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?
John Bishop announces latest Manchester gig arena tour dates
Danny Jones
Beloved British comedian John Bishop has announced another massive Manchester gig on his latest run of arena tour dates.
The well-known veteran of the North West and national stand-up scene at large is heading back to the region next year for his fresh batch of live stand-up shows.
Serving as the follow-up to his critically acclaimed hour from 2025, with these dates also serving as another opportunity for fans who missed out last time to see at least some of that material, John Bishop is no stranger to selling out Manchester arenas.
Returning to Co-op Live once again after his first two visits there this past autumn, Manc crowds can look forward to more of his usual scouse charm.
Confirming the new 2027 UK tour dates online this Friday, 23 January, Bishop said: “So excited to announce I’ll be heading back out on tour next year with my brand new show…. ‘Let’s Go Round Again'”
As he goes on to write, he’s set to play “some of the biggest venues across the UK and Ireland in April and May 2027”, simply adding, “Come and join me for a night to remember…”
The 59-year-old will be coming to Co-op Live on Sunday, 2 May.
His Co-op Live debut last October went down a storm, so it’s no surprise that we cousins down the Mersey were one of the first cities to be named on the new tour.
Bishop is enjoying a little bit of added renaissance at the moment, amid being at the centre of a Hollywood film starring Will Arnett and Bradley Cooper.
You can see the duo talking about the recent release down below.
Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett allowed themselves to be vulnerable when adapting John Bishop's life story 🎬 pic.twitter.com/B5DYBfDfJ8
The Everton-born comic was already 35 when he first started live stand-up, turning up at the Frog and Bucket comedy club on the edge of the Northern Quarter and choosing to go up on stage during an open mic night rather than paying the entry fee.
Already a successful salesman in the pharmaceutical industry, he chose to switch careers just before his 40th birthday and hasn’t looked back since.
It’s part of this real-life story that inspired the movie, Is Thing On? – which finally premieres here in the UK at the end of this month – and continues to make him a hugely popular touring UK comedian.
For anyone who fancies going along to see his new tour, you can sign up for early access through his mailing list or via the venue’s pre-sale for official Co-op Members.
Those windows open on Wednesday, 28 January from 10am; general admission will be available from the same time on the following Friday (30 Jan). You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
You can watch the trailer for the aforementioned motion picture here.
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 -
10th March 2025 
