Peter Kay will return to television screens across the country for the first time since announcing a hiatus three years ago. He will feature on BBC show ‘The Big Night In’, which will fundraise for Children in Need and Comic Relief. There he will join ‘Phoenix Nights’ co-star Paddy McGuinness, to tickle the nation with an evening of entertainment during the coronavirus lockdown. The dry-humoured duo have a longstanding history together, having fronted popular TV shows including ‘Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere’. Aside from that, they also both grew-up in Bolton and had at least one of the same teachers. From their onscreen antics, it would be fair to assume the performing pair are the best of buddies. But an unearthed interview may reveal that’s not quite the case.
Peter Kay and Paddy McGuinness rose through the comedy ranks together – after both starting out on the stand-up circuit before making a name for themselves in TV.
Despite sharing the same city in North-West of England as home, similar career aspirations and a natural flair for comedy – the pair couldn’t be more different.
While Paddy seems happy to lap-up the limelight and has hit the headlines of national newspapers a number of times, Peter prefers a quiet, and more private, life.
Peter’s determination to keep his home life hidden from the outside world has led to nothing being known about two of his three children with Susan Gargan – not even their names.
During the pair’s rise to fame, Paddy made what could be construed as an offbeat comment about his comedy companion to Metro in 2007.
When asked about his relationships with other comedians, he stated that due to it being “quite a serious game” he often hangs out with people outside of his industry.
Paddy said: “Comedians sit at home slagging everyone off.
“I wouldn’t go as far as ‘dog-eat-dog’ but when you’re doing something all the time, you don’t want to carry on cracking jokes in your private life.”
But when the star was asked about how often he sees Peter Kay, it could be believed that Paddy tried to dodge the question with a series of jokes.
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In a 2012 Birmingham Mail interview, Mr Spikey claimed there were lots of arguments during their time in the writers’ room and accused Peter of being a control freak.
Mr Spikey went on to state that they “were always work colleagues and never best mates”.
He said: “We used to get into arguments about everything, like ‘What’s the funniest pie?’ That’s chicken and mushroom, obviously. We could argue for an hour just over that.
“Afterwards we went in separate directions and lost touch, although we have spoken since.
“The last time was when I bumped into him at a TV studio and we had a chat. But that was a couple of years ago (2010).”
While the onscreen chemistry of Paddy McGuinness and Peter Kay looks genuine and appears to be that of a loving friendship, who knows what lies beneath.
Similarly to the relationship with Mr Spikey, the pair’s relationship could be transactional and just for business purposes and not for pleasure.
The pair will be reunited on-screen across the country tonight (April 23) for The Big Night In, which airs on BBC One and iPlayer between 7pm and 11pm.
In a build-up to the event, Peter has been encouraging the nation to recreate his famous ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’ music video.
Submissions sent in and then shared by the star have shown nurses, police officers, firefighters and the public getting involved by marching on the spot or through different locations.
The charity gig, which has been spearheaded by Sir Lenny Henry, will feature comedy and musical acts from some of the UK’s top talents.
They include: Gary Barlow, David Walliams, Catherine Tate, Romesh Ranganathan, Davina McCall, Claudia Winkleman, Matt Baker, Tess Daly and David Tennant.