6 million watch Peter Kay's Car Share finale

Tuesday 29th May 2018, 2:31pm

Peter Kay's Car Share: The Finale peaked at 6.4 million viewers
Peter Kay says: "It's been a five year labour of love and we've loved working on it"

More than 6 million watched Peter Kay's Car Share: The Finale on Bank Holiday Monday.

The much-anticipated episode peaked with 6.4 million viewers, averaging an audience of 5.98 million across the whole half hour - representing a 34.2% audience share.

The final episode, the existence of which was only announced after more than 100,000 people had signed a petition asking for the show to be concluded, finally revealed whether romance would blossom between the central characters of John and Kayleigh.

Peter Kay says: "It's been a five year labour of love and we've loved working on it."

The BBC says today: "Last night's finale has received an overwhelming response from fans and critics alike with the Daily Telegraph calling the final scene 'Perfection'."

Shane Allen, the BBC's Controller Comedy Commissioning, comments: "The audience figures and responses have been phenomenal for this much loved show. With its beautiful blend of heart and hilarity it feels like a show that will be enjoyed for years to come."

Whilst the episode has been widely promoted as the last ever, it remains to be seen whether Car Share will return. In a recent interview, stars Peter Kay and Sian Gibson ruled out making a third series, but stopped short of saying the show was completely finished.

Asked "Is this really the last ever Car Share?", Gibson commented "Never say never". The script of the finale episode appeared to set up another potential episode, with both characters having been invited to the same wedding.

However, if any further episodes are made, it's unlikely to be soon. The finale - and an unscripted special - was filmed in 2016 at the same time as Series 2 proper. Since then, Kay has cancelled all work, including his mammoth live tour, citing "unforeseen family circumstances".

Peter Kay's Car Share: The Finale and the rest of Series 2 and the Unscripted special are available to view on BBC iPlayer. The final episode will be repeated on BBC One this Friday, 1st June, at 11:35pm.

Below is the final scene from last night's episode:

Peter Kay's Car Share - The Complete Collection is scheduled for release on Blu-ray and DVD in November.

Peter Kay's Car Share - The Complete Collection

When a supermarket introduces a new car share scheme for its staff, John Redmond (Peter Kay) and Kayleigh Kitson (Sian Gibson) are forced to commute together over the summer and with each journey their unlikely friendship draws closer.

The double BAFTA and National Television Award winning series.

Includes all 10 episodes from Series 1 and 2, plus the unscripted and finale specials.

First released: Monday 19th November 2018