Peter Kay fans left divided over Lisa Riley jibe at stage show
Comedian Peter Kay faced backlash from some of his fans after an incident during his Manchester show. He had two audience members removed, one of whom he reportedly compared to actress Lisa Riley.
This event unfolded on Saturday night, February 8, at the AO Arena, as part of his extensive Better Late Than Never Again tour.
The drama is said to have begun during the latter half of the performance when a man in the audience began shouting Kay’s famous catchphrase, “garlic bread,” repeatedly.
Kay then addressed the heckler directly, as a witness said: “Peter Kay said, ‘Right this guy, where are you?’ The lights were turned on him, and he was singled out in front of the crowd.”
Instead of taking it lightly, Kay’s demeanor shifted when he said, “Right, you’re going out.” The attendee noted that the heckler, seemingly not grasping the seriousness of the situation, stood up with his hands raised, laughing, leading many in the audience to believe this was part of the show and not an actual reprimand.
The atmosphere quickly changed when six or seven security personnel appeared to escort the man from the venue, which surprised many in attendance.
At this point, a woman is said to have shouted: “We love you Peter.”
This prompted Peter Kay to say: “Yeah, get her out too. I’m enjoying this. Who wants her out too?”
A witness claimed that people raised their hands, thinking it was part of the stage act.
The witness continued: “He then proceeded to shout at them for three to five minutes. The audience was mixed; some couldn’t believe it and were obviously annoyed, and others were laughing, thinking it was part of the show or going along with it.”
The woman said that he referenced her Zebra-striped top as she was removed and compared her to the actress Lisa Riley. The witness said she took this to be a “derogatory” comment about her weight.
The audience member told the Manchester Evening News: “It was out of order; he was annoyed at something. There was no need to escalate the situation to that extreme.
“They were both drunk, but so were 80 percent of the audience; it was a Saturday night in Manchester. Heckling comes with the territory of comedy; everyone knows that, but this wasn’t very comfortable.”
“It wasn’t heckling as in the traditional swearing or insults. The guy was clearly showing him he was a fan.
“The joke of shouting ‘garlic bread’ probably wore a bit thin, but he could have handled it much better than he did.”
Lisa Riley posted a cryptic message on Instagram. She didn’t directly reference the incident, but shared a graphic which reads: “Keep calm and laugh.” She wrote underneath: “It’s a laugh, it’s funny.”
