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Live shows will ding-dang-doo for Paddy

Angela Kelly
15/10/2008

PHOENIX Nights star Paddy McGuinness was on the road to nowhere when we spoke – he was returning to his Bolton home by a different motorway route and was "a bit lost."

The 35-year-old comedian has certainly found his way in life, though, since a variety of jobs varying from a building site labourer to a lifeguard at Horwich Leisure Centre.

He shot to fame alongside his best mate Peter Kay in TV series That Peter Kay Thing and then the cult series Phoenix Nights, but took the last year out.

He’s been renovating a house in Bolton, and has also been travelling the country in the company of fellow funnyman Rory McGrath, being filmed in search of strange British sporting events.

The resulting four-part series saw the intrepid duo in their camper van visiting places like Gloucestershire for the world-famous cheese-rolling race and trying out shin kicking in the Cotswold Olympics.

The first programme was due to be screened on the day we chatted, and Paddy was enthusiastic.

"Yeah, it was fun to make and I’m looking forward to seeing it," he said. "We seemed to spend a lot of time in pubs – it’s all a bit of a blur, really."

Paddy seems to work well as part of a double act, although his stand-up comedy solo tours have sold out and the same seems likely for his latest, which starts this month.

He first hit the nation’s consciousness as womanising club doorman Paddy O’Shea alongside Peter Kay’s Max in Phoenix Nights, and the two went on to make a spin-off series entitled Max and Paddy’s Road to Nowhere.

His first solo stand-up Dark Side tour proved a major success with around 120 appearances around the country. He has appeared on numerous comedy shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats and Law of the Playground, and hosted and wrote Inside Wayne Rooney for Sky One. His football DVD Paddy McGuinness: All-Star Balls Ups! entered the sporting DVD chart at No.1.

His clean-cut looks and likeable personality ensure he has broad appeal, and he admits that he finds his humour "in ordinary, everyday things – I try to keep it real."

Although he’s a stand-up comedian himself, he’s not necessarily a fan of comedy clubs but says that "loads of things make me laugh." Paddy particularly liked the humour of The Fast Show, for instance.

He would like to be back on the nation’s screens in a series and said he was "writing something at the moment for TV," although he preferred not elaborate.

But there is no chance on him being lured away from the north by the bright lights of London.

"What would I want to do that for?" he demanded. "All my friends and family are in Bolton."

He will be travelling widely from this month until December, however, as his UK tour takes him all over the country and includes a show at the Opera House, Manchester, on October 25.

This latest tour is called Paddy McGuinness Plus You Live! and he says that it’s "a kind of entertainment show".

Hundreds of hopefuls sent in a DVD of their act and Paddy has chosen the best ones to be his support for their local shows.

The support act judged best overall will pick up a cheque for £2,000 and appear in the live recording of his new DVD, to be released at Christmas.

As for Patrick’s own act, he’s happy doing what he does. Ask him if he’d like to extend his repertoire by acting or singing, for example, and he is adamant.

"I can’t sing or tap dance, but I can do a bit of knitting," was the deadpan reply. So, if they ever make a series on Celebrity Knitters, at least we know who could host it!

Paddy McGuinness Plus You Live! is at the Opera House, Manchester on Saturday, October 25. For tickets for more information call 0870 401 9000