Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights to return as a live show?
Peter Kay is reportedly working on a new Phoenix Nights project.
Newspaper reports quote a source 'close to the star' as saying that the comedian is in talks to perform seven live shows for Comic Relief in 2015, with these performances having a 'Phoenix Nights theme'.
The Mirror quotes the source as saying: "He has had some time off but can't wait to get back making people laugh which is something he loves to do. Next year is going to be a massive year for Peter and his fans."
No other details are known, and it should be emphasised the project has not been officially announced.
Phoenix Nights, a sitcom set around a working men's club, originally ran on Channel 4 in 2001 and 2002. Rumours occur every couple of years that the show may return. The last hint was in 2012 when, in a TV interview, Kay - referring to his character Brian Potter - said: "I love that character, and I would love to go back and do him again. I would love to do more. I just didn't want the quality to wane and I had done two series back-to-back.
"Over the years I keep writing things down. I wrote something the other week - Brian books [the band] the Drifters, Jerry books the Drifters, someone else books the Drifters. There are 12 Drifters in the club, because there is always loads of Drifters... and four of them are in turbans. They are like 'what are we going to do with all these?'."
Peter Kay has been out of the limelight for a while, however he appeared in Blackpool last night to turn on the city's famous illuminations. The comedian commented: "Bit of an anti-climax, but never mind - I'll watch in on YouTube when I get home." He later joked with the crowd: "Are there fireworks or what? There should be fireworks! Clearly you've not paid your council tax." BBC video
Kay's next TV project is Car Share, a BBC series about two employees who travel to work together. It is due to launch via the iPlayer in early 2015. He is also working on Malachy's Millions, a one-off show for Channel 4 described as a spoof on the Secret Millionaire series.
It was confirmed yesterday that Kay will appear at the Blackpool Opera House on the 15th November for a Q&A show to help fundraise for the Salford Women's Aid Domestic Violence Refuges. Fans will be invited to submit questions in advance, as well as voting for their favourite clips of the comedian's work, which will be shown and discussed on the night.
The comedian explains: "A friend of mine works for Salford Women's Refuges, which unfortunately is greatly overlooked as a charity. After hearing the shocking statistics and discussing the invaluable work they do I felt it was crucial to try and raise some much needed funds so they can continue offering vulnerable victims, including children, help when they need it most. If I can put on a special night that helps benefit the charity in some way and have some fun in the process, how could I pass on such a good opportunity?"
Tickets for the Blackpool Opera House gig go on sale on Tuesday 2nd September 2014 at 9.30am.
Below is a video from Phoenix Nights, in which the club discover they have accidentally ordered an inappropriate bouncy castle for their family fun day: