Peter Kay has issued a lengthy statement after ejecting hecklers from his gig.
The comedian removed three people from his 'Better Late Than Never... Again!' Manchester gig at the AO Arena, as he said the three hecklers were spoiling the show for other attendees.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Peter wrote: "At the show on Saturday night, February 8, in Manchester, I had two hecklers disrupting from the very start. I did my best to address the situation and made light of it, as any comedian would. But unfortunately, their interruptions continued.
"I then tried to ignore them, hoping they'd settle down, but when the disruption persisted into the second half of the show, I asked the audience around them if they were bothered by the noise."
"They all shouted 'yes' and when I asked for a show of hands, at least 40 people raised theirs. At that point, I had no choice but to take action. The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don't see how that's an insult."
Peter, who plays Belfast's SSE Arena on August 7, added in the lengthy statement: "This was only the second and third time I've had to ask someone to leave during my 114 shows over the past three years of this tour."
"As a comedian, you never want to eject anyone, but when repeated disruptions make it impossible to continue, it's important to consider the experience of the rest of the audience, who've paid to see a show without interruption."
Peter first paused his performance to respond to the heckler and he said: "Garlic bread? Kick him in the f**king face, will ya? Everyone around you is thinking 'p***k'." He then demanded a light be put on the audience member and pointed him out to security guards. Peter said: "Give us a wave, k**bhead. Look at him, he doesn't know where he is!"
He then chanted if "you're going out" and quipped: "Look, they're all coming for ya, you p***k!" The comedian even encouraged people to film the chant before branding the heckler "Garlic dead". He added: "He's not laughing now is he?," as he pulled up a chair to watch the main be removed. A woman from across the arena then started shouting as Peter said: "Christ almighty. Bloody hell. I love Saturdays. Alright love, we've heard ya. Take her out and all."
He directed the security guards to "the woman in the black and white top 'rom Debenhams Blue Cross". Peter told the woman: "You're going flower now, and all. You've upset every bugger out there, go on out you pop."
"You've missed the ending and everything. What a shame, your f****ing big gob, drinking de-icer. Go on Lisa Riley, f**k off" The woman seemed confused and the crowd were encouraged to shout "If she was f**king annoying," before telling the woman "no refunds".
The woman who was kicked out of the show is 25-year-old Myar Curran. She travelled from Scotland from the show and said she was in tears following the comments made. She told the Manchester Evening News: "I do feel he was on about my weight. I know Lisa Riley has lost a lot of weight and looks great but she used to be a bit bigger."
"I didn't used to be this big, I have put a bit of weight on, I've had a child. I'm self-conscious about that so to go to a show and feel like you're having the mick taken out of you because of your weight, I was just a bit shocked."
A man called Phillip Peters was the one who shouted 'garlic bread'. Of his experience, he said: "I just can't understand it, all I said was 'garlic bread'... I was there with my son and they dragged us out like ragged dolls."
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English (United States) ·