Peter Kay has confirmed he is to bring back his hugely successful creation Phoenix Nights for a pair of live shows for Comic Relief.
(Jon Furniss/Invision/AP)
He is to reunite members of the cast from the Channel 4 show as he revives Brian Potter and his other characters from his fictional working men’s club in Farnworth.
(Channel 4)
Peter said: “It’s lovely to do it and I hope people support it because I think it’ll be a belter.”
Announcing his plans on Radio 2′s Steve Wright show, Peter said there would be shows at Manchester Arena on January 31 and February 1, with tickets going on sale from Sunday.
The last series ended in 2002, and the live return will see Paddy McGuinness and Dave Spikey performing once more.
Peter as Brian Potter (Yui Mok/PA)
Peter said the interest in Phoenix Nights led to him regularly 'being badgered on Texaco forecourts', but pointed out that 'it’s just taken a long time to get to that point that we’re at today'.
He said: “I always like to do something for Comic Relief and in February this year I just thought it will take a year to organise. I rang all the cast and they overwhelmed me with their generosity.
“Everybody’s doing it for free, everybody’s involved. And like I say it’s been so hard getting everybody together at the same time, it’s really hard, but we’ve all set the time aside and we’ve been working on it since February, writing it and getting together. So it’s only in Manchester, it’s only for two nights, it’s not touring and all the money is going to Comic Relief, and that’s it.
“We’re all looking forward to doing it. It’s been lovely getting together with everybody and working out ideas and what we’re going to do.”
Peter hosted the Brit Awards in 2010 (ITV/PA)
Peter – whose success as a comedy star was sealed by the show – said he had no other plans for the show, adding: “It’s a case of doing one thing at a time, little steps.”
He went on: “I don’t know if any more will come off the back of it we’ll just have to see.”
