Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley and comedian Peter Kay have shown there are no hard feelings between them after the former attended the latter’s show at Leeds Arena on Saturday night.
The soap star, who plays Mandy Dingle, shared supportive messages and photos with Kay on social media following the performance.
The gesture comes just weeks after Kay compared a disruptive audience member to Riley before having her removed from his Manchester show in February.
In February, Kay had two audience members removed from his show at Manchester’s AO Arena after persistent disruptions.
He first ejected a man who shouted “Garlic bread”, a catchphrase from his Phoenix Nights series.
Kay then had security remove a woman who repeatedly called out his name, referring to her as “Lisa Riley” due to her resemblance to the actress.
The incident sparked debate about how comedians should handle hecklers during live performances.
Riley took to social media after the show this past weekend to express her delight, writing: “THANK YOU so so so much Peter for the most fantastic night. We laughed until it hurt.”
The 48-year-old shared photos of herself with Kay, adding they were “up until way gone midnight reciting all the jokes.”
She described the performance as “northern at its absolute best” and called Kay “the best of the best.”
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Peter Kay found himself at the centre of public debate for kicking out hecklers during a show last month
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Fans of the duo were elated to see there was no bad blood between the two, with one Instagram user commenting on the post: “He’s an absolute legend loved every minute of his show in Manchester the night of the hecklers he’s so funny xxx.
“We were there in Manchester a couple of weeks or so ago. He was fantastic…even with the lisa Riley joke,” a second echoed before a third weighed in: “Fantastic show laughed until my sides hurt, Peter is a legend xx.” (sic)
Kay had previously addressed the incident in a statement posted on Instagram, explaining his actions were necessary due to repeated disruptions.
“The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult,” he said.
Kay noted this was only the second time he had to remove someone from the audience in 114 shows of his three-year tour.
At the time of the February incident, Riley had already made it clear she took no offence at Kay’s comments.
“Please draw a line under this now, I am not offended, never was offended,” the actress stated.
She added: “I love Peter Kay to pieces, laughter is my favourite medicine.”
The warm reunion at the Leeds show confirms Riley’s earlier stance that there was never any issue between the two entertainers.
However, Myar Curran, the 25-year-old woman at the centre of the incident, expressed different feelings about her experience.
She told Good Morning Britain she felt “humiliated” by the ordeal and would never attend one of Kay’s shows again.
“I didn’t mean to cause any harm, I was just showing my love,” Curran said.
Lisa Riley has previously addressed the rift rumours with Peter Kay
She insisted her chant of “We love you Peter, we do” wasn’t abusive or aggressive.
Kay’s Better Late Than Never… Again tour, which began in 2022, is set to continue until 2026.
It marks Kay’s first major tour since his Have Gags Will Travel shows, which ended in 2019.
The photos of the pair smiling together at the Leeds venue have effectively put to rest any speculation about tension between them.
