Peter Kay made a triumphant return to stage on the opening night of his first live comedy tour in 12 years.
The comedian received a rapturous standing ovation which lasted several minutes, with audiences chanting his name at Manchester Arena on Friday.
The live tour marks Peter's return to stand-up comedy after being largely absent from the public eye for the last four years after he cancelled his last tour in December 2017, citing "unforeseen family circumstances".
And while Peter didn't address the reason for his disappearance from the spotlight, the comic did speak about his recent health challenges, revealing he had to have surgery on kidney stones.
The 49-year-old left the audience in stitches as he recalled his hospital trip to have the operation.
"In comic terms, it’s the strongest part of the show, as Kay rolls his eyes at the anaesthetist asking for a selfie, then recounts the indignities of his recent operation for kidney stones," writes Brian Logan of The Guardian.
"It’s familiar stand-up territory, but Kay’s got a minimalist gift for expressing indignity and dismay – and there’s a great acting-out of a genitally entangled couple making their way to hospital after an unfortunate post-op accident."
Elsewhere in Peter's first show he addresses his weight loss as he sported a black suit and swapped his signature purple shirt for a blue one on stage.
He said: "See how much weight Peter Kay has lost."
Peter was brought to tears on the opening night.
He appeared overwhelmed by the reaction, pausing to lean against a stool on stage before standing up and dabbing his eyes.
“Oh Jesus look at me, I mean what’s that all about… how am I supposed to do bloody comedy now?” he asked audiences, prompting the first laughs of the evening.
He added: “Lovely Manchester you made me cry… where did it come from, all that emotion?”
Friday#s show at the Manchester AO Arena is the first in a mammoth arena tour spanning from December to August 2023.
He is due to visit locations including Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow and Dublin, with the run ending on August 11 2023 at the Sheffield Utilita Arena.
Following the announcement, Peter's official website appeared to crash briefly under increased online traffic.
The live tour is the comedian’s first since 2010, when he scored the Guinness World Record for the biggest selling run of all time, playing to more than 1.2 million people.
Peter, from Bolton, has been largely out of the spotlight in recent years.
He returned to the stage in August 2021 for two special charity events to raise money for Laura Nuttall, a then 20-year-old with an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme.
There was also a brief return in January 2021 when he appeared on BBC Radio 2 to chat to Cat Deeley – who was filling in after Graham Norton left the station – about his love of music, mixtapes and the musical Mamma Mia.
He also made a surprise appearance at a charity screening of his series Car Share in 2018.
Peter cancelled his last tour in December 2017, citing “unforeseen family circumstances”.
Over the last few years, Kay has delighted fans with his hit Bafta-winning TV series Car Share and stand-up routines.
