From garlic bread being considered an exotic delicacy to watching Bullseye, drinking Rola-Cola and putting the big light on – Peter Kay’s brilliant observations on everyday life have made him Britain’s best-loved comedian.
Bolton’s biggest export holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful comedy tour of all time and now he’s returning to stand-up after 12 years.
The Better Late Than Never tour will stop off Glasgow’s OVO Hydro in May 2023 but he might also be tempted to head down the M80 during his weekend stay.
That’s because Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling is a family favourite.
And the 49-year-old’s first trip to the park will go down in the annals of comedy folklore.
‘There’s a monkey on the roof…’
In June 2016, Kay and the cast headed for Blair Drummond to shoot scenes for a hilarious episode of Peter Kay’s Car Share.
The third instalment of series two aired 10 months later and has become a fan favourite.
It sees John (Kay) and car share partner Kayleigh (Sian Gibson) take a day off and drive through the fictional Seaview Safari Park with hilarious consequences.
John and Kayleigh soon realise they have a stowaway – a monkey on the Fiat.
“Get out quick! There’s a monkey on the roof,” shouts John.
The camera cuts to the pair looking bedraggled, with the monkey strapped in to the back seat
“Kidnapping a monkey is a serious crime,” says John.
They decide to take their new friend back to the safari park – but things go from bad to worse when the chimp decides to answer the call of nature in the back of the car.
Warning – this video contains explicit language
The Bolton idol was back two months later, but not for work.
This time he brought his family, with Blair Drummond Safari Park posting an image of his return on their social media channels with the hashtag ‘Starstruck’.
Peter Kay enjoyed a day here with his family last weekend. #starstruck pic.twitter.com/CCecoASCv5
— Blair Drummond SP (@BlairDrummondSP) August 24, 2016
They said: “Peter Kay enjoyed his family day out here last weekend!
“He was here in June and was so impressed he decided to come back with his wife and three sons.
“They enjoyed a sneak peek behind the scenes and met the keepers. The Phoenix Nights star took time to have his photo taken with staff and visitors.”
Kay on the Tay (well, almost…)
Car Share – about two supermarket employees who share their daily drive inside a Fiat 500 – earned 5.5m viewers at its peak and won two Bafta TV Awards.
It was another critical and commercial hit for a comic whose back catalogue includes That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.
He has also had success in the music charts including his 2005 charity re-release of Tony Christie’s Is This the Way to Amarillo? which became the bestseller that year.
The singalong sensation, one of the biggest hits of 1971, was brought back to national prominence because Kay’s mum Dierdre was a huge fan of the Yorkshire singer.
The song became popular again in the noughties after appearing in an episode of Phoenix Nights when Max and Paddy were driving Muslim elders to a mosque.
In 2005, Kay decided to release it for Comic Relief and roped in stars like Ronnie Corbett, Brian May, Jim Bowen and Michael Parkinson for the hilarious video.
In a bizarre twist, Christie was in Dundee to celebrate his first UK No.1.
He took to the Whitehall Theatre stage for a sell-out gig on the same day the Comic Relief single reached the top spot.
Page 3 girls and birthday cake
There was even a waiting list for restricted view tickets such was demand as ‘Christie Fever’ whipped the city up into a frenzy.
The Whitehall Theatre phone was still ringing off the hook when I turned up with a photographer to meet Christie to celebrate his achievement.
A tabloid newspaper set the bar high by turning up backstage with some Page 3 girls and a cake.
We arrived with a bottle of champagne, which Tony duly sprayed for a front page photo.
Christie was extremely generous with his time afterwards.
He told me years later: “I’ll always remember being in Dundee when the song reached No.1 although what happened that night is a bit of a blur.
“Once the song hit the top spot it was so manic and I was working seven days a week.”
Christie and his great friend Peter Kay, on a career hiatus in recent times, have continued to sparkle since then.
I – like so many – can’t wait to see what what Kay’s 2023 tour brings and whether or not the Fiat 500 makes a pit-stop to Blair Drummond for more monkey business.
