Comedy legend Peter Kay has revealed that he wants to revive Phoenix Nights in the form of a feature film and has been writing down ideas for years.
Writing in his upcoming memoir, TV: Big Adventures on the Small Screen — which releases on Thursday, 28 September this week — Kay has confirmed that he’s been workshopping possible ways to do it ever since the hit show ended in 2003.
As per multiple outlets who got their hands on extracts from the follow-up to his best-selling autobiography from 2007, The Sound of Laughter, the Bolton-born comic, actor and writer says: “I still write down ideas.
“I had an idea only today of Brian getting Young Kenny [played by fellow Manc funnyman, Justin Moorhouse] to paint an enormous letter ‘H’ on the roof of the club so he can advertise they’ve got a helicopter pad. The chance of a helicopter ever landing is, of course, zero.” Kay also returned stand-up at the AO Arena this weekend.
The 50-year-old goes on to write that, “As the years pass, I’m becoming more like Brian, but if Phoenix Nights rose again it’d have to be for something very special, maybe a film? Perhaps Brian could get visited by three ghosts. Now, wouldn’t that be an idea?”
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It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Kay has floated the possibility of a feature-length Phoenix Nights comeback, having told producers that a script was ‘ready to go’ back in 2011 around the same time and success of The Inbetweeners Movie.
In fact, a few years later in 2017, he told BBC Radio Manchester that he’d “love to go back” to the series and said, “There’s a whole series three been written for about 15 years” but insisted that other projects and real-life simply gets in the way. As for whether this was turned into a film script, who knows?
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Furthermore, the sell-out standup (whose return to the stage broke records and the internet late last year) shed even further light on the show’s spin-off, Max & Paddy’s Road to Nowhere and its potential return for a Christmas special or two. In fact, co-star Paddy McGuinness talked it up earlier this year too.
He detailed how a script he’d written revolved around the two bouncers as “overly aggressive” elves working in Santa’s grotto.
Like his lifelong friend Peter, McGuinness insisted he’s always been keen to bring the equally popular comedy duo back and has said in the past that there’s “always talk about doing another one”, but that the issue is simply “time” and “getting everyone together”.
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We’re keeping everything crossed that the time is just around the corner.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home
Emily Sergeant
The Council is now offering financial help to support people moving into a smaller and ‘more manageable’ property.
Ever heard of ‘rightsizing? Well, according Manchester City Council it’s a process where a tenant in a larger social rent, Council, or Housing Association property, that may have more rooms than they need or perhaps are struggling to manage a big house as they get older, can be supported into a smaller property that better suits their needs.
The benefits of this process include cheaper bills, lower rents, and overall, just homes that are easier to clean and manage.
The aim of it is also to free up larger Council properties for families who are on the housing register – of which there are said to be around 20,000 of them currently at this time, with larger homes having some of the most significant wait times.
Are you struggling to look after a big Council or housing association home? We can help!
We are offering £2,500 to help people move into a smaller more manageable home, freeing up larger homes for families that need them.
It’s also estimated, according to the Council, that a third of all social rented family homes are thought to ‘underoccupied’.
This is why financial support and grants are now being offered.
Last year alone, 109 households were helped to ‘rightsize’ and were supported in the process by a dedicated team of Council officers, as well as benefitting from the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme – with a further 432 households having expressed interest doing so in the future.
Residents interested in ‘rightsizing’ could get a cash incentive of £2,500, which can be spent on anything they like, along with moving costs.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
“Rightsizing could be a brilliant option for older people who are renting a Council home who may have spare rooms they don’t need or would benefit from looking after a smaller property,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development.
“Often a barrier to moving is the cost, but the Council will take care of the financial burden to help a resident move into a new home.
“The benefit for the city is that we can free up more larger homes for people who are waiting for a property that properly meets their needs. We think around a third of Council tenants could be under occupying their home, which means they could be paying more than they need to or they could be hit with the bedroom tax.”
Does this sound like you? Are you ready to ‘rightsize’? Find out more and begin the process via Manchester City Council’s website here.
Featured Image – Vitaly Gariev (via Unsplash)
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Trailer released for Netflix’s new Lucy Letby documentary with ‘unprecedented access’
Emily Sergeant
The trailer for Netflix’s new documentary about the investigation of Lucy Letby has been released.
The feature-length film about Lucy Letby – the infamous neonatal nurse who was found guilty of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven others under her care at the Countess of Chester Hospital – hears for the first time from the police officers who investigated the case that shook the nation.
It features never-before-seen footage of Letby during her arrests and police questioning, and even includes interviews with experts and lawyers on both sides, as well as with the hospital consultants who initially raised the alarm.
Tragically, it also includes an anonymised interview with a mother of one of the victims, who also speaks for the first time about her experience and involvement in Letby’s trial.
Produced as a result of years of research and relationship-building, the film – simply titled The Investigation of Lucy Letby – is described as being the most ‘comprehensive’ look at one of Britain’s most notorious crimes, and traces developments from her arrest to trial in chronological order.
Viewers will be given ‘unparalleled and exclusive access’ to those central to the story.
“This was an exceptional and demanding project, marked by significant creative and ethical responsibility,” commented director, Dominic Sivyer. “Our aim was to craft a powerful, emotionally resonant depiction of the events surrounding the case.”
Caroline Short, Head of Global TV at ITN Productions – who produced the documentary – added: “The access to all our contributors came with a huge responsibility to present everyone’s perspectives with care and understanding.
“We are grateful to all those people who trusted us to tell their story.”
Danny Jones -
25th September 2023 
