| Peter Kay | |
|---|---|
 Kay giving a comedymaster class at theUniversity of Salford in 2012 | |
| Birth name | Peter John Kay |
| Born | (1973-07-02)2 July 1973 (age 51) Farnworth,Lancashire, England |
| Medium | Film,stand-up,television |
| Alma mater | University of Salford |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Genres | Musical comedy,observational comedy,physical comedy |
| Subject(s) | Everyday life,marriage,family,British culture,pop culture,human behaviour |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Notable works and roles | That Peter Kay Thing (1999) Phoenix Nights (2001–2002) Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004) The Official BBC Children in Need Medley (2009) Peter Kay's Car Share (2015–2018) |
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973)[2] is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He has written, produced, directed and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books.
Born and brought up inFarnworth, Kay studied media performance at theUniversity of Salford. He began working part-time as a stand-up comedian, winning the North West Comedian of the Year award. In 1997, he wonChannel 4'sSo You Think You're Funny contest and the following year was nominated for aPerrier Award for his show at theEdinburgh Fringe Festival. With his public profile raised, in 2000 he co-wrote and starred inThat Peter Kay Thing forChannel 4. This resulted in a spin-off sitcom,Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, which ran for two series from 2001 to 2002 and in turn generated another spin-off,Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, in 2004. In 2005, he recorded a promotional video in which he mimed toTony Christie's 1971 hit "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", which was reissued to raise money forComic Relief: the song reached number 1 on theUK Singles Chart, becoming that year's best-selling single in the UK.
In 2008, Kay co-wrote and starred inBritain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice, a parody of several Britishreality television shows. As the series' fictional protagonist Geraldine McQueen, he released the single "The Winner's Song", which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. His 2010–2011stand-up comedy tour was recorded in theGuinness World Records as the most successful ever,[3] selling over 1.2 million tickets. He also provided the voice of police constable (later chief inspector) Albert Mackintosh in two feature-length films of theWallace & Gromit franchise,The Curse of the Were-Rabbit andVengeance Most Fowl. He co-wrote and starred inPeter Kay's Car Share, a sitcom screened by theBBC for three series from 2015 to 2018. He also starred in the 2015BBC sitcomCradle to Grave.
In 2016, Kay won theBAFTA TV Award for Best Male Comedy Performance, theBAFTA TV Award for Best Scripted Comedy and theNational Television Award for Best Comedy forCar Share. He also received an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Salford.[4]
Peter John Kay was born on 2 July 1973 inFarnworth,Lancashire,[5] where he attendedMount Saint Joseph School, leaving with aGCSE in art.
His father, Michael, was an engineer who died just before Peter's career took off.[5] His mother, Deirdre (née O'Neill), is anIrish Catholic originally fromCoalisland,County Tyrone,[6] and Peter was brought up in her faith.
He took several minor jobs, including working in a toilet roll factory, aNetto supermarket, a video rental shop,Manchester Arena, a cash-and-carry, a cinema, a petrol station and a bingo hall, which later inspired episodes forThat Peter Kay Thing. He was routinely sacked from each, after a few months, for "not taking things seriously".[7]
He began a degree course at theUniversity of Liverpool in Drama, Theatre Studies and English Literature.[1] He had misinformed the university to accept him, telling the university that he had four GCSEs and A-levels in Psychology and English Literature. Struggling with the course, he changed to studying aHigher National Diploma (HND) in media performance (including stand-up) at theUniversity of Salford's Adelphi Campus School of Media, Music and Performance.[4] In recognition of his contribution to the entertainment industry, Kay received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Salford University on 19 July 2016, at Salford's Lowry Theatre.[4]
He started at the Frog & Bucket, onOldham Street, from July 1996, whilst his girlfriend worked atBoots.[8]
In 1998, Kay met Susan Gargan while he was working at the local cinema. They married in 2001 after being in a relationship for three years. The family reside inBolton but also have a property inLough Derg,County Tipperary inIreland.[9]
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Kay's first TV project was in a 1997 episode ofNew Voices, a comedy series which showcased rising talent. His episode, "Two Minutes", written by Johanne McAndrew, saw him play a getaway driver as two of his friends attempted to rob a pub of its takings. In 1997, he played a delivery driver in theBBC dramaBorn to Run.[10]
Also in 1997, he made an appearance onCoronation Street as a delivery driver for Fred Elliott's corner shop.
In 1998, Kay appeared in a series of sketches for Granada TV's "Last Last Show" and "Roy Mills Films of Fun", where he made his TV debut as a character comedy actor and also did a stand-up set. Neil Fitzmaurice also appeared in the series alongside many other local comedians who Kay later recruited for hisChannel 4 series.
