Comedian Jason Manford has led the defence of fellow funnyman Peter Kay after the Bolton comic threw out a pair of hecklers at a gig in Manchester.
Jason, 43, agreed with the thoughts of another comedian on X after they said it was not for audience members to ‘shout s*** out’ after Phoenix Nights star Peter threw out a pair of hecklers at a gig on Saturday.
The comedian sent security after AO Arena gig-goer Philip Peters and his son after Mr Peters yelled out ‘garlic bread’ several times, before ejecting Myar Curran for shouting ‘we love you Peter Kay’ afterwards.
Peter said he had ‘no choice’ to take action after being repeatedly heckled, sparking ire from some comedy fans. But a number of comics have come to his defence since the story broke this week.
Jason Manford shared a post from Manchester comedian Freddy Quinne on X that read: ‘You cannot go to a comedy night and just shout s*** out. You’ll ruin the show.
‘If you’re too stupid to understand that, don’t go.’
Reposting the tweet, Jason said: ‘Agreed! Especially in an arena where you can’t even hear a heckle anyway! Deal with them a couple of times and then it’s bye-bye b******!’
The Mancunian added in a further tweet: ‘If a comic asks an audience member a question then that’s not heckling.
‘Heckling is also fine, to a gree, but after it’s had attention, a funny line or two, it’s no longer a comic’s job to deal with drunkness [sic] or rudeness.’
Jason Manford is among a number of comedians to have leapt to the defence of Peter Kay after the comic threw out hecklers at a gig on Saturday
Bolton funnyman Peter (pictured in 2017) has been criticised by some fans for throwing out a man who shouted ‘garlic bread’ and a woman who yelled ‘we love you’ at the AO Arena gig
Jason wrote on X in response to a tweet from comic Freddy Quinne that he would deal with hecklers ‘a couple of times’ before electing to throw them out
Freddy’s tweet was seen 260,000 times and attracted debate, to which he responded: ‘You absolutely can expect people to not shout… out. Given that there’s 10,000 people in the room and 9,999 seem to be managing just fine.’
Other comedians leapt to Peter’s defence including Tom Walker, who performs as the sweary mock journalist Jonathan Pie.
Responding to a news article about Mr Peters being ejected from the gig, he wrote: ‘They’ve paid the same amount of money as you to hear Peter Kay – not to hear you be an unfunny entitled p****.
‘I’m sure Peter gave you fair warning and likely got a huge round of applause when he did eventually throw you out and I hope you didn’t get a refund!’
Comic Kane Brown appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to defend Peter’s decision to throw out his hecklers.
He told the programme: ‘We work on our craft, we work for two, three years on a bit of material… You can’t come interrupt what we’re doing, it’s not right to spoil the show for everyone else.
‘[Heckling] once, okay, twice maybe, but if you keep going on and you’re interrupting the show, no. Your £20 [ticket] does not entitle you to spoil the show for everyone else.’
Warehouse driver Philip Peters, 54, and his son, 26, were abruptly evicted from the Manchester gig on Saturday night after repeatedly chanting out ‘garlic bread’ – a catchphrase from one of his best-known routines.
Mr Peters initially raised a smile from the comic after shouting out the phrase during the first half of the show – but the star was less amused when he did so again in the second, ordering staff to turn the lights up and security to escort him out.
The 54-year-old said he was left with bruises after he and his son were ‘dragged out like ragged dolls’ by security.
Millennial comedian Freddy Quinne said audiences did not have the right to ‘just shout s*** out’ because it would ‘ruin the show’
Tom Walker, who performs as sweary mock journalist Jonathan Pie, said audiences did not pay to hear hecklers, whom he branded ‘unfunny entitled p****s’
Comedian Kane Brown defended Peter’s conduct, saying on Good Morning Britain: ‘It’s not right to spoil the show for everyone else’
Philip Peters, 54, was removed by security after he shouted ‘garlic bread’
Mr Peters has been left with bruises allegedly caused by security guards
Myar Curran, 25, (pictured) was kicked out of Peter Kay’s show in Manchester where he compared her to Lisa Riley
Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley who Kay compared Ms Curran to as she was removed from his gig
Shortly afterwards 25-year-old Myar Curran was also told to leave after shouting out ‘we love you’ – to which an unamused Peter shouted back: ‘Go on, off you go Lisa Riley’ as she was also taken out by security.
Asking how many people found her ‘f****** annoying’, Peter said: ‘Ohhhh there’s about 40. You can’t argue with that. Out she goes.’
