Peter Kay reveals moment he discovered making people laugh was ‘only thing’ he was good at
Peter Kay chatted to Sara Cox at the Lowry in September
Peter Kay’s interview with Sara Cox will soon be available to listen to on BBC Radio 2(Image: Getty Images)
Peter Kay has shared the key moment during his childhood that he realised he loved making people laugh.
BBC Radio host Sara Cox and comedian Peter Kay got together on September 14 to chat about all things comedy, and now the interview is being shared on BBC Radio 2 on Monday, December 1,
During the show recorded at Salford’s Lowry Theatre, Sara, 50, and Peter, 52, discuss his childhood, the moment he discovered he loves to make people laugh, a nativity play with a difference and the variety of jobs he worked at before going into comedy.
Bolton-born comedian Peter told Sara: “I were almost more comfortable making people laugh. It always seems that was the only thing I was ever really good at.”
The interview took place on September 14, 2025(Image: SJM)
Peter was taught by nuns at his school in Bolton. He continued: “We didn’t do much performance at school because we had nuns and we had real teachers as well. We had humans, we didn’t just have nuns. They weren’t very theatrical nuns. They tried jazzing it up once by having the three wisemen arrive on BMX’s.
“They brought gifts with baby Jesus. They brought gold, frankincense and Kerplunk. But we didn’t do drama at school apart from an activity. I wanted to perform. I was always in the choir and then I got offered the innkeeper and then I got told off by Sister Sledge because I offered Mary and Joseph an ensuite with a full English and she weren’t amused.
“But then… I didn’t do anything again until I did the Wizard of Oz in fifth year and I auditioned for the lion and I got the lion. That was the moment I thought I really love making people laugh. Because what happened, there was a bit in the Wizard of Oz where these things called Jitterbugs…
“Anyways, I went to Ireland with my mum and these Jitterbugs, they make you dance but I couldn’t because I went to Ireland over Easter Break when I come back. So, when these Jitterbugs which were just second form girls come out, Dorothy, Tin Man and Scarecrow can’t stop dancing.
“You have to sit at front of stage because you don’t know the dance moves. I thought well, fair enough. So it was on over four nights and on the fourth night I thought, sod it. So when it got to that bit, I got up and I started dancing around on stage and it got a really good reaction and then I danced off stage and I danced out, said hello to my mum.
“And the mayor was in and governors. And then I spotted on stage because it were a forest, they had these third -year girls dressed up as trees. So I danced up and cocked my leg up on them. But then in the interval, Sister Sledge come back and she were like, it’s not your show, there’s other people in the show. You have got to think about them.”
Peter Kay revealed that he always knew he loved making people laugh(Image: Getty Images)
The Greater-Manchester born comedian shared that the moment he had a career realisation was when Sister Sledge asked him: “Is that what you want to be when you grow up? A comedian?”
Peter explained: “And then I wanted to say yeah.”
During their chat, Sara and Peter also discussed losing weight, Peter’s heroes, and the jobs he worked before being a comedian. Peter Kay In Conversation With Sara Cox will be available to listen to on iPlayer after its broadcast is complete.
