That Peter Kay Thing is a series of six spoofdocumentaries shown on Channel 4 in 2000. It was written by Peter Kay, Dave Spikey, Neil Fitzmaurice and Gareth Hughes, and was directed by Andrew Gillman. The series was narrated by Andrew Sachs. Set in and around Bolton, each episode functions as a self-contained documentary following a different set of characters, many of them played by Kay. The pilot episode, "The Services", was shown in 1998 as an episode of Comedy Lab, a series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Many of the characters went on to appear in the successful spin-off series Phoenix Nights.
Episode list
Characters
Brian Potter – Notoriously selfish social Secretary of the working men's clubThe Neptune. He lost the use of his legs when his former club flooded. It is suggested that he can actually walk, as at the end of the episode he is seen to stand whilst remonstrating with a group of Firemen.
Tom Dale – A Liverpudlianbingo caller known for his bizarre pre-show preparations and his catchphrase "Let's tickle those balls".
Rose and Theresa – Two middle aged bingo fans who assume anyone who wins is sleeping with Tom Dale.
Mr Softytop, aka Robert Edge – A third generation ice-cream man who hates children.
Signor Whippy – An ice-cream man and Mr Softytop's rival.
Darren Bramwell – A college student who works for Mr. Softy Top on weekends.
Matthew Kelly – An aspiring Irish actor who is unhappily stuck in several part-time jobs.
Johnny Utah, aka Craig – A surly Wild West obsessive, who works as a coach driver.
Duncan Beach – A St. John Ambulance volunteer who is devoted to his job, but treated with contempt by those he treats.
Chris Choi – One half of the security group Live Sec.
Shaun Ballen – The other half of the security group Live Sec.
Leonard de Tomkinson – An elderly, kindly local eccentric. Due to angina he is unable to work, but has a paper round and is, therefore, Britain's oldest paperboy.
Cheryl Avenue – An aspiring pop star, and former member of Park Avenue, she is the former long suffering partner of Marc Park and mother to his child. She later gained a pop career in her own right while also making her ex look bad much to Marc's chagrin.
Alan McClarty – A Scottish mechanic who has worked for the RAC before his wife left him and he had a nervous breakdown. He now runs his own breakdown company, "ARC".
A number of the characters in That Peter Kay Thing, including Brian Potter, Max and Paddy, and Jerry St Clair went on to become central characters in the highly successful spinoff series Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.
