WHY I HATE PETER KAY by tossrStu, age 30.
Stand-up DVD #1: Live at the Top of the Tower, which I bought on VHS when it came out and later on DVD when that was released. Very, very funny indeed.
Stand-up DVD #2: Live at the Bolton Albert Halls, which I pre-ordered on the understanding that there was going to be a behind-the-scenes tour documentary and possibly some other special features. Surprisingly, they were missing when I bought it so I was left with a new set of material in a similar vein to DVD #1 but not as funny.
Stand-up DVD #3: Live at Manchester Arena, which was filmed on the same tour as DVD #2, just on a different night. I haven't seen it but I expect there to be a lot of repeated material. Perhaps in anticipation of this, the promised bonus material from DVD #2 made an appearance on this one; I have to admit I was sorely tempted but I managed to stay strong and not succumb.
Stand-up DVD #4: Stand Up UKay, which is basically a compilation of clips from the previous 3 DVDs, interspersed with members of the public laughing about the material (a gaggle of dinnerladies shrieking "It's spitting!", and so forth).
So, he's managed to stretch 2 sets worth of material into 4 DVDs; that shows a certain shamelessness, I'll give him that.
Also I could be wrong but I believe he (or his manager) strong-armed a fansite off the internet so that they could get its peterkay.co.uk domain name, which they then transformed into his shitty merchandising site (a t-shirt with "GARLIC BREAD?" printed across the chest for £15? Why, I'll take three!).
As for his TV work, That Peter Kay Thing was excellent; Phoenix Nights S1 was great; Phoenix Nights S2 was pretty good; and Max and Paddy was shockingly bad. I haven't seen the Max and Paddy exercise DVD so I'll be charitable and not judge it (but it's probably shite).
Last night's programme was, on balance, okay but nothing special; it was funny in places and very well-observed (right down to having ITV-style credits at the end) but it just didn't go far enough. As others have mentioned, X-Factor is so ridiculous anyway that you really have to go over-the-top to parody it and I don't feel that he did in most instances (with some exceptions: R Wayne's gran, 2 Up 2 Down flying, the mural of Geraldine, etc.). I get that it was meant to be an "affectionate" parody but it did just feel like he was taking his usual "Remember this, eh?" style of comedy and applying it to shows like X-Factor, so instead of being completely ridiculous it was just a gentle elbow in the ribs to say "Have you noticed how everyone's got a sob story, eh?"
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