After presenting a slot entitled "Peter Kay's World of Entertainment" onBBC Two'sThe Sunday Show, Kay made an episode ofChannel 4'sComedy Lab, "The Services", in 1998, which won aRoyal Television Society award for best newcomer. This served as a pilot forThat Peter Kay Thing.
Following the series' success, Kay and his co-writers –Neil Fitzmaurice andDave Spikey – used the episode "In the Club" as the basis forPhoenix Nights, which was an immediate hit. Set in a newly refurbished social club run by Brian Potter, the first series was filmed in part at St. Gregory's Social Club inFarnworth,Greater Manchester, where the exterior, hallways and function suite were used.
He appeared in the first episode of the 2002 series ofLinda Green, playing a pizza delivery man who ended up being something of a soulmate to the eponymous heroine. He has had two further roles inCoronation Street. The first, in the late 1990s, was a brief appearance as a shopfitter, but in January 2004 he co-wrote his scenes, appearing alongsideSally Lindsay, who playedShelley Unwin.[11]
In 2004, Kay followed the success withMax and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, a spin-off ofPhoenix Nights. The show featured the bouncer characters from the show—played by Kay andPaddy McGuinness—and at times also featured other characters fromPhoenix Nights. Six episodes were made and broadcast from November to December 2004 byChannel 4. In 2005, Kay was awarded aRose d'Or at the international television festival inMontreux for Best Performance by an Actor.
In 2004, Kay began appearing in a series of television adverts for UK breweryJohn Smith's bitter; these imitated the style ofPhoenix Nights and saw Kay develop his catchphrases "'ave it!" and "two lamb bhunas".
On 17 April 2006,Channel 4 broadcast a "Peter Kay Night", showing out-takes fromPhoenix Nights (previously featured on DVD); a behind-the-scenes documentary, "180 – A Tour Documentary", which followed Kay behind the scenes of hisMum Wants a Bungalow tour; and screened the whole Peter Kay Live in Manchester Arena show.
On 17 June 2006, Kay appeared in theDoctor Who episode "Love & Monsters".[11] His character, the sinister Victor Kennedy, proved to be an alien called the Abzorbaloff in disguise.
In 2008, he returned to television after an absence of four years with the BAFTA-winning satire of reality talent shows,Peter Kay's Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice, which he co-wrote with Paul Coleman. The two-hour special was screened onChannel 4 on 17 October 2008.
Kay won his second Royal Television Society award for best actor for playing Geraldine McQueen, a transgender dinner lady from Ireland.
In May 2015 the sitcomPeter Kay's Car Share was aired. The series was a success and a second series was commissioned to start in April 2017. In October 2015, he starred inCradle to Grave, anotherBBC sitcom based onDanny Baker's life as a teenager.
In 2001, he played Cyril the Barman inBlow Dry, based on the screenplayNever Better bySimon Beaufoy. Kay later admitted he took the part only expecting his scenes to be filmed inKeighley,Bradford,West Yorkshire. However, he was annoyed to discover that his scenes were being filmed inShoreditch,Greater London.[12]
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In 2007, Kay followed the success of "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" with a cover version of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", originally bythe Proclaimers, also forComic Relief. In 2009, Kay released "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley", an animation featuring over 100 characters from children's television. The video was premiered onBBC1 on 20 November 2009.
Kay returned his support toComic Relief in March 2011 with a cover version of "I Know Him So Well", re-recorded by singerSusan Boyle and Kay in the guise of Geraldine McQueen fromBritain's Got the Pop Factor. The video that accompanied the single was also directed by Kay and identically parodied the original video shot for shot.
In February 2007, Kay played director Roger DeBris in theMel Brooks musicalThe Producers atManchester'sPalace Theatre for 120 shows.[citation needed]
On 9 September 2017, Kay took part in the "We Are Manchester" benefit concert to mark the reopening ofManchester Arena followingthe terrorist attack in May 2017. He gave a speech to the crowd before introducing the concert's headline act,Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.[citation needed]
In April 2020, Kay featured in the BBC'sBig Night In in which he introduced an updated version of "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo". It marked his first television appearance for two years.[13][14]
On 2 January 2021, Kay was a guest onBBC Radio 2's Saturday morning show, withCat Deeley hosting this 10am to 1pm programme asGraham Norton had by then left the slot.[15][16][17]
In August 2021, Kay performed two sold-out shows at theO2 Apollo Manchester called 'Doing It for Laura' which had been organised in aid of Laura Nuttall, who was battling an aggressivebrain tumour. The tickets for both shows sold out within 30 minutes.
