Peter Kay defends ejecting hecklers at stand-up show
TV star Peter Kay has explained why two hecklers were ejected from a recent stand-up show.
Peter Kay has defended his decision to eject hecklers from a stand-up gig.
The 51-year-old comedian has recently faced criticism after he asked staff at Manchester's AO Arena to remove two hecklers from the venue, but Peter has now claimed that he had "no choice", explaining that their "repeated disruptions" made it "impossible to continue".
The 'Phoenix Nights' star said in a statement posted on Instagram: "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 being 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."
Peter likened one of the hecklers to soap star Lisa Riley - but the comedian insists he didn't intend to cause anyone any offence.
His statement continued: "The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult.
"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."
