Comedian Peter Kay had “no choice” but to eject audience member with “striking resemblance to Lisa Riley”

Peter Kay has responded after it emerged he had two audience members ejected from his gig at the AO Arena in Manchester. The comedy legend said he had “no choice” after the pair repeatedly disrupted his performance on Saturday (February 8).

The 51-year-old asked security to remove the unruly fans after their constant heckles were disturbing other ticket-holders at his Better Late Than Never… Again tour. In a statement posted to Instagram, the Bolton-born funnyman 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.”

It had been reported that one of the ejected fans was upset when the Phoenix Nights star referred to as “Lisa Riley” - the actress who played Emmerdale’s Mandy Dingle. Peter continued: “The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult.”

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.”

Adding how he would never “want to eject anyone”, Kay’s statement said: “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 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.