Paddy McGuinness’ stunning tardiness on Phoenix Nights has been revealed by Peter Kay.
The Bolton comics, both 50 years old, collaborated on two Kay series before appearing in the spin-off Max & Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.
However, it appears that their time together was not always happy, with Kay referring to McGuinness as a ‘pain in the a**e’ and a ‘b****r for being late’.
Kay described how he grew affectionately upset with his comedic co-star during production in his new book, TV: Big Adventures on the Small Screen.
‘Paddy slept in all the time – he was a b****r for being late in the morning. We’d get a message from his driver picking him up: “He’s not answering the door.”
‘Eventually, he’d get to us, and we’d all be sat waiting because we couldn’t film anything without him. We were in every scene together. A right pain in the a**e.’
McGuiness was cast as doorman Paddy O’Shea in That Peter Kay Thing in 1999, and his role was expanded for Phoenix Nights.
Despite her complaints, Kay reflected warmly on their time together, claiming that the sets were frequently filled with laughter when McGuiness was around.
Kay said that, in addition to the problems caused by McGuiness’ delay, he had considerable difficulty driving Max and Paddy’s famed camper.
‘I was forever hitting walls and clipping other vehicles as we drove past, leaving the art department with their heads in their hands.’
He continued: ‘They spent a lot of time leaving notes under people’s windscreen wipers with our insurance details or knocking on residents’ doors.’
‘[The production staff were constantly] apologising and advising that someone would be calling round to fix their wall or fence,’ he explained.
Kay defended fellow comics Matt Lucas and David Walliams over conflicts sparked by their sitcom Little Britain in the same book, which was released last week.
‘It was all very far from being politically correct but that’s what made it funny. It probably wouldn’t get made now,’ he said of the BBC show.
Peter Kay’s TV: Big Adventures On The Small Screen is available to buy now.
