PETER KAY (PC Mackintosh)

PETER KAY (PC Mackintosh) has emerged as one of England’s most popular comedy stars. He recently wrote, directed and starred in the series “Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere,” for which he won a Montreux Award for Best Comedy Actor. He is currently working on the release of the series on DVD.

Kay’s first big break as a writer/performer came on a mock-documentary style comedy entitled “The Services,” broadcast as part of Channel 4’s “Comedy Lab.” His inimitable style led to his first series, “That Peter Kay Thing,” which premiered to great critical acclaim in early 2000 and won Kay the Best New Comedy Series Award at the British Comedy Awards.

Following that success, Kay co-wrote, co-produced and starred as three characters in “Phoenix Nights,” a six-part comedy-drama, which originally aired in early 2001 and was later released on DVD due to overwhelming demand. Kay also made his directorial debut during the the second season of “Phoenix Nights,” which won the People’s Choice Award at The British Comedy Awards, and was nominated for Best Television Comedy. In addition, Kay won the award for Best Writer, and earned a nomination for Best Comedy Actor. He was also recognized with two BAFTA Award nominations for Best Comedy Performance and Best Situation Comedy.

Kay’s additional acting credits include the films “The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse” and Michael Winterbottom’s “24 Hour Party People”; the television miniseries “Butterfly Collectors”; and episodes of such series as “Coronation Street” and “Linda Green.” He is also well known in England as the “John Smith Man” for his series of popular commercials.

Born and raised in Bolton, Lancashire, England, Kay started out as a stand-up comedian. He had been performing stand-up for less than a year when he won Channel 4’s “So You Think You’re Funny?” competition in 1997. In 1998, he was nominated for the prestigious Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and for Top Stand Up and Top TV Comedy Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards.

The following year, Kay embarked on a sold-out tour of the North West of England and starred in his first live stand-up video, “Peter Kay Live From the Top of the Tower.” His hugely popular “Mum Wants a Bungalow Live Tour,” began in September 2002 with 75 sold-out nights around the country, and continued selling out during its five-month run. The tour culminated in a record-breaking performance at the Manchester Evening News Arena in July 2003. The resulting television special, “Peter Kay Live at Manchester Arena,” was seen by more than seven million viewers. The “Mum Wants a Bungalow” tour also spawned the DVD “Peter Kay Life at Bolton Albert Halls.” Kay also recorded a remake of Tony Christie’s classic hit “Is This The Way to Amarillo” for Comic Relief, the single of which went to number one in the UK.