Peter Kay Biography

Peter Kay Biography

General Information

Peter Kay was born on the 2nd July 1973. He is a British comedian who specialises in stand-up, television and film comedy. He has been a comedian since1996.

Since then he has gone on to focus on the genres: observational comedy, musical comedy and physical comedy. These genres usually are subjects of everyday life, marriage, family, British culture, pop culture and human behaviour.

Programmes
Peter Kay's most notable works and roles

That Peter Kay thing:

That Peter Kay Thing is a series of spoof documentaries shown on Chanel 4 in 2000. It was written by Peter Kay, Dave Spikey, Neil Fitzmaurice and Gareth Hughes, and was directed by Andrew Gillman.

It was set in and around Bolton, each episode functions as a self-contained documentary following a different set of characters, many of them played by Peter Kay. Overall, there was one series and seven episodes that lasted 30 minutes each. Many of the characters and actors in 'That Peter Kat Thing' went off to star in the spin off 'Phoenix Nights'.

Phoenix Nights:

Phoenix Nights is a British sitcom that follows the story of a men's working club in the northern English town Bolton in Greater Manchester. Peter Kay is a star in multiple roles of the series.

It was written by Neil Fitzmaurice, Peter Kay and Dave Spikey. The music was also written by Peter Kay as well as Toni Baker. Overall, it was produced by Goodnight Vienna Productions and Ovation Entertainment, and was broadcast by Channel 4 in 2001 and 2002. It had two series and all together 12 episodes  that were 24 minutes long. It won the People's Choice Awards in 2002 and because of this lead to the spin off show Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere:

'Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere' is a British sitcom on Channel 4 starring and written by Peter Kay and Paddy McGuiness. It began on the 12th November 2004 and ran for six 30 minute episodes that were all directed by Peter Kay. The plot follows the two characters Maxwell and Patrick form Phoenix Nights as they ravel around Britain in their campervan to escape from the consequences of stealing £8,000.

Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice:

It is a British television comedy show co-created, co-written, directed, produced and stared in by Peter Kay. The title reveals that the show is based around pre-existing reality television shows.

Overall, it was originally released in October 2008 and consists of one episode that is 120 minutes long split into a time slot of 75 minutes and 45 minutes each.

Peter Kay's Car Share:

It is a British sitcom based around a supermarket assistant manager, called John Redmond who is played by Peter Kay, and promotions rep Kayleigh Kitson who is played by Sian Gibson and their participation in a company car sharing scheme. Overall, it was originally released in April 2015 and has had two series with an overall 10 episodes that are 30 minutes each.

Cradle to Grave:

It is a British sitcom set around the life of Danny Bake. It was written by Jeff Pope and Danny Baker. Peter Kay plays the role of Fred Baker who is a docker and a husband to the character Bet (played by Lucy Speed) and a father to the characters Danny, Michael and Sharon. Overall, it was originally released in September 2015 and consists of one series and 8 episodes that are 30 minutes each.

Tours
Peter Kay has done numerous tours, most of which are stand-up DVDs. These include:

• Live at the Top of the Tower (22nd November 2000)
• Live at the Bolton Albert Halls (10th November 2003)
• Live at the Manchester Area (2005)
• Peter Kay's Special Kay (17th November 2008)
• Live - The Tour That Didn't Tour - Tour (7th November 2011)
• Live and Back on Nights (19th November 2012)

Records

In December 2011, Peter Kay's stand-up comedian tour (Live - The Tour That Didn't Tour - Tour) was officially integrated into the Guinness World Records as the most successful of all time. It was reported that over 10 million DVDs were sold (a UK records that combined the sales of the best selling films: Avatar and Mamma Mia!) and it that it was played to over 1.2 million people.

Key Definitions

Observational Comedy: it is a form of humour based on the commonplace aspects of everyday life. It is one of the main types of humour in stand-up comedy. It is used when a comedy makes an observation about something that happens everyday that is rarely noticed or discussed. Lines often used are "Have you ever noticed" or "Did you ever notice". (it has become a comedy cliché).

Musical Comedy: It is music that is comic or humorous in nature. They can encompass a wide range of music genres. For example, parody music, novelty music, comedy rock and comedy hip-hop.

Physical Comedy: It is a form of comedy that uses on the manipulation and movement of the body. It can usually involve slapstick, clowning, mime, physical stunts or making funny faces.

Spoof Documentaries: It is a form of comedy that includes the comic material being used to be presented in a documentary style. It is usually report on a particular theme or issue.

Sitcom: A situation comedy

Stand- up Comedy: It is a comic style where the comedian performs in front of an audience, usually speaking directly to them.