I waited two years to watch Peter Kay in Birmingham – and it was fantastic

That's some doing in front of a 15,000-strong capacity audience at Birmingham's Utilita Arena.

But Kay has a knack of making his show feel like a chat, with many a laugh along the way.

I bought my tickets for the Better Late than Never tour two years ago. In fact I almost missed it as I'd forgotten the date was looming.

Kay thanked everyone for their patience and joked that all mobile photography and filming was banned because he didn't want to spoil it for fans coming to his show in 2032.

It was difficult at times to match the distinctive Bolton delivery of Kay with his face looming from the big screen. His appearance has changed so much since he suddenly cancelled his tour back in 2017. But he appears well and full of beans – and his adoring fans at the Utilita Arena simply loved it.

The first half an hour was spent fooling around, filming late-comers and then leading a trip down memory lane by remembering advert themes and then asking audience members to get involved. It all seemed spontaneous, although some of the references he makes do return in his spectacular set-piece finale that sees him float over the audience on a multi-coloured suspended platform.

Peter Kay Live: Better Late Than Never is the comedian's first tour in 12 years.

The Phoenix Nights and Car Share star cancelled his planned 14-month, 100-show stand-up tour in 2017 due to 'unforeseen family circumstances'. That simply increased demand for his latest tour, which appears to have been extended indefinitely.

I bought my tickets while waiting to get a Covid jab. That is how long ago it was. But with family in tow, the late Monday night – the show finished just before 11am – was worth the wait.

Kay has always fed off nostalgia. His Car Share show was stuffed full of 1980s car radio hits and this show was equally jammed to references of music and TV shows from the past.

His facial expressions were still there to see, but strangely different than when he was bigger. There was no reference to the reasons for his enforced break from performing. But his interaction with the medical profession was an ongoing theme, including kidney stones and 'man issues' that brought embarrassment to him at the time but still didn't prevent an anaesthetist asking for a selfie during an examination.

And there were some adult themes, but they were dealt with in a saucy seaside postcard style that meant no-one could possibly take offence.

Three encores and a standing ovation later, the show was over.

The public's love affair with Peter Kay is as strong as ever and long may it continue.