Peter Kay launches new comedy course

Photograph by Brainne Edge

One of Salford’s most famous graduates, Peter Kay, returned to the University last night (Thursday, 25 October) to launch its new dedicated comedy course for budding writers and performers.

Household name Peter first discovered a talent for stand up comedy back in the 1990s when he studied for an HND in Media Performance at Salford. Since winning the North West Comedy Award in 1996 he has gone on to achieve huge popularity with That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere and sold-out national stand-up tours.

Peter was at the University’s MediaCityUK campus to launch its new comedy pathways course for performance students who want to develop their skills in sketch writing, physical comedy and clowning, sitcom and stand-up while investigating the roots of what makes people laugh, the business of a career in comedy and the cultural importance of the art form.

Students were excited to meet Peter and to hear about his experiences as a professional comedian. Many felt inspired by his incredible career and hope to follow in his footsteps.

Course Leader Lisa Moore said she was: “Astonished and delighted at the support received by industry professionals, and excited about the huge potential of the degree.”

Comics John Thomson (The Fast Show and Cold Feet) and Smug Roberts (Phoenix Nights) were also in attendance at the event which was compered by another Salford graduate, Karl Lucas (Phoenix Nights).

Other famous Salford performance graduates include Sir Ben Kingsley, Robert Powell, Christopher Ecclestone, Jason Manford, Steve Edge, Maxine Peake and Shobna Gulati.