To derisive laughter, he adds: ‘Ooh I love this, it’s alright now ,look at this. Go on is she going and all… there you go. Ta-ra darling. Thanks very much. No refunds. Out you pop.’
She thought he was making a quip about her weight in comparing her to the Emmerdale star, telling the Manchester Evening News: ‘I know Lisa Riley has lost a lot of weight and looks great but she used to be a bit bigger.
‘I didn’t used to be this big. I have put a bit of weight on, I’ve had a child. I’m self conscious about that so to go to a show and feel like you’re having the mick taken out of you because of your weight, I was just a bit shocked.’
Some blasted the approach as heavy-handed. Showgoer Jackie Cosgrave said online: ‘I was in that stand on Saturday night: the woman only shouted we love you Peter Kay, she didn’t deserve to be ridiculed, name-called and made to leave.
‘The guy did shout out “garlic bread” a few times, maybe three maximum but it didn’t spoil the show and there was no need for Peter Kay’s OTT [over the top] behaviour.
‘Maybe don’t do a Saturday night comedy show – 80 per cent of the audience will hav been drinking and the arena serves drinks.
‘Stick to TV programmes with no live audience because your diva behaviour was embarrassing, not the people in the audience.’
Peter Kay was pictured looking slimmer while heading to his tour bus while leaving London’s O2 arena in January. His performance in Manchester on Saturday night has sparked a row with some leaving early
The funnyman also made a range of uncomfortable jokes, including a blind person impression and quipping that he hadn’t had an erection for years after taking the antidepressant sertraline
Taking to Twitter after the show, one enraged fan wrote: ‘ I’ve lost a lot of respect for @peterkay_co_uk’
Others described the ordeal as ‘harsh’ and ’embarrassing’ for the star – who has since defended himself via social media
But others defended Peter’s decision to act – including Lisa Riley herself, who asked fans to ‘draw a line under’ the incident.
‘I am not offended, never was offended. I love Peter Kay to pieces. Laughter is my favourite medicine,’ the Northern actress said in a social media post.
And attendee Jo Llewellyn told MailOnline: ‘The guy he chucked out absolutely deserved it. He continued to make a nuisance of himself as the show went on.
‘For those of us who sat beside him he ruined the gig. And as for the lady, she was a few seats behind and the people she sat next to also commented that she had been a huge pain and was disrupting the show for others.
‘I am glad Peter took a stand and removed them as the show was being spoiled for a lot of people. … And if people were so offended at the hecklers being chucked out, why did the crowd near them cheer loudly when they were removed?’
And on Instagram, Peter Kay defended his actions against the hecklers, writing: ‘At the show on Saturday night, February 8th, in Manchester, I had two hecklers disrupting from the very start.
‘I did my best to address the situation and made light of it, as any comedian would, but unfortunately, their interruptions continued.
‘I then tried to ignore them, hoping they’d settle down, but when the disruption persisted into the second half of the show, I asked the audience around them if they were being bothered by the noise.
A grab from a video of the moment Peter Kay asked security to throw out hecklers from the AO Arena Manchester gig on Saturday
Peter later defended his actions in a statement on social media, claiming the interruptions had made it ‘impossible to continue’
Peter Kay is best known for his early stand-up and shows including Phoenix Nights and spin-off Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere with co-star Paddy McGuinness
‘They all shouted “yes,” and when I asked for a show of hands, at least forty people raised theirs. At that point, I had no choice but to take action.
‘The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult. This was only the second and third time I’ve had to ask someone to leave during my 114 shows over the past three years of this tour.
‘As a comedian, you never want to eject anyone, but when repeated disruptions make it impossible to continue, it’s important to consider the experience of the rest of the audience, who’ve paid to see a show without interruption.’
Peter previously kicked out a heckler two years ago after being badgered from the stalls, telling them: ‘Oh it’s kicking off. He’s a bit of an a***hole, he’s a bit annoying.
‘I like a laugh, I’m a comedian, I do like a laugh but I can tell other people are getting a bit… now.
‘He likes the limelight, I know I do but I’m on stage.’
Tickets for Peter Kay’s £27million-grossing Better Late Than Never Tour show in Manchester started from £35 and cost, on average, £59.70 depending on the seat.
The tour, which kicked off in 2022, will incorporate his first dates at Aberdeen P&J Live, Brighton Centre, Bournemouth International Centre and Isle of Man Villa Marina.
Peter has already broken records during the tour after selling out 45 dates at London’s O2 Arena, the only artist to do so in the world.
The funnyman also performed a record 100 shows at the Manchester AO Arena – breaking all attendance and performance records.
