When we heard this news this morning it caused a rejoice that reverberated around the office – Peter Kay is bringing back his hit TV series Phoenix Nights for two live shows in aid of Comic Relief.
The shows will take place in the Manchester Arena and will reunite the full cast with Peter Kay reprising both his roles as Brian Potter, the owner of the Phoenix Club, and doorman Max, with Paddy McGuiness – of Take Me Out fame – returning as doorman Paddy. The excitement is all just a little bit too much for us to bear.
But if you haven’t seen Phoenix Nights before – where were you?! You were just too young, weren’t you? I hate you, you wrinkle-free, doe-eyed whippersnapper – the gist of the programme is that a wheelchair-bound club owner has a dream to run the premier venue in Bolton. Only he has one major problem – his nightclubs keep burning down.
Needless to say, bountiful hilarity ensues and it won a shit tonne of awards and was nominated for a Bafta, but don’t take our (or Bafta’s) word for it, check out some of the funniest clips below before the tickets go on sale this Sunday.
The Auditions
In these short little auditions, which were shown at the end of every episode, the best of Chorley would perform for our viewing pleasure. Like The X Factor but much, much more northern (and all the better for it).
Max’s Car Alarm
Bouncer Max ordered a new car alarm from the Armchair Super Store, which allows you to record your own voice. The results are, to quote Paddy McGuiness’s character, ‘shit hot’.
‘Can You Hear Me Now?!’
This is basically the line to quote to anyone you want to impress with your Phoenix Nights knowledge. Max and Paddy are given new walkie-talkie headsets – ‘Headsets? Sets for your head?!’ – and want to see their range. Just watch it, you’ll thank us.
Stars In Their Eyes
This is from the final episode of the series, which is a real belter, and sees the various characters from the club banding together to make their own version of Stars in their Eyes after their rival cancels the star act. We cried, firstly with laughter and secondly, because it heralded the end of one of the best programmes on television.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.