On 6 November 2022, Kay announced a return to stand-up with a tour beginning in December 2022 and ending in July 2025.[18] Kay returned to TV in December 2024 to voice PC Mackintosh inWallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, reprising the role fromWallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005).
His first stand-up success was in the competition the North West Comedian of the Year, which was held inManchester and hosted byDave Spikey, who would later be the co-star and co-writer ofPhoenix Nights. Kay was last on the bill and won the competition, beatingJohnny Vegas. Kay has said that he sought a career in comedy. However, he continued to work part-time as an usher at his local cinema in Bolton whilst performing stand-up locally. When the cinema closed, he was presented with the choice of finding another job or moving into comedy full-time.
After he entered and wonChannel 4'sSo You Think You're Funny? contest in 1997, his first semi-professional stand-up appearances were at the 1998Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where he received a prestigiousPerrier Award nomination. During this time, he also appeared at various other clubs, such as London'sComedy Store.
Although this led to a certain level of public recognition, it was only after his first live special Live at the Top of the Tower in 2000 that Kay attained mainstream recognition. During this period, he appeared on several chat shows, such asFriday Night with Jonathan Ross andParkinson, on the latter of which he had previously served as warm-up. It was at this time that production also began onPhoenix Nights.
In November 2009, after an absence of seven years, Kay announced a return to stand-up with four (later extended to 20) dates at theManchester Arena the following April with a show entitledThe Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour...Now On Tour. Demand for tickets caused him to announce soon after that the show would be toured. In January 2012, the tour entered theGuinness Book of World Records as the most successful stand-up comedy tour of all time, playing to a total of 1.2 million people.[3]
Kay's tour received minor criticism in the press when his disabled fans were hit with bills of up to £39 on premium phone lines booking tour tickets. It was later clarified that this was an issue with the ticket booking services associated with specific venues rather than a matter directly associated with Peter Kay or his production company.[19]
Kay was included in theIndependent on Sunday's "Happy List" in 2009 as "simply Britain's best comedian", and – as an exception to their general rule – was included again in 2010 for also raising funds for Children in Need.[20][21]
In November 2017, Kay announced his intention to return to stand-up with his first tour in eight years.Peter Kay Live: Have Gags, Will Travel was scheduled to begin touring in 2018, beginning with theGenting Arena in April before touring at venues such asSSE Hydro,Manchester Arena,The O2 Arena,First Direct Arena,SSE Arena Belfast,Sheffield Arena andEcho Arena Liverpool. On 13 December 2017, Kay announced that he was cancelling all future work projects (includingPeter Kay Live: Have Gags Will Travel tour) for family reasons.[22] He had asked that the media respect his and his family's privacy.[23] The tour hit criticism again regarding phone calls as fans were charged 62p per minute to call premium rate phone lines to claim ticket refunds.[24]
On 6 November 2022, via an advert during theseries 22 premiere ofI'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Kay announced his first stand-up tour in twelve years, running from 2 December 2022 to 11 August 2023. In solidarity with the currentcost of living crisis, Kay stated that tickets would start at £35, matching the price of his previous 2010 tour.[18] Due to demand, additional dates were announced for 2024, 2025 & 2026.[25]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2002–2003 | Mum Wants a Bungalow Tour | First solo tour, 89 dates |
| 2010–2011 | The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour...Now On Tour | 122 dates (98 in England, 14 in Ireland, 5 in Scotland, 5 in Wales) 1.2 million tickets sold |
| 2018–2019 | Have Gags, Will Travel | Planned 90 dates, tour cancelled |
| 2022–2025 | Better Late Than Never | 121 dates |
| 2025-2026 | Better Late Than Never Again | 84 dates |
In December 2011, it was reported that Kay had sold over 10 million DVDs, a UK record for a comedian and more than the combined sales of best selling filmsAvatar andMamma Mia!.[26]
| Title | Release date | Age rating |
|---|---|---|
| Live at the Top of the Tower | 22 November 2000 | 15 |
| Live at the Bolton Albert Halls "Mum Wants a Bungalow Tour" | 10 November 2003 | 15 |
| Live at the Manchester Arena | 14 November 2005 | 15 |
