PETER KAY surprised fans last night at a special screening of his comedy series Car Share.
The Bolton comedian was making his first public appearance since December, when he announced he was cancelling his upcoming tour due to ‘unforeseen family reasons’.
Kay, whose mother Deirdre is from Co. Tyrone, broke his silence last month to announce three charity screenings of the finale of his sitcom.
And ahead of the final screening at Blackpool Opera House on Saturday night, he took to the stage to rapturous applause from the 3,000-strong audience.
In footage of the appearance, posted on Twitter, Kay said: “Enjoy the last ever episode of Car Share. Don't tell anyone the end, or tell anyone about any hedgehogs.”
He added: “Thank you, lots of love, enjoy.
"Take care, bye-bye.”
Proceeds from the special screenings will go towards The Lily Foundation, which treats children with mitochondrial disease.
The appearance comes following cruel rumours speculating he had passed away.
And fans were delighted to see the comic back on the stage, if only briefly.
An amazing night had by all. Great to see @peterkay_co_uk back on stage, even if only for a couple of minutes.
— NeilONick (@isnicthere) 8 April 2018
@peterkay_co_uk drove 300
Miles to see your show, for every mile you gave everyone a thousand smiles. And for you to come on stage was amazing. Truly a night to remember #carshare— Toll_gate_kiosk (@GateKiosk) 7 April 2018
It was amazing seeing #peterkayscarshare including the final 2 episodes that haven’t aired yet, and the night was made even better by the man himself making a surprise appearance. Haven’t laughed that much in a while! #peterkay#thelilyfoundation @4Lilyfoundation @peterkay_co_uk
— Torixx (@Toriixx904) 7 April 2018
Amazing night at @WGBpl to see the final ever episode of @peterkay_co_uk Car Share! He even made an appearance on stage for us all :) pic.twitter.com/prPexwmLpq
— Michael Swift (@mrmichaelswift) 7 April 2018
Brilliant night at #PeterKaysCarShare with @liamfell2010 absolutely made my night when @peterkay_co_uk came on stage. What a guy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HKgHFrqvmb
— Hannah Harrison (@hannahjharrison) 7 April 2018
@peterkay_co_uk thank you so so so so much! Absolutely incredible! Can't wait to watch it again when it airs on TV. Truly lovely of you to make an appearance - made my year! #CarShare
— Vix (@Darkfearytales) 7 April 2018
As well as the final episode of Car Share, fans were also treated to a special improvised episode.
Fans not lucky enough to get tickets to the screenings will be able to see the final episode when it airs on BBC One next month.
