Paddy McGuinness has heaped praise on his pal Peter Kay.
The Top Gear presenter, 49, took to Instagram earlier today to share a rare snap of himself alongside the award-winning comedian as he broke his silence on Peter's recent record-breaking ticket sales.
Peter sent the country into meltdown earlier this month, when he announced an upcoming tour 12 years on from last taking to a stage in an arena and performing live. Tickets for dates from December this year all the way through to 2024 went on sale this weekend and were quickly snapped up by eager fans.
Captioning a collecting of snaps of himself and Peter, Paddy told his Instagram followers: "I don’t often speak about Pete and his achievements on my socials. He’s been a mate since childhood and that’s how I always see him?
"Regardless of all the great things he’s achieved on television there’s literally no one who comes close to what he does live. The amount of tickets he sells is unheard of in the comedy world and beyond! He’s a one off folks, enjoy him, I don’t think you’ll see the likes of him again? Certainly not in our lifetime. I’m very proud you son."
He cheekily added: "PS I haven’t got tickets. PPS I don’t need any. #peterkay."
Before he coined the catchphrase "No likey, no lighty" as the host of ITV dating show Take Me Out, Paddy was already a household name to millions of comedy fans across the country thanks to Peter.
Starring alongside childhood pal Peter Kay, the Top Gear host first appeared on our screens back in 2001 as Bolton-born bouncer Paddy O'Shea in the much-loved comedy, Phoenix Nights.
The Channel 4 show quickly became a cult classic after just two series and Paddy's character was so popular, a spin-off revolving around the bouncer and his pal was released in 2004, Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.
Despite Phoenix Nights being hailed as one of the finest British comedies of all time, Paddy's estranged wife Christine McGuinness admitted last year she has never tuned into the much-loved series.
Commenting on a viral meme on Instagram using a clip of her husband appearing in the iconic show, the mum-of-three confessed in June 2021 that after "14 years with Patrick" she still hadn't got round to watching him as his most famous comedy character.
"I should definitely watch this one day!" The Real Housewives of Cheshire star wrote, just one year before she and Paddy announced their separation to the world.
"14 years with Patrick and I've never watched #MaxAndPaddy" she added, finishing her comment with a red love heart emoji.
Since tickets for Peter's upcoming tour went on sale last week, fans - and Jason Manford - have blasted touts for reselling tickets for hundreds of pounds.
Peter kept his ticket prices as low as possible, setting the cheapest seats at £35, in order to make his show accessible to as many people as possible during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
But that hasn't stopped opportunistic buyers snapping up tickets with the intention of making a tidy profit, rather than going to see Peter perform live.
Comic Jason called Viagogo "parasites", as he wrote on social media: "Reselling tickets at a profit should be illegal. But we live in a capitalist society with a Tory government, so chances are about the same as getting Peter Kay tickets!"
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