BBC One to celebrate Peter Kay in new documentary
BBC One has announced a new documentary, Peter Kay - Twenty Years Of Funny.
The one-off hour-long programme will look at the comedian's life from childhood up to his present life as one of Britain's major comedy stars.
It is described as "a unique documentary celebrating Peter's illustrious career in comedy spanning two decades as one of Britain's best-loved comedians."
Producers explain: "From his childhood growing up in Bolton, to the places and people who have influenced him, we reveal how Peter began his journey into the world of comedy and his eventual rise to become a household name and national treasure. Featuring colleagues and peers sharing their insights into just what makes Peter tick, in this long overdue look at a very exceptional British comic talent."
BBC Comedy Commissioner Shane Allen comments: "This has been a remarkable year for Peter and it feels timely to mark his exceptional talents as sitcom writer and performer as well as record-breaking stand-up comedian. It's a great opportunity to honour someone at the top of their game and enjoy the work that got him there."
Peter Kay himself says of the show: "What a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the last 20 years and highlight some of the work it's been my honour to create."
Kay is one of Britain's biggest stand-up stars. More than 1,140,000 fans saw him live on The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour, whilst his biography - The Sound Of Laughter - is the best-selling celebrity autobiography of the 21st century.
Recently Kay has returned to TV acting, switching from Channel 4 to instead primarily work on the BBC.
Car Share launched in April and premiered on BBC iPlayer before being broadcast on television, where it broke BBC records with nearly 3m streams ahead of the TV premiere. A second series is expected to be confirmed.
Kay can currently be seen in Cradle To Grave on BBC Two, a comedy set in the 1970s and based on the childhood stories of Danny Baker. The comedy star plays Spud, Danny's rouge docker father.
Peter Kay - Twenty Years Of Funny was announced at an event unveiling BBC One's Autumn/Winter 2015 schedule, but alongside a Landmark Sitcom Season of programming not due on screen until Summer 2016. It is not clear when the programme will be shown but it is likely it will form part of the channel's Christmas schedule.
Kay was previously the subject of a one-off 2005 documentary made by Channel X for the Paramount Comedy Channel, entitled Peter Kay - The Early Years. More recently he has talked about his comedy career via Peter Kay - In Conversation and Channel 4's 2011 special Peter Kay's Top 43 Greatest Comedy Moments.