Lisa Riley has dispelled any lingering suggestions of a rift between her and Peter Kay following a recent heckler exchange after sharing a series of snaps from his recent stand-up show.
Riley, 48, assured at the time that she wasn’t upset by the comment and urged people to simply “keep calm and laugh” and despite others continuing to be offended on her behalf, she insisted she loves the Bolton funny man “to pieces”.
Since then, she’s come to his defence on more than one occasion and after attending his live stand-up show at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, she made it clear still as good a pair of friends as ever.
Thanking the 51-year-old for an “absolutely hilarious” show, insisting “we laughed until it hurt”, she said that her family and friends stayed up until “reciting all the jokes”.
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In a world, she described the show as “outstanding” and proclaimed it as “Northern at its absolute best.” High praise, indeed, even if it is from one Greater Manchester local to another and entertainment colleagues who know and love each other.
For anyone not clued up on the whole story to begin with, Kay caused a stir amongst some of his fans and the UK comedy crowd after he ejected two members of the audience back in February.
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A man was escorted out of the AO Arena for repeatedly shouting his age-old stand-up catchphrase ‘garlic bread’ throughout the gig, another woman used the lapse in the set to shout ‘We love you, Peter!”, which resulted in her also being kicked out of the venue.
An admittedly unfortunate turn set of circumstances given the contrast between the nature of the two outbursts and regardless, the woman in question, Myar Curran, says she was made to feel uncomfortable and believes he was remarking on her weight – something she is already self-conscious about.
In her first TV interview, Myar Curran has told Good Morning Britain, she feels 'humiliated' after she was allegedly kicked out of the comedian Peter Kay's gig on Saturday.@LizSummers has more. pic.twitter.com/HtlHdn39dK
The MailOnline reported at the time that after asking security to remove her on the night, Kay said: “Go on, you’ve missed the ending and everything, what a shame with your f***ing big gob drinking de-icer. Out you go. Go on, Lisa Riley, f*** off. Go on. Out you pop, flower – go on. See ya’.”
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In response to the controversy, Kay made a rare public statement explaining his perspective on the incident, staying simply (also to GMB): “I didn’t realise it was an insult. She did look remarkably like Lisa Riley. I didn’t realise that was an insult.”
What do you make of the whole situation; did any of the parties overreact? Does shouting a quick word of support during a break count as a heckle and was it harsh for Peter Kay to kick her out?
Olly Murs cancels Manchester gig after walking off stage six songs into huge arena show
Daisy Jackson
Olly Murs has now officially cancelled his show in Manchester tonight, a day after walking off stage just six songs into a huge arena gig.
The Heart Skips a Beat star had been performing in Glasgow last night when he abruptly stopped the show, apologised to fans, and left the stage.
The gig was cancelled around 30 minutes into his show, which is part of a huge UK arena tour that was meant to be heading to Manchester tonight.
A tearful Olly said that he was seeing a doctor last night and would update fans of the rest of his shows ‘as soon as I know anything’.
It’s now been confirmed that his gig at the AO Arena will not be going ahead.
Olly Murs said in a statement: “30 minutes into my set in Glasgow I lost my voice & unfortunately had to leave the stage midway through the show. This has never happened before and not something I take lightly.
“I’m sorry to all the fans who came out to the show last night and am forever grateful for your support.
“To everyone in Manchester and Birmingham I’m deeply sorry, but am unfortunately going to have to cancel my shows this weekend. I have contracted a respiratory infection and have been instructed to go on a strict 48 hour voice rest by the doctor to ensure no further damage to my vocal cords.
“I have been enjoying this tour so much, and am so sorry to let down my fans – but have to put my health first. I’m hoping to be fighting fit in a few days to finish this amazing 15 year celebratory tour with a bang.”
In a video he shared to Instagram last night, Olly Murs said: “Firstly I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I had to walk off after six songs and cancel the show. I’ve never done this in 15 years.
“Most of the time as singers you can kind of get through it if your voice isn’t 100% – I walked out tonight thinking my voice was great, I maybe felt a little bit run down but I didn’t think I couldn’t do the show. I wouldn’t have come out there otherwise.
“So to walk off after six songs, as I said, I’m so sorry. As you can probably hear from my voice, I just sounded rubbish and it’s unfair for you guys that spent all that money to come and see me. You deserve the best show and me being at my best, and I’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart.
“Hopefully I can recover from this.
“I’m actually going to see a doctor tonight which is great, so I’ll give you guys an update as soon as I know anything. Obviously I wanna try my absolute best to make these shows possible at the weekend.
“So yeah, so sorry for everyone tonight, apologies from the bottom of my heart. Gutted.”
Hidden Manchester bar Mala to offer unique ‘movie night’ experiences inside private cabins
Thomas Melia
You can have your own private film experience inside little wooden cabins at a popular Northern Quarter bar this summer.
Manchester city centre secret garden spot Mala is hosting an event where you and your friends can enjoy a private movie night with food, themed drinks, and bucket loads of free popcorn.
Listed as the ‘Cabin Movie Night’, get ready to sit back, relax and watch a cult classic, all from the comfort of your own personal wooden hut.
The film you’ll be watching is very on-brand too, as it’s none other than none than ‘Labyrinth’.
This secret garden spot is hiding right in plain sight over on Dale Street in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, and as well as hosting events such as these, they’re also home to some top tier eateries too.
Currently El Jefe, Doodles, Wok Bros, Christakis, D&X Caribbean, and Gulf are all serving up some cross-continental delights for you to enjoy in this marvellous space.
Some mouth-watering scran from El Jefe.Wok Bros have some delicious noodle boxes. Credit: The Manc Group
The Cabin Movie Night’ is the perfect way to round up your friends and watch a classic with a cocktail in hand.
There’s a handful of group packages available too at an additional charge, ranging from £30 to £50, which includes themed cocktails for each guest in the booking, and the cost of the ticket.
Danny Jones -
10th March 2025 
