Peter Kay: Live at the Bolton Albert Halls

Peter Kay appears in front of a large audience of his Northern brethren and goes through a routine that runs just under an hour. Kay runs through a range of observations made against his own life growing up in the North (where it, as I understand it, is grim). From drunken dancing at weddings, watching Bullseye or taping the top 40 charts off the radio, he covers a range of subjects – but this is also a weakness.

Outside of the group that will be familiar with what he is talking about (not many outside the UK I'd reckon) he isn't going to get many laughs, but I suppose I'm in the UK so it shouldn't matter – but it does. The problem I had with the show was that it never gets close to the inventiveness and wit of Kay's TV shows (specifically Phoenix Nights), instead it more or less just picks easy targets – dancing at weddings, drunken relatives, rubbish television shows and so on. It is amusing in a 'oh yeah' type of way but I must admit that I wasn't roaring with laughter as much as the (badly timed) cuts to audience were. I say badly timed because the odd time it is apparent that the individuals are not actually laughing at that specific joke but I suppose the important thing is that they were laughing at that moment.

The material won't travel well but it is worth seeing if you are in a relaxed mood. Ironically Kay seems happy to be just a notch above the working men's clubs that he lampoons so wonderfully in Phoenix Nights but the crowd (a rough looking lot) seem to enjoy it a great deal and I suppose that if you're a fan of his type of humour then you'll enjoy this too. I did identify with the people and situations he joked about and I did laugh a handful of times but basically I didn't think he stood out from many other stand ups who also do the 'have you ever noticed…' stuff but do it better. Kay is better than this.

Top of the Tower was good, it's a classic in fact, but Live at the Bolton Albert Halls is something special. It is in my top stand-up shows of all time with its relatable stories and signature jokes. Filmed 3 years after his first tour, Peter Kay returned with a bigger reputation, bigger venue and even bigger jokes! His style may not have changed but his all-round performance as a comedian is much improved on an already sterling show 3 years earlier.

Again, his jokes are consistently relatable. He tells us stories which literally have us linking ourselves to over and over again. He really is naturally funny and it seems effortless to him the way he reels off story after story. This tour is my favourite of Peter Kay's and I still re- watch it every now and then.

9/10

I saw this guy for the first time on the DVD "Live At Bolton", and would now rank him in the top three comedians I have ever heard in my life! Everything about his show was funny and uplifting, From his running for a bus to, well....I won't spoil the surprises, I swear he will have you and your whole family in Knots. A truly naturally funny man in every sense. He also does some superb impersonations including Jim Bowen(presented bullsh1t....no bullseye) and a very good one of a typical drunk uncle at a party. Another notable talent he has is that he hardly swears during his show. I say notable because a lot of comedians use swearing as a driving force for their comedy but this guy doesn't need to. There are only a few other British comedians out there that can touch this guy, one of them being The Big Yin himself, Billy Connolly and Lee Evans being the other one and I think with his upbeat personality and well timed wit he will go far! Out of 10.... 9.5, Superb!

I love this DVD! He is one of the funniest men nowadays! This is a must-have in every household! It includes something that all of us has encountered in our lives - mine is the "People say stupid things" and the Wedding jokes. Peter Kay is so funny and those who find him not funny, well, that's their sense of humour. I recommend his other stand-up DVD, Live at the Top of the Tower, it was released before this DVD so you might need to watch that one first to understand some of the jokes in Bolton Albert Halls. If you haven't seen any of his Phoenix Nights, then you must. Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere is a sequel to it.

Simply wonderful observational humour! Before you watch this try and remember what it was like at family weddings; and then let Peter Kay tell you.

Imagine what it would be like to be an old lady whose family still surround you and gently smile at your little ways; and then watch Peter Kay tell you about his gran - who is in the audience and laughs as much as anyone.

Peter Kay analyses people and reduces them down to the scared little kid in us all and bursts the bubbles of pretencion in anyone. We all know that deep down we would like to be the kid who slides across the floor on his knees at a wedding and it makes us laugh to realise that.

Peter Kay has the ability to craft a show about us and show us why we are all really scared little kids in big peoples clothes and we love every minute of having our egos and pretencions destroyed.

Peter Kay takes us to a world that we would all love to live in and it is only afterwards that we realise that we already do.

Wonderful!