Today I finished working with a family , and though I am uncomfortable with this they insisted on giving me a gift . I tore the corner off the wrapping and on the spine was P K . I stuffed it into my bag and said thanks . On the 355 down the coast road the full nightmare of a bus crash in which I would be found surrounded by adults dressed for C i N and a Peter Kay book in my bag drove terror into my heart .

On a different point Mr D I see your at the Live on the 11th if I had only bloody known ( its up as sold out).
So good luck with that but do drop me a heads up warning the next time .

It's the comedy of recognition isn't it? Personally, having lived in the North of England for a good 10 years now, I found him really funny, but I can imagine that if you're not in this part of the world it might pass you by. There's often not much intrinsically funny in his material, but him relaying things like the way people say 't'internet' raises a laugh (or did, until over-familiarity set in).

Just watching him on Children In Need, and he comes across as genuinely weird. Old before his time, in a world of his own, funny peculiar rather than ha ha. JLS were great though.

He strikes me as being a comedian who can't be funny, unless they have an hour to prepare a joke.

And "work rate"? He's not a midfield general, is he?

on daytime TV today, and the way he took the situation over was magnificent. I pity anybody who tries to interview him on autopilot. Genuinely quick-witted. One key comment he made was that his low workrate is because he only believes in doing one project at a time, because he values his family life and puts time with them at the forefront of his priorities. Which I find truly refreshing.

and that's pretty much all I want from a comedian sometimes.

What I liked about him on CIN was that he appeared to be just 'being Peter Kay'. Not insincere or ingratiating. I'll see him live if I can. I'm a Southerner.

effortless in my opinion. The Hob Nob sketch or the one with the chairs for Christmas dinner will do for me. Perfect, recognisable, observational comedy. There are times he doesn't get it right but that goes for all comedians, musicians etc..

The Children In Need song was fantastic too, ending with "Hey Jude" and Lady Penelope and Parker. Ticks all the boxes and will earn a fortune for the kiddies go buy a copy tomorrow.

I did a few gigs with him on the circuit, ages ago. I agree, he was a genius. He was funny, sharp, and very quick witted. Not overly friendly backstage, but not too bad. What I find sad is that he seems to have fallen victim to the success trap. That CiN thing was a blatant ad for his gigs, he doesn't appear to be a working comic, just a bandwagon jumper, an event comedian.
It's all a bit cold and calculated, there's not a great deal of soul, which is sad really.