off but they stood me up, brought me to the stairs, which were dead steep. I have massive bruises in my leg. I haven't been able to walk properly at work today. My arms are all covered in bruises.’

Another woman was said to be thrown out for yelling: ‘We love you,’ prompting the Lisa Riley comment.

Some fans criticised Kay for the way he handled the situation.

One wrote on Twitter: ‘I’ve lost a lot of respect for [Peter Kay] after the way he treated a heckler at the end of his Manchester 8 Feb show, having him removed by force by his entourage and cracking jokes about it over the 3-4 mins it took. No manners. Huge waste of money.

Other posters said the exchange was ‘embarrassing’ and ‘very harsh’ and left an  ‘uncomfortable’ atmosphere was the hecklers did not deserve the ‘nasty and bitter’ treatment.

However, the criticism brought out more fans in support of Kay’s response. One audience member, Jo Llewellyn, was sitting just a few seats away from those ejected. She told MailOnline: ’The guy he chucked out absolutely deserved it. ‘He was extremely drunk even before the show started and continued to make a nuisance of himself as the show went on.

'For those of us who sat beside him he ruined the gig. And as for the lady, she was a few seats behind and the people she sat next to also commented that she had been a huge pain and was disrupting the show for others. 

'I am glad Peter took a stand and removed them as the show was being spoiled for a lot of people... And if people were so offended at the hecklers being chucked out, why did the crowd near them cheer loudly when they were removed?’ 

Kay had been out of the spotlight for almost five years before launching this mammoth tour in December 2022, which is set to net him a seven-figure sum.

Chortle has contacted Peter Kay's publicist for comment about Saturday’s gig and approached AO Arena for comment on the security staff’s response. 

Published: 11 Feb 2025