Peter Kay
Kay giving a comedy master class at the University of Salford in 2012
Born	Peter John Kay (1973-07-02) 2 July 1973 (age 52) Farnworth, Lancashire, England
Alma mater	University of Salford
Spouse	Susan Gargan ​ (m. 2001)​ [1]
Comedy career
Years active	1996–present
Medium	Stand-up television film music
Genres	Observational comedy physical comedy situational comedy character comedy
Subjects	Everyday life British culture pop culture human behaviour family nostalgia

Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973)^[2] is an English comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Known for his observational humour and references to British culture and everyday life, Kay is regarded as one of the UK’s most successful stand-up comedians, with several of his tours breaking attendance and ticket sales records.

Born and raised in Farnworth, Kay studied media performance at the University of Salford and later began working part-time as a stand-up comedian. In 1997, he won Channel 4's So You Think You're Funny contest, and the following year, he was nominated for a Perrier Award for his show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. With his public profile raised, Kay co-wrote and starred in the Channel 4 mockumentary series That Peter Kay Thing (2000). This resulted in a spin-off sitcom, Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights (2001–2002) in turn generated another spin-off, Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere (2004). In 2005, he recorded a promotional video in which he mimed to Tony Christie's 1971 song "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", which was reissued to raise money for Comic Relief.

Kay co-wrote and starred in Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and Possibly a New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly on Ice (2008), a parody of several British reality television shows. As the series' fictional protagonist Geraldine McQueen, he released the single "The Winner's Song", which reached number two on the UK singles chart. Kay starred in the BBC sitcoms Cradle to Grave (2015) and Peter Kay's Car Share (2015–2018). He also provided the voice of police constable (later chief inspector) Albert Mackintosh in two feature-length films of the Wallace & Gromit franchise: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) and Vengeance Most Fowl (2024).

In 2006, the British public ranked Kay number 12 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars.^[3] His 2010–2011 tour was recorded in the Guinness World Records as the most successful stand-up comedy tour of all time, playing to a total of 1.2 million people.^[4] In 2016, Kay received an honorary doctorate from the University of Salford.^[5] He has also won a National Television Award, two British Academy Television Awards, and three British Comedy Awards.