Peter Kay's Comedy Shuffle

A comedian will generally wait 40 years before a clip show, but such is the size of his archive, Peter Kay - the most entertaining mainstream comic for years - got there quicker than most. For the unconvinced, Phoenix Nights should provide evidence of the darker intimations behind his arena-filling work. Elsewhere, there are bits from Car Share plus interviews, while live clips reveal his willingness to improvise in front of a large audience.

More amiable schedule-filler from various stages of Kay's career, built this week round a chaotic interview on Irish TV, standup about schooldays ("When you were sick, they used to put sawdust down. What were all that about?") Best of all is the Phoenix Nights finale where the club staff have to become the acts in a Stars in Your Eyes evening. Plus, a magical clip of Kay and Sian Gibson helpless with laughter in a scene from Car Share.

Isn't it a bit early for Peter Kay to be looking back over his career? Which is, incidentally, a compliment, a way to suggest that Car Share reveals a man who, even after 20 years of success, hasn't lost his ear for the vernacular; the Alan Bennett of austerity Britain perhaps? That said, any show that features clips from Kay's shows, highlights of his chatshow jawmongering and his music videos has to be worth a look.

How Peter Kay became one of the best-loved comedians

Peter Kay is one of Britain's best-loved comedians. His 2010 tour is in The Guinness Book of Records as the most-successful comedy tour of all time, having entertained an incredible 1.2 million people.

PK max: with the double whammy of Car Share and Cradle to Grave, 2015 was a big year for the creator of Phoenix Nights. Here's an extensive and (vitally) channel-neutral retrospective of Kay's career, hosted by the man himself. The net is cast widely enough to include chatshow appearances and charity music videos, and with five more episodes to come, it might even dig all the way back to his often forgotten and brief stint hosting The Big Breakfast in 1998.

Peter Kay is a natural heir to Ronnie Barker

Ahead of BBC1 tribute series, Peter Kay's Comedy Shuffle, friends and collaborators Sian Gibson, Danny Baker, Reece Shearsmith and Jason Manford tell TV Times what makes Peter Kay a comedy great.