Comedian Peter Kay has said he had “no choice” but to eject two audience members from his performance on Saturday.
The 51-year-old had two audience members kicked out of the AO Arena in Manchester after they heckled him while he was performing on his Better Late Than Never… Again tour.
In a statement posted to Instagram following the incident, Kay said: “At the show on Saturday night, February 8, 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.
“They all shouted ‘yes’ and when I asked for a show of hands at least 40 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.”
During the incident one fan is reported to have repeatedly shouted “garlic bread” in reference to one of the comedian’s best-known catchphrases, while another was reported to have shouted “we love you”.
The Bolton-born comedian is said to have made reference to Emmerdale actress Riley when one of the pair was being ejected.
Responding on Instagram, Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle in the ITV soap, said she was not offended by the reference.
The 48-year-old said: “Please draw a line under this now, I am not offended, never was offended.
“I love Peter Kay to pieces, laughter is my favourite medicine.”
Kay’s statement comes hours after he defended his decision to eject disruptive audience members from his Manchester show, insisting their behaviour was spoiling the experience for others.
In a statement read by Susanna Reid on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain, Kay explained: “I didn't realise it was an insult. She did look remarkably like Lisa Riley, I didn't realise that was an insult.”
Reid also stressed that the comedian told the show overnight that “he felt he had no option but to remove the hecklers and said they were spoiling the show.”
Adding: “There comes a point when dealing with repeated hecklers simply isn't enough. It's not something you ever want to do, but it becomes a point when it's no longer fair to everyone around.”
The tour, which has been running since 2022 and ends in 2026, is Kay’s first since Have Gags Will Travel, which ended in 2019.
Kay began his career in 1996 and made his name on TV shows such as Phoenix Nights, That Peter Kay Thing and Max And Paddy’s Road To Nowhere.
