Peter Kay has insisted that he had "no choice" but to eject two heckling audience members from a recent live show.
The comedian was performing at the AO Arena in Manchester as part of his Better Late Than Never… Again tour, when he got two members of the audience kicked out.
One fan was reported to have shouted out "garlic bread", which is one of Kay's best known catchphrases, while another shouted out "we love you".
Following this, Kay released this statement via Instagram.
"At the show on Saturday night, February 8, in Manchester, I had two hecklers disrupting from the very start", he wrote. "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".
Peter Kay also reportedly referred to Emerdale star Lisa Riley, who plays Mandy Dingle.
"They all shouted 'yes’ and when I asked for a show of hands at least 40 people raised theirs", he added. "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".
Reacting to this, Lisa Riley insisted that she was not offended by this.
"Please draw a line under this now, I am not offended, never was offended", she said. "I love Peter Kay to pieces, laughter is my favourite medicine".
Peter Kay's current tour ends in 2026, and will include shows at Dublin's 3Arena on 10, 11, and 12 July, 2025 and in Belfast's SSE Arena on August 9, 2025. More on this here.