| Live – The Tour That Didn't Tour – Tour | 7 November 2011 | 15 |
| Peter Kay: Live & Back on Nights | 19 November 2012 | 15 |
Kay and his wife Susan are the two directors of Goodnight Vienna Productions, which co-produces Kay's comedy output.[27]
| Year | Song | UK | IRE | EU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Is This the Way to Amarillo"(Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay)[28] | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 2007 | "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)"(asBrian Potter, withthe Proclaimers andAndy Pipkin)[29] | 1 | 7 | 16 |
| 2008 | "The Winner's Song"1 | 2 | — | 21 |
| "Once Upon a Christmas Song"1 | 5 | 35 | 15 | |
| 2009 | "The Official BBC Children in Need Medley"(Peter Kay's Animated All-Star Band)[30] | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 2011 | "I Know Him So Well"(credited to Peter Kay and Comic Relief presentSusan Boyle & Geraldine McQueen on the record, Peter Kay & Susan Boyle on the UK singles chart)[31][32]1 | 11 | — | — |
^1 As Geraldine McQueen.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | New Voices | George | Episode: "Two Minutes" |
| 1997 | Coronation Street | Shopfitter | Episode dated 17 November 1997 |
| 1998 | Barking | Roy | 1 episode |
| The Last Laugh Show | 10 Episodes | ||
| Comedy Lab | Various roles | Episode: "The Services" | |
| Let's Get Quizzical | Himself | ||
| 1999 | Butterfly Collectors | Ronnie | 2-part miniseries |
| City Central | Brian | Episode: "Someone to Watch Over Me" | |
| 2000 | That Peter Kay Thing | Various roles | 6 episodes |
| The Secret World of Michael Fry | Barney – Barman | Miniseries | |
| 2001–02 | Phoenix Nights | Brian Potter / Maxwell "Max" Bygraves | 12 episodes |
| 2002 | Linda Green | Eddie | Episode: "No Friends" |
| 2003 | Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do | Brian Potter | TV special |
| 2004 | Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere | Maxwell "Max" Bygraves / Brian Potter | 6 episodes |
| Coronation Street | Eric Gartside | 2 episodes dated 30 January 2004 | |
| 2005 | The Catherine Tate Show | Tommy | Episode: "Large Breasted Doctor" |
| Mrs. Brown's Boys | Jason – Travel Agent | Episode: "Good Mourning Mrs. Brown" | |
| 2006 | Doctor Who | Victor Kennedy / Abzorbaloff | Episode: "Love & Monsters" |
| Little Britain:Abroad | Ivanka's Husband (Dudley Punt's little brother) | Part 2 | |
| 2007–10 | Roary the Racing Car | Big Chris / Tin Top / Big Christine (voices) | |
| 2008 | Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice | Geraldine McQueen | |
| Take That Come to Town | Geraldine McQueen | TV film | |
| 2009 | Peter Kay: Raider of the Pop Charts | Himself | 2-part documentary |
| 2010 | Brit Awards 2010 | Himself – Host | TV award show |
| 2012 | Peter Kay: In Converstation | Himself | TV special |
| 2013 | Comic Relief 2013 | Himself | Telethon |
| 2013 | Goodbye Granadaland | Himself | Documentary |
| 2015 | Cradle to Grave | Fred "Spud" Baker | 8 episodes |
| Peter Kay: 20 Years of Funny | Himself | Documentary | |
| 2015–18 | Peter Kay's Car Share | John Redmond | 12 episodes |
| 2016–20 | Peter Kay's Comedy Shuffle | Himself | 25 episodes |
| 2017 | Let It Shine | Himself – Guest Judge | Series 1, Episode 10 |
| Inside No. 9 | Neil | Episode: "Private View" |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Going Off Big Time | Flipper | [33] | |
| 2001 | Blow Dry | Cyril the Barman | ||
| 2002 | Roddy Smythe Investigates... | Tommy Doyle | Video short | |
| 24 Hour Party People | Don Tonay | |||
| Last Rumba in Rochdale | Dad (voice) | Short | ||
| 2005 | The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse | Simon Pig | ||
| Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit | PC Albert Mackintosh (voice) | [34] | ||
| Max & Paddy's The Power of Two | Maxwell "Max" Bygraves | Video | ||
| 2024 | Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl | Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh (voice) |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | British Comedy Awards | Writer of the Year | ForPhoenix Nights | Won | |
| 2003 | British Comedy Awards | People’s Choice Awards | Phoenix Nights | Won | |
| 2003 | 2003 British Academy Television Awards | Best Comedy Performance | ForPhoenix Nights | Nominated | |
| 2003 | 2003 British Academy Television Awards | Situation Comedy Award | ForPhoenix Nights | Nominated | |
| 2009 | British Comedy Awards | Outstanding Contribution to Comedy | Peter Kay | Won | |
| 2016 | National Television Awards | Most Popular Comedy Series | Peter Kay’s Car Share | Won | |
| 2016 | 2016 British Academy Television Awards | Best Male Comedy Performance | Peter Kay | Won | |
| 2016 | 2016 British Academy Television Awards | Best Scripted Comedy | Peter Kay’s Car Share | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
